Shared holy places might puzzle American or European Christians. In the rest of the world, religions have rarely enjoyed such a monopoly.
interfaith
We don’t know which experiences specify our humanity. But the Abrahamic faiths agree that we are made of dust and ashes, a bit of clay or a mere clot.
The Protestant was sitting alone at a table in the far corner. I assumed it was because no one else spoke Protestant.
It's ironic that multicultural approaches to Christianity are dismissed as novel or “politically correct.” They are deeply rooted in our past.
In the pristine white glare of the airport corridor, the linoleum became my prayer rug. But my solitude was short lived.
Interfaith marriage: A reality check
Forty-two percent of U.S. marriages are interfaith. Naomi Schaefer-Riley convinced me that this is one of the biggest stories in religious life.
Each autumn, Fourth Presbyterian Church's sanctuary is full to overflowing with Jewish worshipers attending High Holy Days observances.
A number of activist organizations are declaring March 15-17 "National Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath Weekend." It's not clear if this is meant to replace The Brady Center's "God Not Guns Sabbath," which has been observed on the last weekend of September for a number of years. But the organizers seem eager to keep the event broadly ecumenical and interfaith.
Fervent and open
John Lennon's peace anthem "Imagine" can also be seen as an antidiversity hymn. Brian McLaren imagines something different.
Ever since Westerners discovered Asian cultures they have been intrigued by possible relationships between Christianity and Buddhism.
"I hope the shootings in Oak Creek will lead to interfaith education around the state," says Scott Anderson, director of the Wisconsin Council of Churches. "There is a hunger for this kind of engagement."
"More than ever, people are building interfaith marriages," says Joyce Shin of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago. "Too often, religion is seen as an impediment to this instead of as a resource."
In a place where the religious other quite recently meant the invading army that killed your father, Pontanima's work is remarkable.
When I first came to Harvard, the weekly worship service was recognizably Protestant but flexible and welcoming. Over the years, our students have urged us toward new ways of gathering.