What is "Open Christianity"

Openness is a familiar metaphor in contemporary Christian discourse. From Pope John XXIII's celebrated "opening"of the windows of Catholicism to the world to the United Methodist Church's slogan, "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors,"openness represents for many an essential dimension of Christian life. This symposium provides a forum for investigation and study that will engage multiple perspectives. The very nature of such an investigation precludes defining openness in precise terms. The Toward Open Christianity Symposium does, however, take this metaphor as a point of departure for examination of the challenges and opportunities that confront Christianity in our contemporary, pluralistic world.

For additional information regarding the questions and issues around which the Toward Open Christianity Symposium has been organized, see the "Toward Open Christianity Statement."