Interfaith Relations
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| In the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) |
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Having American and Indian adherents brings conflict
The Vedanta Society has traditionally catered to white Americans who are interested in Hindu spirituality but not necessarily in its rituals and traditions. Founded by Vivekananda, a highly-visible speaker at the original Parliament of World Religions in Chicago, it has existed since the 1890s. But now, with the increasing immigration of Indians to the U.S., Indian influences have come into the society that bring conflict. The point of contention is sorting out the universalistic and the ethnic dimensions of Hinduism,” says Vasudha Narayanan of the University of Florida. There are local Vedanta Societies in such locations as southern and northern California, New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Providence, Boston.
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Question of boundaries raised in Christian Century article on Seattle amigos
The Christian Century published an article on August 26 that uses a case study of three Seattle-area faith leaders, "three amigos," to raise significant questions about identity and uniqueness in interfaith activity and thinking. The three are a Jewish rabbi ordained in the Reform tradition who leads a "meditative" synagogue with a Kabbalistic approach, a Christian minister who until recently pastored a university-area United Church of Christ congregation, and a Sufi Muslim teacher who is a co-minister of an experimental congregation called an "interfaith church." Each of the three cites his own sacred text and tells stories from his own tradition. Yet the Christian minister has asked his two interfaith friends to help him serve the elements at a Communion service, and there is talk about an underlying universal truth. This kind of boundary maintenance and blurring is common in post-9/11 interfaith interactions -- and also not acceptable to all -- the article says. Note the interfaith stance adopted for the guidance of PC(USA) members and congregations.
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General
Pew survey reveals "non-dogmatic" American religious beliefs
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The landmark U.S. Religious Landscape Survey of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life documents that religious affiliation in the U.S. is diverse and fluid but also that Americans have both religious devotion and tolerance in their beliefs and practices, Martin Marty comments. "[Americans] are sending dogmatists, exegetes, rule-book and score-book keepers back to the books to come up with reinterpretations that encourage faithfulness but discourage sending 'others' to hell." Click to see the extensive survey-related materials on the Pew web site. See also a detailed list of experts who can speak about various aspects included in the study.
New Muslim count raises questions about number of Jews, Muslims
A new census of Muslim congregations has continued debates about numbers of Muslims and Jews in the U.S., says USAToday. This seemingly academic discussion affects questions about the degree of public influence each community can expect or demand.
Effort underway to make 2011-2020 a UN Decade of Interreligious Dialogue
A new understanding is emerging that closer collaboration with religions is critical to a wide range of United Nations efforts, both in its specialized work and its core mission of promoting peace and security. Now a network of international interfaith organizations (IION) has gathered to promote an initiative for a UN “Decade of Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace 2011–2020.” A January 2008 consultation of participants from a wide range of faiths and nations was co-hosted by the World Council of Churches. Stein Villumstad of Norway (pictured), deputy secretary general of Religions for Peace (WCRP), was named to chair an ongoing committee. See a draft of tasks that might be accomplished through a Decade.
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 (pictured right) is the NIFCON North America representative.
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"Truth" is emphasized in Catholic speeches to people of other faiths
The Vatican's Jean-Louis Tauran (pictured) told an April meeting in Kenya that dialogue is about bridge building, fostering peace among religions, and, most of all, searching for truth -- three themes that were also in presentations by Pope Benedict XVI when he visited the U.S. "The Catholic Church recognizes partners in dialogue as equal in dignity," Tauran said. He urged talking about issues not often put on the table: religious liberty, freedom of conscience, reciprocity, conversion, religious extremism. See Benedict's speech during an extraordinary visit to a New York City synagogue; see also his speech to a multireligious group (and a summary of it).
U.S. evangelicals meet with Jews, Muslims
Though U.S. evangelicals often support Israel, Jews and evangelicals have actually known each other little and are able to stereotype each other, they say. A November 2007 conference examined the theme, "Uneasy Allies: Evangelical-Jewish Relations in Politics, Policy, and Theology."
In January 2008, a group of Muslims and evangelical Christians met in Tripoli for dialogue, hosted by the Islamic Call Society and co-facilitated by Presbyterian minister Donald Wagner (pictured right) and Lebanese-American Islamics professor Mahmoud Ayoub (pictured left). A dialogue involving three Baptist groups in the U.S. and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) has been proposed for January 2009. Meanwhile, Baptists can read an entire issue of a Baptist theological journal, Review & Expositor (winter 2008) on Muslim-Christian relations.
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U.S. Catholic-Muslim dialogue starts with the local
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In the U.S., there are three regional Catholic-Muslim dialogue groups. Their pattern calls for one Muslim and one Christian from each of various ongoing local dialogues to come together in a regional dialogue, together with scholars, for two days each year. Each region determines its own emphasis for study and discussion.
Jewish responses come to wide Muslim invitations to dialogue
After King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia called for "representatives of all monotheistic religions to sit together with their brothers in faith," a response came in a statement from the World Jewish Congress (WJC) in May. It said that "discussion can help in finding ways to approach the crisis of ethical values facing our societies." WJC president Matthew Bronfman indicated that WCJ is willing to participate in any serious interfaith talks based on mutual respect.
Shortly before the Saudi call, Muslim scholars from the Centre for the Study of Muslim-Jewish Relations, Cambridge, England, facilitated issurance of a substantive five-page open letter, A Call to Peace, Dialogue and Understanding between Muslims and Jews, addressed to rabbinic leaders and the wider Jewish communities of the world with "support of Muslim scholars throughout the world." A Jewish response came from the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC) in what it termed a historic first, a March call for dialogue entitled "Seek Peace and Pursue It," addressed to those who "speak from a stance of moderation, love of God and respect for the dignity of all people." IJCIC wrote that leaders of the two communities "have a particular mandate to highlight the common repudiation in Judaism and Islam of murder, violence, injustice and indignity."
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U.S. commission lists religious freedom abusers
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended that the State Department list the following as "countries of particular concern" (CPC) in which the U.S. will work to seek change (including by use of sanctions): Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. It issued a report on Vietnam in August 2008. Its "watch list" consists of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, and Nigeria. The commission is an independent bipartisan federal agency that advises the Administration and Congress. It can create diplomatic leverage but has no direct policy-making role.
The commission has also expressed concerns related to Kazakhstan and Indonesian. Further, it flagged textbooks used at a Saudi run Islamic academy in Virginia (U.S.A.) it says contain material  that does not conform to international human rights standards.
Felice Gaer (pictured) of the American Jewish Committee is presently the chair of the commission. Other members of the commission include Donald Argue of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) and Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention.
See a reflection on the issue of human rights by the Archbishop of Canterbury in which he notes the Muslim critique of the UN's Universal Declaration on Human Rights, a document on which much of the discussion of religious freedom rests internationally. A document, "Guiding Principles for Ethical Decisions Concerning Religious Freedom Around the World," sets out the PC(USA) position. |
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Academic institutions
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Online education expands
The United States Institute of Peace is offering an online certificate course in interfaith conflict resolution. At Auburn Seminary and New York Theological Seminary, a partnership brings a Doctor of Ministry program in multifaith education that combines online learning with intensive seminars for an affordable program.
Some educational institutions get Muslim chaplains
Yale University has named Omer Bajwa to its newly created position of full-time coordinator for Muslim life, as a full participant on its chaplaincy team. He has two masters degrees -- in Near Eastern studies and in communications. Meanwhile, Duke University has its first Muslim chaplain, Abdullah T. Antepli, who has a masters degree in Islamic studies and Christian-Muslim relations.
Virginia Seminary receives Muslim exchange student
The Episcopal Church's Virginia Theological Seminary has welcomed its first Muslim exchange student, marking a new
relationship with the Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture. He is working on a Turkish masters degree in the sociology of religion and will spend his time at the U.S. seminary in biblical studies, church history, and Christian theology. The seminary's president and dean is Ian Markham, previously of Hartford Seminary.
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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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• Engaging in Christian theological explorations built upon experiences gained in dialogue. Christian theological work today calls for engagement with competent, committed colleagues from other religious traditions. For several years, a multifaith "Thinking Together"
group convened by the WCC worked with the theological themes of religion and violence, the theology of the other,
conversion. Among the participants from the U.S. has been Presbyterian interfaith coordinator Jay Rock.
See a Minute on mutual respect, responsibility and dialogue with people of other faiths adopted by the Ninth Assembly of the WCC.
An interfaith seminar brought youth together at Bossey in July 2008 -- 22 people representing four continents and three religions. They found less difference religiously and more culturally than they had expected. Listen to interviews with a Jew, a Muslim, a Christian.
The National Council of Churches
NCC interfaith work is based upon a policy statement adopted in 1999. An Interfaith Relations Commission is divided into three task groups: one on theology, another on relationships with interfaith partners, and a third on equipping congregations for interfaith engagement. See its handbook, issued in mid-2008, and its listing of available resources. The commission is presently chaired by Diana Eck, who previously served the WCC as leader of its interfaith work. PC(USA) members are Damayanthi Niles, Nanette Sawyer, and Jay Rock.
With the NCC as the key Christian convenor, a Jewish-Christian Leaders' Dialogue Table restarted in July 2007 and expects to meet three times a year. The group brings together staff persons or others with comparable functions. It has agreed to look at the intersection of theology and politics, understanding that the Israeli-Palestinian issue is important to that conversation but only part of it.
A newly convened National Muslim-Christian Initiative in North America will next meet in September. At present seven national Muslim organizations and seven Christian communions are committed to the initiative, in addition to the NCC which is one of the co-sponsors. The initiative's mission statement pledges 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."
In response to A Common Word Between Us and You, the letter to Christians from Muslim leaders, the NCC undertook a theological study of the document and will have a response ready in September 2008. It plans to distribute Muslim and Christian documents to churches, so that congregations can make dialogue initiatives to local mosques.
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