A Catholic, a Muslim, and a Jew were sitting together in a meeting. Sounds like the start to a religious joke, right? Or, perhaps, it would be an ordinary interfaith dialogue. Either would be a fair guess, but this time it is actually the start to an interesting development – the recent gathering of representatives from among the many different foundations interested in interreligious cooperation.
An Historic Overview of Faith Relations in Europe
Leading Interfaith Activists Explore the Interfaith Movement
The Interfaith Movement Growing Exponentially
Interfaith in Fargo, North Dakota? Better Believe It!
The Nones Are Off the Bus, and Many of Them Are Alls
Foreword to Faithiest: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious
There is a moment in the middle of Faitheist that nearly took my breath away. Chris is living in Bemidji, a small town in northern Minnesota near the headwaters of the Mississippi river. The nearest big city is Fargo, and it is several hours away. In the winter, the snow piles up so high he can’t see out of the bedroom window in his garden apartment.
Why the ‘Interfaith Movement’ Must Rebrand
If I ask you what the human rights, civil rights or environmental movements are about, you likely can give a semi-coherent description that sounds something like what your neighbor might say if we asked her as well. The interfaith relations movement, on the other hand, has no defined brand. (Some people working squarely within the movement actually even giggle a bit when I try to even use the term “interfaith movement.”)
Interfaith Young Adults in Urban Community
Seventeen young adults, mostly in their twenties, gathered in San Francisco on February 2 for an urban field trip with a unique mission: to explore what a thriving interfaith young adult community would look like in the city. Through United Religions Initiative (URI), I was organizing the trip as a part of our Bay Area Young Leaders Program.
First Steps in Building a Global Interfaith Community
Death, destruction and United Nations preventive military efforts often command public and media attention. The other purposes and activities of the U.N. – concentrating, for instance, on developing respect for rights, preventing discrimination, economic development, and cultural coexistence – receive less attention.
Interfaith-Active Artists Promote Peace with Story & Song
Once the car capital of America, Detroit has come to be known for its urban decay, for massive unemployment, decrepit housing, and endemic crime. Its vast freeway network resembles a ghost town during rush hour, an incongruous and troubling image for the once prosperous, vital home of Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler.
Tectonic Shifts in American Religion and Spirituality
The Pew Forum’s October 9 report on religion in America was released in the midst of a presidential campaign in overdrive, daily doses of bad-news business stories, violence in Syria and the threat of violence in Iran. Nevertheless, on October 9 the New York Times noticed what looks to be the biggest religion story of 2012, as did the Washington Post, CNN, Huffington Post, and dozens of other news outlets.
What the Emerging Interfaith Voices Tell Us
What do TIO’s March and April “Emerging Interfaith Voices” series tell us about the interfaith culture emerging globally?
Experience Your Neighbor's Faith to Deepen Your Own
We are coming to a realization that religious zealots cannot be fought with indifference. Extremists of all nationalities and religious persuasion feeding on prejudice, legislating exclusion, and resorting to violence cannot be prevailed upon by people with less passion. Telling them to "cool down" and to "be moderate" will not do it. We must allow fires greater than theirs to arise. Our passion for a whole and interdependent word must rise above their passion for a segregated and zero-sum world.
Finding Sanctuary in an Amsterdam Airport
I was coming back to the US after an intense month in India. Culture shock was inevitable bidding “adieu” to the color, noise, and chaos, as well as to the well of spirituality that defines India. The plane headed to the orchestrated calm of Holland, a streamlined, carefully planned environment, well-labeled and user-friendly.
Torah, Sequined Saris, Chapattis, and Peace
I have prayed in synagogues in Italy, Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Curacao, Belgium, Kenya, Egypt, Australia, and Russia. But this was my first time chanting the Shema with a group of Jewish women all wearing saris.
Getting to know you… a lot better
The collaborating editors of The Dialogue Comes of Age: Christian Encounters with Other Traditions are John B. Cobb, Jr., emeritus professor of theology at the Claremont School of Theology, and Ward M. McAfee, emeritus professor of history at the California State University of San Bernardino. Both have compiled distinguished teaching and publishing records.
An Interview With Diana Eck
Dr. Diana L. Eck, Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies at Harvard University, is a leader in interreligious studies and interfaith bridge-building. Her A New Religious America (2001) unveiled the diversity that has changed forever America's religious makeup.