Interreligious Theology of Reconciliation: Building a Framework for Christian-Muslim Peacemaking in Nigeria’s Middle Belt

This doctoral study constructs an original interreligious theology of reconciliation designed to resource Christian-Muslim peacemaking in Nigeria's Middle Belt, a transitional geographical zone encompassing Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nassarawa, Niger, and Plateau states where Christian and Muslim communities live in close proximity and have repeatedly experienced devastating intercommunal violence. The study fills a critical gap in the literature by developing a theologically grounded rather than merely sociologically pragmatic framework for interreligious reconciliation that can be owned by both Christian and Muslim peacemakers. Employing a constructive comparative theology methodology, the study draws on Christian reconciliation theology, Islamic sulh (reconciliation) and adl (justice) traditions, African communal conflict resolution ethics, and transitional justice theory. Primary data are gathered from sixty interviews with Christian and Muslim peacemakers, traditional rulers, theological educators, and conflict survivors across the six Middle Belt states, supplemented by analysis of thirty reconciliation programme reports from faith-based peacebuilding organisations. The study identifies shared theological and ethical resources for reconciliation across the two traditions, constructs a seven-stage interreligious reconciliation theology incorporating truth, acknowledgment, justice, forgiveness, covenant renewal, shared memory, and shared future, and evaluates this framework through a pilot application with a representative peacemaking community in Plateau State. Keywords: interreligious reconciliation, Christian-Muslim relations, Middle Belt Nigeria, peacemaking theology, comparative theology