Stories shape our understanding of the world. They teach us who we are, where we come from, and what we value. The stories we tell…
Editorial: Shaped by Story
Reimagining Interfaith Narratives
by Aaron Stauffer
Good organizers consistently emphasize the importance of leaders “understanding” and “working” on their stories. When they are first getting to know a leader, they ask questions like: What keeps you up at night?
We Don’t Lead Alone
by Zachary Dar
What does it mean to lead? Some may say it comes with the responsibility of being a leader, or even just to be in charge; however, is it that simple?
Putting Interfaith Inclusivity to the Test
by Miranda Hovemeyer
I’ll be honest. I haven’t felt at home in the field of interfaith work for quite a while. During one of the last interfaith conferences I spoke at, I was asked by an older white gentleman why I was there, then insisting…
Multi-Faith Relations in Rural Settings
by Najeeba Syeed
I’ve written about “casserole” hospitality, an ethic of care demonstrated in America’s Heartland found in communities of various traditions who welcome…
Muchos Idiomas, Muchas Acciones / Many Languages, Many Actions
by Vaus Bandhu
When I was 18, I began to get involved in interfaith collaboration to promote peacebuilding, and learned about the importance of creating a sustainable and lasting movement. Thanks to the support of…
Editorial: Seeking the Blessed Community
From Sudan to Chicago or Shanghai, defining, enjoying, and sustaining a blessed community is a tough assignment. Since humans became human, we’ve hungered for a thriving, protective community…
Creating the Blessed Community
by Diana Whitney
I was in India, teaching Appreciative Inquiry and leading a leadership retreat with colleagues Dinesh Chandra and Anil Sachdev, when one of my co-founders of the Taos Institute…
Editorial: We're Back!
In the two years we’ve been gone, the challenge in developing interfaith relations has received a body blow through the accelerating corruption of language and communication…
The Interfaith Rainforest Initiative: A Case Study of Religious Literacy
by Dr. Charles Ian McNeill
As the impacts of climate change intensify in plain sight on every continent, the United Nations Environmental Programme’s “Emissions Gap Report 2022,” released just…
Bridging the Chasm of the Heart
by Michael Reid Trice
Our age is the story of seismic shifts in the guiding, normative ways for how life is lived on this planet. We experience these shifts as seismic because they pulsate and tear at the foundations of…
On the Future of Religion
by Ben Bowler
One of the biggest problems with discussing religion is the definition of the term. Few words have such breadth and depth of meaning and even fewer words can spark such passionate debate.
Interfaith Today and Tomorrow
by Paul Chaffee
In our globalized world the word interfaith is a slippery piece of language with various meanings.Numerous countries enjoy government support for interfaith and intrafaith programming with the goal of cultivating multifaith friendship, critical to civic peace.
Reimagining Interfaith: Taking Our Lead from Kids
by Vicki Garlock
The interfaith movement is all about bringing people together. Most of the time we focus on adults, and social justice issues. Don’t get me wrong. I fully support any and all interfaith efforts. But we need to do more, and we need to do it better.
Where do we go from Here?
by Tarunjit Singh Butalia
As a kid growing up in Punjab, India my first formative engagement with interfaith understanding was with a high school friend who was Muslim.
Trumpers: The Interfaith Movement’s Greatest Test
by Kevin Singer
In the 2018 Netflix documentary Wild Wild Country, a controversial guru from India and his followers attempt to build a utopian society in Wasco County, Oregon.
‘The Fierce Urgency of Now’
by Bud Heckman
A question for you: Why isn’t the movement for interfaith cooperation seen and taken as seriously and central in our societies as are other movements for social justice and the common good, such as race, gender, abilities, the environment, and so on?
Enlarging the Interfaith Tent
by Hans Gustafson
Despite an ever-widening door to the growing tent of interreligious engagement, there remains work to do. Interreligious studies in the academy, as well as the interfaith movement in the wider community, have blossomed in the West over the last few decades.
California Interfaith Connections Growing
by Stephen Albert
Certain things in life are no-brainers. In Jim Croce’s 1972 song “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim,” he told us: “You don't tug on superman's cape, You don't spit into the wind, You don't pull the mask off that old lone ranger, And you don't mess around with Jim.”
An Interreligious Moment is Upon Us
by William E. Lesher
First, it is important to recognize that the interreligious movement is a global phenomenon. While the movement as we experience it in the U.S. has a distinct Western texture to it, the fact is that interreligious initiatives are coming from around the world.