Cambridge Interfaith Program (CIP) promotes better understanding of the complex and diverse relationships between different religious traditions

Through world-leading academic research and creative public engagement initiatives, the Cambridge Interfaith Program (CIP) promotes better understanding of the complex and diverse relationships between different religious traditions, and between those traditions and secular societies. Combining academic expertise and commitment to real-world impact, CIP seeks to advance social flourishing worldwide.

The Cambridge Interfaith Program was born in 2002 with the aim of promoting high-quality engagement between Jews, Christians and Muslims, and deeper understanding of the role that Judaism, Christianity and Islam can play in a complexly religious and secular world.

As part of the University of Cambridge, CIP aims to transform both the academic environment and public consciousness, shaping the way that religion is understood and related to today.

The Cambridge Interfaith Program is dedicated to learning about, learning from, and learning between religions as they interact within a secular and religious world. The Cambridge Interfaith Program:

• Pursues academic research into Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and their interactions with each other and with the wider secular and religious world, historically and today;

• Provides and facilitates high-quality education in this area for a wide variety of audiences at every level;

• Shapes debate about and between the religions nationally and internationally.

Starting in 2021, CIP is embarking on a bold new venture: the CIP Religion and Global Challenges Initiative. This new initiative seeks to generate tangible and sustainable solutions to worldwide problems by deepening understanding of the role that religious communities play – and could play – in exacerbating or in alleviating such problems.

Through this new initiative, CIP will build on existing work and broaden their focus to include new strands such as:

• Religion and the Environment
• Religion, Poverty, and Economic Inequality
• Religion, Global Health, and Matters of Life and Death
• Religion, Race, and Inclusive Societies
• Religion, Conflict, and Violence
• Migration, Displacement, and Coexistence
• Religion, Law, and Freedom

Alongside academic study, they also deeply invested in the public’s engagement with these topics. A core driving element of CIP is a desire to promote shared understanding and knowledge exchange between different religious traditions and between religious traditions and broader society.

By starting this new Initiative, they will find creative new solutions to global problems by drawing upon theological research, cutting-edge methods in social sciences, models and analysis offered by natural scientists and engineers, and conversation with contemporary religious communities.

Through the CIP Religion and Global Challenges Initiative, Cambridge Interfaith Program will do the following:

• Bring together talented researchers with expertise in religious studies, social and natural sciences, theology, ethics, and philosophy to engage in high-impact research projects.

• Enable knowledge exchange with faith leaders across the globe to bring their voices into the interdisciplinary, interfaith debate on global challenges.

• Promote the innovative use of digital tools and new technologies to maximize research impact and engage the general public, policymakers, and religious communities on these challenges.

Contacts

• Address: Cambridge Inter-Faith Program, Faculty of Divinity, West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9BS, UK
• Phone: +44 (0)1223 763 013
• Email: team@interfaith.cam.ac.uk
• Website: interfaith.cam.ac.uk