Featured J.E.S. Author: Russell Johnson on The Next Word: Tutu and Bakhtin on Dialogical Disagreement

Issue 60.3 of the Journal of Ecumenical Studies is now available via Project Muse. The issue features articles on memory, truth and reconciliation.

For this issue, we highlight Russell Johnson’s essay “The Next Word: Tutu and Bakhtin on Dialogical Disagreement” which can be accessed HERE.

In two sentences, what is the main argument of your J.E.S. article?

Instead of trying to have “the last word,” we should strive to say “the next word”—to respond to others and invite them to respond to us. This dialogical approach is compatible with protest on matters of ethics, politics, and theology because it demands that everyone act responsibly and recognize their interdependence.

In bringing the work of Desmond Tutu and Mikhail Bakhtin into conversation with each other, you explicitly place both in a philosophical context which neither are popularly associated with. What were the challenges in examining these two thinkers outside of the fields to which they are usually assigned?

While Bakhtin insisted he was a philosopher, people think of him primarily as a literary theorist. This is because much of his philosophical work is grounded in the interpretation of novels. Likewise, Tutu is best known for his activism, and his theology of reconciliation is grounded in the situation in South Africa. Fittingly, they are both responsive thinkers—not building a system in isolation but taking inspiration from others and speaking to audiences. The biggest challenge for me was comparing their ideas without compromising the dialogical quality of their thinking.

In your discussion of Bakhtin, you briefly contrast his dialogism with Stalin's project, which "insists it knows the end of history and presumes to have 'the last word.'" How would you contrast Tutu and Bakhtin with Christian projects which see Christ's second coming as a similar moment of inevitable historical completion?

Though neither author says much about eschatology, their work reminds us that any end Christ brings about will only be an end to sin and not an end to our interactions with one another and with God. I see some similarities between their work and dynamic visions of the afterlife, like Gregory of Nyssa’s, in which people are always learning, always becoming more loving, always coming to appreciate more and more of God’s infinite goodness.

In some sense, God will have the last word. But just as God’s power is “made perfect in weakness,” we can expect that this ending will reconfigure how we imagine finality.

You insist on a few occasions that you are not advocating relativism. How have dialogue and relativism become associated, and what are the shortcomings of that association?

For a lot of people, “dialogue” names a way of interacting that is non-confrontational. Especially following the work of David Bohm, dialogue is seen as an open-ended process in which we refrain from trying to persuade one another or figuring out what’s right. It’s easy to slide from “every perspective has something to contribute” to “every perspective is equally true.” By contrast, Bakhtin and Tutu help us think about disagreeing dialogically, which means going beyond “you have your story and I have mine” and into collaborative, and sometimes confrontational, discernment. It is because we care about the truth that we listen to our opponents who might be able to shed light on facets of the situation that we had misunderstood. It is because we care about the truth that we insist on what we know, even if it makes people angry—as Rosa Luxemburg said, “The most revolutionary thing one can do is always to proclaim loudly what is happening.”

How did you get interested in the topic?

I first read Tutu when I was studying nonviolent direct action. As with so many practitioners of nonviolence, Tutu’s ethics is not simply about obeying the command to love your enemies, but encompasses a comprehensive vision of humanity, communication, and social change. While this vision helps us name the evils of apartheid (sadly, something that is still necessary), it can also help us navigate disagreements morally and effectively. That’s something I’ve been interested in for as long as I can remember.

What is your next project?

I am working on my second book, titled Opposites Attract: A Brief Introduction to Dialogue and Dialectic. I’m looking at philosophical dialogue as a genre to explore how the interaction of multiple voices within a text can make readers more engaged and more willing to think outside dualistic, us-versus-them frameworks.

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Russell P. Johnson (Mennonite) is the associate director of the University of Chicago’s Undergraduate Religious Studies Program and Core Sequence and was a Divinity Teaching Fellow at the University in 2019–21. He teaches courses on comparative religious ethics, epistemology, and religion and film. He holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; an M.T.S. from Duke University, Durham, NC; and both an M.A. in philosophy and a Ph.D. (2019) in philosophy of religions from the University of Chicago. His Beyond Civility in Social Conflict: Dialogue, Critique, and Religious Ethics was published by Cambridge University Press in 2024, and Opposites Attract: A Primer on Dialogue and Dialectic is expected from Integratio Press in 2026. A dozen of his journal articles have been published, as have nine book chapters and nearly twenty reviews.

He has also written for more popular audiences and has been a monthly columnist and now editor of Sightings. In addition to public lectures, he has delivered papers at two dozen scholarly conferences throughout the U.S. and in Canada. He has refereed manuscripts, moderated panels, and served as a panelist and a conference coordinator on several occasions. A member of the American Academy of Religion since 2011, he has co-chaired its Ethics Unit since 2023, as well as being a board member of the Fellowship of Protestant Ethics. He is also a member of the Society of Christian Ethics and the Religious Communication Association. This is his second article for J.E.S.

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The Significance of Interfaith Dialogue in the Contemporary World by Danyar M. Ali

Authored by SUSI 2023 Alumni Danyar M. Ali

It is fast becoming important in today's world for interfaith dialogues to be appreciated more amidst the religious and cultural diversity characterizing society. This dialogue will not only help people understand one another, but it is also a very important tool in building bridges, and creating peace, and coexistence among such communities. Interfaith dialogue can play a fundamental role in reducing tensions and conflicts, countering extremism, and opening up society towards tolerance.

Another significant result of interfaith dialogue is that it aspires to the complete elimination of misunderstandings and biases between the adherents of various confessions. These usually come from a shortage of knowledge and gaps in personal contact with other people, so very often, this disunity can be solved after the representatives of various confessions sit down together to discuss problems openly and honestly. This helps lessen the fear and suspicion of one another and builds even more trust among religious groups.

Interfaith dialogue leads to increased respect and tolerance in society. As people learn to listen to and understand different perspectives, this will contribute to the development of respect for differences and to a more diverse and open society. Such a dialogue also makes one introspect his belief system yet be open to the thoughts of another. This eventually leads to a vibrant and resourceful society where differences become a form of blessing rather than a point of intimidation.

On the other hand, interfaith dialogues can serve as a looming factor in settling social and political issues. Often, religious factors have to do with problems of global complexity. Inter-religious dialogue thus forms a channel for religious leaders and their believers to find peaceful solutions through their cooperation. This cooperation could also extend to other specified areas, such as the fight against poverty, inequality, and climate change. To this effect, when different religions make a common cause in serving the community, this serves to solve not only the problems at hand but also to reinforce their relations.

Interfaith dialogue also provides avenues for spiritual learning and growth. Each religion carries with it a certain wisdom and unique insights into life and existence. People can learn from the insights of one another through dialogue, thus broadening their horizons. Thus, this will enrich the spiritual and moral life of people and society as a whole. Additionally, interfaith dialogue may help individuals understand their own beliefs more deeply and to think more critically about religious issues.

It is also expected that interfaith dialogue can play a significant role in safeguarding and strengthening religious freedom from the religious oppression and discrimination that still exist in the current world. When religious groups work in unison, they can be stronger to protect the rights of religious minorities against every other form of oppression. This becomes important in bringing about a society where everybody can comfortably practice their beliefs without fear of oppression or discrimination.

Interfaith dialogue also proves to be very important in education. We can teach young people how to view differences and comprehend religious diversity through curricula and joint activities. It is an influence on the new generation in regard to opening up and being more open-minded towards religious or cultural differences. The less children and youngsters are introduced to the existence of different religions, the more they will create a society where differences are a source of fear and hostility rather than a source that enriches social and cultural life.

The other positive aspect of interfaith dialogue is that this dialogue can challenge extremism and terrorism. Religious leaders can, through dialogue, stand up together against any extreme interpretation of religion and disseminate a message of peace and tolerance. This is important in saving the youth from the clutches of extremist ideologies. Sending back to society a signal that different religions come together to raise their voices against violence and terrorism gives a powerful message to the groups who use religion for such violent purposes.

In this way, interfaith dialogue may also serve as a means of preserving cultural and religious heritage. The cooperation and mutual understanding may provide a way for the different religious groups to help each other in the preservation of sacred sites, traditions, and values that are deemed important to be kept in the culture. This goes a long way toward preserving some semblance of cultural diversity in the world and preventing the loss of historic sites and ancient traditions. Also, through dialogue, different religions can learn how to respect each other's sacred sites and work together to protect them.

Finally, interfaith dialogue brings human commonality into development. Irrespective of religious differences, we are all ultimately human, sharing the same basic needs and aspirations. Real dialogue lets us understand this human commonality and builds much better relations based on that. Something shared in common can become a platform on which to cooperate and come together against challenges that face all of humanity, such as poverty, disease, and climate change.

Interfaith dialogue also can play an important role in maintaining world peace. In a world where conflicts and wars are very often related to religious factors, interfaith dialogue can become an important tool for solution of conflicts and the search for peaceful solutions. When religious leaders and believers learn to sit together and discuss, it may become an example for politicians and decision-makers on how one can resolve differences in a peaceful manner.

Yet, interfaith dialogue is not easy-it is fraught with its own barriers. Deep differences in beliefs and traditions, a history of conflict and hostility, and the fear of losing one's unique identity stand as deterrents to effective dialogue. Some individuals and groups also harbor fears that this dialogue might make their convictions weak or that compromise on basic principles regarding their religion may have to be made.

It is, therefore, of essence to conduct interfaith dialogue in a proper and sensitive way. Participants should regard the differences of others with respect and try to achieve commonalities without the intention of convincing others about one's beliefs. A very essential aspect is that this interfaith dialogue should not remain restricted to religious heads; it reaches people at the grassroots level also. For that continuous education and sensitization is required.

We can derive from this that, notwithstanding all the obstacles and barriers, interfaith dialogue is one of the most important tools which can be used in trying to establish a world that is more peaceful and united. It is through dialogue that we understand how to respect differences and find commonality. We can solve together many of the problems that all human beings face. But together, we can foster a society that recognizes that diversity in religion and cultures is an asset, not a source of conflict or division.

That is why all of us-in our personal lives, our communities, our states-should take every possible measure to encourage and give support for interfaith dialogue. It is by encouraging and giving support to the people and organizations who work in this area of expertise. It is necessary that the values of tolerance and respect for differences be emphasised, taught, and spread through our education systems and the media. Only then will we be able to head toward a world where peace and coexistence will have first place over fear and hostility.

Interfaith dialogue is not, lastly, a religious but a human issue and one concerning the fate of all of us. It is the way to greater understanding, closer cooperation, and peace in this world. Let us all join this process and take part in building a good future for all humankind.