Why Should Christians do Interfaith Engagement?

Reflections for UK Inter Faith Week 2026 by the Revd Dr Raj Bharat Patta 

Co-Chair, Greater Manchester Faith and Belief Panel and Chair, Stockport Multifaith Network

The theme of this year’s Inter Faith Week, Lighting the Way for a Shared Future, invites people of different faiths and beliefs to build relationships, mutual respect and solidarity. At a time when racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-migrant hostility and far-right extremism threaten our shared life, interfaith engagement is not merely a matter of religious courtesy, it’s a prophetic intervention of faith in the public sphere. For Christians, it is even more: a theological, ethical and public responsibility.

My involvement in interfaith engagements, whether attending Iftars at local mosques, participating in Mitzvah Day at our local synagogue, joining Diwali celebrations, having conversations with friends of the Bahá'í faith, or participating in various civic and multifaith initiatives, occasionally raises eyebrows. Some people express theological nervousness, while others openly challenge me with questions: “Does engaging with other religions compromise Christian faith?”, “Does it mean accepting that all religions are the same?”, “Does interfaith engagement undermine evangelism?”, “Does respecting other faiths mean accepting other gods?”

Furthermore, my prayers addressing contemporary global injustices have sometimes been criticised as being ‘too political’, while my involvement in interfaith activities has even earned me the label ‘woke’. For me, however, interfaith engagement is neither a fashionable political position nor a dilution of Christian convictions. Rather, it is an expression of my Christian discipleship, rooted in the gospel's call to love our neighbours, challenge injustice and recognise the God-given dignity of every person. 

Interfaith: From India to Stockport

Born and brought up in India, interfaith communities were a lived reality for me. My friends belonged to different religious traditions. We shared food, celebrated festivals, received each other's hospitality and appreciated our differences. Later, I explored Christian-Hindu dialogue in my master’s thesis and pursued doctoral research in public theology. These experiences helped me to examine how faith communities engage with one another and contribute to the common good.

Now ministering in Stockport, I continue to experience the transformative power of interfaith relationships. Through the Stockport Multifaith Network and the Greater Manchester Faith and Belief Panel, we have nurtured friendships, strengthened community cohesion and stood together during celebrations and crises. We backed vaccination during Covid-19 and organised reflection days remembering those who had died. We stood alongside Muslim neighbours when mosques experienced Islamophobic attacks. We expressed solidarity with Jewish communities after the Heaton Park synagogue attack. Our Jewish neighbours have donated clothing for refugees and asylum seekers. We celebrate and share religious festivals. When far-right extremism threatened Stockport, faith communities worked alongside civic organisations to affirm our borough as a sanctuary of hope and hospitality. These encounters deepen my understanding of following Jesus.

Interfaith does not Mean Religious Uniformity

Authentic interfaith relationships allow people to remain faithful to their convictions while respecting those of others. It’s not a case of “Which religion is right?” but “How do our religious convictions contribute to justice, dignity, peace and the flourishing of marginalised communities?” It’s about recognising our shared humanity amid our religious diversity. We do not need to believe the same to belong together, or to work for the common good.

Interfaith Engagement as Christian Witness

Some Christians fear that interfaith engagement undermines evangelism. However, Christian mission must be distinguished from religious conquest. Christian witness cannot faithfully communicate Christ's love through coercion, manipulation or the denial of another person's dignity. The Indian theologian MM Thomas challenged Christians “to risk Christ for Christ's sake”, moving beyond defensive religious identities towards participation in humanity's struggles.

Christians working alongside other faiths to support refugees, resist hatred or promote public well-being are not abandoning mission, but embodying Christ's commandment to love their neighbours.

Recognising God's Image Beyond Religious Boundaries

Respecting another person's religion does not require affirming every theological claim of their tradition or accepting other gods. Indeed, the more grounded I am in the God who met me in Jesus Christ, the more open I can be in celebrating the equal image of God among all people.

Interfaith Engagement as a Decolonial Practice of De-othering

Colonialism frequently constructed divisions between Christians and non-Christians, reinforcing political, cultural and economic domination. Contemporary Britain witnesses echoes of these divisions when Christianity is used as a symbol of exclusionary nationalism or religious minorities are portrayed as threats to national identity.

As a Dalit Christian migrant minister, I understand interfaith engagement as a commitment to challenging the intersecting injustices of racism, patriarchy, economic oppression and religious discrimination. Interfaith engagement therefore becomes a decolonial practice of de-othering, transforming those labelled strangers into neighbours. It deepens our discipleship by challenging prejudices, ensuring that belonging is never determined by religion, race, nationality or migration status.

In Luke 13:22–30, Jesus speaks of people arriving from east, west, north and south to participate in God's banquet. This challenges religious complacency and assumptions about belonging, requiring us to question whose voices remain excluded. Some of the most profound expressions of interfaith spirituality occur not in conference halls but through everyday solidarity.

Ten Commitments for Christian Interfaith Engagement

1. Begin with friendship, not conversion.
2. Visit places of worship and learn respectfully from neighbouring communities.
3. Celebrate religious diversity.
4. Create opportunities for learning and encourage honest faith conversations. 
5. Share hospitality.
6. Stand against religious hatred and challenge discrimination.
7. Work together for social justice.
8. Involve children and young people – challenge inherited prejudices.
9. Create spaces for prayerful solidarity during crises.
10. Let love be the lens for mutual respect, accountability and cooperation.

Lighting the Way Together

Jesus declares, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), and tells his followers, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). This light is not ours to monopolise but to share through love, compassion, justice and hospitality.

Perhaps the most important question is not whether interfaith engagement compromises Christianity, but whether refusing to love, listen to and stand alongside our neighbours compromises Christian discipleship. I have learnt that we need not be the same to walk together, resist injustice or recognise the dignity of others. Let our churches become communities of sanctuary. Let our spirituality be subversive enough to challenge exclusion and courageous enough to embrace difference. For the light of Christ is not given to Christians to cast shadows upon others, but to illuminate pathways of love, justice and peace. Let us light the way together.

The Revd Dr Raj Bharat Patta

Co-Chair, Greater Manchester Faith and Belief Panel Chair, Stockport Multifaith Network