"Global religions resemble each other within their differences. By studying a different religious tradition, you can experience how different kinds of light will fall on certain elements of your own tradition. How can we illuminate each other, for the benefit of the whole of humanity?"
Perry Schmidt-Leukel is one of the world’s leading voices in the development of a pluralist theology of religions. A German theologian and scholar of comparative religion, he served as Professor of Religious Studies and Intercultural Theology at the University of Münster, where he also directed the Institute for Religious Studies and Intercultural Theology and was a Principal Investigator in the influential Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics.”
Educated in theology and philosophy, Schmidt-Leukel earned his doctorate from the University of Munich and held academic positions at the Universities of Munich, Innsbruck, Salzburg, and Glasgow. Across these roles, he consistently broke new ground in the fields of interfaith dialogue, Buddhist-Christian relations, and pluralist theology, helping to shape the emerging discipline of interreligious theology.
Fluent in German, English, and Chinese academic contexts, Schmidt-Leukel has published more than 30 books. His major works include God Beyond Boundaries (2017), the award-winning Buddha Mind – Christ Mind (2019), and Religious Pluralism and Interreligious Theology, the published version of his 2015 Gifford Lectures. His fractal model of religious diversity—a groundbreaking way of understanding the interrelationship of world religions—has generated wide scholarly engagement, including the 2019 volume New Paths for Interreligious Theology dedicated to exploring his work.
Perry Schmidt-Leukel is one of the world’s leading voices in the development of a pluralist theology of religions. A German theologian and scholar of comparative religion, he served as Professor of Religious Studies and Intercultural Theology at the University of Münster, where he also directed the Institute for Religious Studies and Intercultural Theology and was a Principal Investigator in the influential Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics.”
Educated in theology and philosophy, Schmidt-Leukel earned his doctorate from the University of Munich and held academic positions at the Universities of Munich, Innsbruck, Salzburg, and Glasgow. Across these roles, he consistently broke new ground in the fields of interfaith dialogue, Buddhist-Christian relations, and pluralist theology, helping to shape the emerging discipline of interreligious theology.
Fluent in German, English, and Chinese academic contexts, Schmidt-Leukel has published more than 30 books. His major works include God Beyond Boundaries (2017), the award-winning Buddha Mind – Christ Mind (2019), and Religious Pluralism and Interreligious Theology, the published version of his 2015 Gifford Lectures. His fractal model of religious diversity—a groundbreaking way of understanding the interrelationship of world religions—has generated wide scholarly engagement, including the 2019 volume New Paths for Interreligious Theology dedicated to exploring his work.
