Abstract
In this study I am thinking aloud about some crucial considerations facing those who desire an encounter between the religions. Many individuals have unintentionally arrived in their ecumenical experience where they must out of necessity deal with the issues involved in inter-religious dialogue if they are to maintain intellectual integrity and spiritual honesty. We live in a time of world history resulting from breakthroughs in science and technology as well as the social and cultural revolutions. We must also reckon with the knowledge explosion in preliterate studies (i.e. anthropology, archeology and linguistics) as well
as the reverse missionary zeal manifest by non-western religions. In our own country the appeal of Zen to young White intellectuals is matched by the appeal of Islam to Black intellectuals.