June 2025
| A Theology DPhil candidate at Wycliffe Hall reflects on a profound experience in Istanbul. |
Lizibeth Fischer writes:
This past month, I had the opportunity to travel to Istanbul to present a paper at an interfaith academic workshop. The aim of the workshop was to share research in philosophy, theology, and science from Abrahamic perspectives, and to promote religious understanding and personal dialogue between young Muslim and Christian scholars.
As such, participants were expressly requested to focus on listening to one another, and to refrain from trying to convert one another. This made for an atmosphere of good faith, openness, and curiosity without tension or pressure. We shared meals and discussed our shared commitments and our contrasting perspectives. We laughed, cried, and made friends. I had conversations about philosophy, grief, and hijab fashion. It was a precious time of challenge, connection, and developing more nuance and empathy.
Besides being personally formative in these ways, the workshop was also academically insightful. My research is in philosophical theology, exploring biblical faith as a variety of relational trust. I have not previously had the opportunity to share my doctoral research with a Muslim audience, so it was valuable to receive feedback from colleagues representing different Islamic traditions, and hailing from Turkey, Gaza, Uzbekistan, and beyond. It was exciting to see how they connected with my work, and I learned a lot from them in the Q&A and the conversations that spilled over into the rest of the weekend.
Special thanks to Wycliffe's graduate fund for sponsoring my airfare, enabling me to participate in this weekend which enriched my academic work, nuanced my cultural understanding, and equipped me to better love my Muslim neighbor in Jesus' name.
