Ecumenical & Interfaith
Network - PCUSA

Interfaith Relations

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| Newest postings | General | Religious freedom |  Academic Institutions | In the councils of churches |

| In the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) |

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Episcopal Church priest deposed for abandoning communion

Ann Holmes Redding (pictured), a priest for 25 years, has been deposed by her bishop on the basis of her having "abandoned the Communion of the Episcopal Church by formal admission into a religious body not in communion with the Episcopal Church." Redding became a Muslim without having renounced her claim that she is a Christian. The theological questions related to this action will long be debated.Redding was co-author of a book just published, Out of Darkness Into Light: Spiritual Guidance in the Quran with Reflections from Christian and Jewish Sources (ISBN # 978-0819223388). Another case has been mentioned in discussions about Redding's situation: A priest who has received lay ordination from a Buddhist group has been elected a bishop by a Michigan diocese, and a campaign has been launched by conservatives to bar him from the episcopate. The priest, Kevin Thew Forrester, defends his use of meditation practices and says that he is not a Buddhist. See an article that looks at reactions.

Judge has struck down religious visa policy

General

Jewish community applauds U.S. withdrawal from racism conference

States preparing for the upcoming UN conference on racism have removed references to Israel and to religious defamation from the draft declaration being prepared in advance. The defamation concern has been backed by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). The draft changes are an effort to draw western participation into the conference. “President Obama has courageously . . . concluded that the [upcoming Durban racism] conference does not merit U.S. involvement unless it totally reverses its current direction, away from the Israel-bashing festival which so many of us are expecting,” David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), had said in late February. April's Durban Review Conference in Geneva is to be a follow-up of the UN-organized "World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance" in Durban, South Africa (2001) and its parallel NGO forum, where the concept of Zionism as racism was aired.

The Initiative for a UN Decade on Interreligious/ Intercultural Dialogue meets

New York City's small Faith House draws eclectic group into community

Faith House, an "unconventional" young Manhattan spiritual community, is a group "for people from any -- or no -- religious tradition" and "an interfaith church where Christians are not in charge." Led by Samir Selmanovic (pictured), a Seventh-day Adventist minister who grew up as a secular Muslim, about half of the Faith House regulars are from Protestant traditions, and one third do not attend other services.

New Charter for Compassion being written

A Charter for Compassion is being written through a web-based interactive process. The project assumes that "compassion is celebrated by all major religions . . ." and can build common ground; in so doing, it follows Karen Armstrong's view that religion is "behaving in a way that changes you."  The Charter's final writers will be a group of "sages" such as Joan Brown Campbell, Joan Chittester, and Desmond Tutu. Listed partners in the project include the National Council of Churches, the United Religions Initiative, and Religions for Peace. As part of its grassroots aspect, web viewers are invited to share their own stories of compassion and to nominate spiritual leaders who have inspired them spiritually or have given them insights into their religion and scriptures.

Anglican Network for Inter Faith Concerns offers Generous Love document

The Anglican Communion's Network for Inter Faith Concerns (NIFCON) has made an Anglican theology of interfaith relations, Generous Love: the truth of the gospel and the call to dialogue, available for for study and reflection. The document asks, If we proclaim and serve a generous God can we be any less generous in our dealings with neighbors of other faiths? How do we affirm dialogue without  compromising our own allegiance? Lucinda Mosher is the NIFCON North America representative.   

U.S. commission lists religious freedom abusers   The International Religious Freedom Act made the promotion of religious freedom a basic aim of U.S. foreign policy. The U.S. State Department's 2008 Report on International Religious Freedom includes an annual review of the status of "countries of particular concern" (CPC): Burma/Myanmar, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Uzbekistan. Additional information may be found in the 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, released in late February 2009. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent bipartisan federal agency that takes a tougher public approach than the diplomats, had recommended addition of Pakistan, Turkmenistan,   Iraq, and Vietnam to the CPC list, and was disappointed that waivers were granted to Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan. USCIRF also has a "watch" list that, in 2008, included Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, and Nigeria. Additionally, it is monitoring or reviewing Russia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, and Turkey. Recently it has recommended security guarantees for southern Sudan in the face of possible renewal of civil war and under the conviction that north-south conflict there is "largely precipitated by religious hostility."   Felice Gaer (pictured) of the American Jewish Committee is presently the chair of the commission. "The Future of U.S. International Religious Freedom Policy," a Georgetown University study, says that international religious freedom policy has had minimal impact on persecution and is viewed by others as an attack on majority religious communities, cultural imperialism, and a front for American missionaries.

Church of England bishop resigns to work with "persecuted Christians"

Michael Nazir-Ali, the 59 year old bishop of the Church of England diocese of Rochester, has announced that he is resigning. "Bishop Michael is hoping to work with a number of church leaders from areas where the church is under pressure, particularly in minority situations, who have asked him to assist them with education and training for their particular situation," said a spokesman. He is expected to work on behalf of Christian minorities in Pakistan -- his country of birth -- and the Middle East and also among Muslim converts to the Christian faith in Britain itself. Nazir-Ali gives up his seat in the House of Lords to make this shift.

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Academic institutions

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Interfaith relations and councils of churches

The World Council of Churches

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Interreligious relations now has priority status in the WCC and focuses on:

• Accompanying churches in conflict situations. The WCC attempts to express solidarity with Christians while being concerned about how situations affect other faith groups. Recognizing that many conflicts today have some basis in religion, the project brings together advocacy and interreligious dialogue. When requested, the program will prepare churches in two countries to deal with conflict. An aide memoire lays out some of the issues.

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• Deepening mutual trust through interreligious dialogue and cooperation. In response to the 2007 Muslim leaders' letter, A Common Word Between Us and You, the WCC engaged in a process that resulted in a commentary issued on March 20, 2008. General secretary Samuel Kobia said concerning its release, "We are encouraging our churches to consider this invitation offered by the Muslim leaders [in their letter] as a new opportunity for interreligious dialogue. It is our hope that this [WCC produced] commentary will be a helpful tool as churches reflect on A Common Word, and begin to engage in dialogue with the Muslim community." 

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See a Minute on mutual respect, responsibility and dialogue with people of other faiths adopted by the Ninth Assembly of the WCC.

Shanta Premawardhana directs the WCC interfaith work.

The National Council of Churches

NCC interfaith work is based upon a policy statement adopted in 1999. An Interfaith Relations Commission works particularly to reflect on the theology of interfaith relations, build relationships with interfaith partners, and equip congregations for interfaith engagement. See its handbook and its listing of available resources. The commission is presently chaired by Diana Eck, who previously served the WCC as chair of its interfaith work. PC(USA) members are Damayanthi Niles, Nanette Sawyer (pictured), and Jay Rock.

With the NCC as the key Christian convenor, a Jewish-Christian Leaders' Dialogue Table expects to meet two or three times a year. The group brings together staff persons or others with comparable functions. At its September 2008 meeting, the group studied Christian and Jewish readings of Exodus 19 (God's choosing of a people). Reporting on the PC(USA) web site, Jay Rock wrote, "An effort to speak together about shared principles and concerns regarding resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict made little headway, but will be taken up again at the next meeting in Los Angeles."

A more recently organized National Muslim-Christian Initiative in North America is made up of seven national Muslim organizations and six Christian entities committed to the initiative, including the NCC as one of the co-sponsors. The initiative's mission statement pledges that they "seek to enhance mutual understanding, respect, appreciation and support of what is Sacred for each other through dialogue, education and sustained visible encounters that foster and nurture relationships." After the group met in September 2008, they reported that they will work to bring churches and mosques together. They plan a study guide to help local congregations talk about the the Muslim invitation to dialogue, "A Common Word."

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