Faith and Values in the Public Square

By: Rev Dr. Linda Smith

The prophet Micah inquired, “What does the Lord require?” This should compel us to ask some fundamental questions that we as Religious and community leaders must engage often in order that we might be enlightened about barriers that stop us from achieving the harmony we seek.  What is this heaven and new earth that is emerging among us? (Rev 21) Are we attempting to put new wines into old wineskins? (Matt 9:16)  Are we inviting people to participate in our community and worship life without insisting that they become like us in order to be acceptable: those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, different faiths, sexual orientations, races, classes and abilities and a host of other imperatives?  These questions must be at the center of our thoughts and dialogue when it comes to addressing the barriers that stop us from living in harmony.  Because without a deep reflection and opening to these questions, the barriers will continue to hinder us from the peace we so desire.   Here are six points I think are essential to breaking down the barriers that exist.

1)    Environment and communities of tolerance and authenticity– We must have an intentional built in system of truth telling in the community, all of us together, says Walter Brueggemann. It is the truth telling that makes us free. When we can embrace the fact that my story and your story is God’s story even with the pain and anxiety, it is in the truth telling that healing takes place.  We can no longer just preach at people, they must be involved in the process.  We must engage people in Restorative practices that allow people to empty themselves in order that they might receive the new.  At my congregation restorative practices are integrated in several ways where people are able to engage and have a voice. It is amazing the healing that takes place.

2)    Denying Self Interest – We cannot do this alone. Many of the great messengers, Jewish, Muslim and Christian, identified denial of self-interest as the key to peace. Now if life is to be complete, we must move beyond our self-interest. We must move beyond humanity and reach up, way up, for the God of the universe, whose purpose changes not, said Dr. King.   Jesus, the great prophet, the messenger of God, teaches us to deny our self. Peace begins with the individual. When we can examine and get rid of the negativity in our own lives, we can solve problems without violence.  As a church, our mandate is to bring healing and wholeness to the broken world and it first starts with each of us individually

3)    Racial Injustices – The world needs to be restored from long term injustices in order to move forward.  It does me no good to talk about injustices with people who are like me; I need to be able to have a dialogue with the other so that they understand. So many people are hanging on to past hurts injustices that go unacknowledged, building hate on top of hate, anger on top of anger. People go to faith communities seeking solution and healing only to find a reinforcement of these hurts deepened by our inability to bring reconciliation to the lives of a hurting humanity.

4)    Hindrance of voices – What is a community without a voice? We are called to give voice to the voiceless, however we are accustom to silence the voice of the voiceless.  God spoke through the prophets to the people. But Jesus spoke directly to the people, engaging people in dialogue and their own healing. When a person can speak awareness and awaken takes place and they are released from shame and guilt, thereby open the path to healing.  When I was in India, I was amazed by the many circles of dialogue taking place, from the children infected with AIDS, to sexually abused women. Many other marginalized groups had a voice. How does the contemporary church engage voiceless in the conversation?  Walter Brueggemann said that church’s work is the gathering of the others, not the ones that obviously belong to our social tribe or class or race.

5)    Inability or know how to engage the marginalized of our society in compassionate manner – Many times we are quick to throw crumbs to the marginalized in our community and return to our comfortable setting, thinking that we have ministry to people in Jesus’ name. When we do this we further the barriers between the community and the marginalized. Unity is supposed to bring us together but our inability and insensitivity to the other further alienates.  As long as we are ineffective in dealing with the marginalized in our community, the poor, and the disenfranchised, we will not be effective in creating peace.   We are mandated to make the marginalized in our community a part of the ministry of the church.  It can never be an afterthought.  Jesus did not minister every once in a while but it was part of his daily tasks.  We cannot stand for a partial faith. In other words, we cannot stand for poor and burdened people being deprived of basic life essentials in order to enable others to live luxurious lives. As a part of a church that ministers to the marginalized of our community, I am often reminded that people simply want to be validated as human beings and to belong to the whole.

6)    The inability to understand the other in each culture is the greatest hindrance to peace and harmony – We bite our teeth and suffer the pain and press our way forward in a gospel that sometimes seems weak. When we gather at the table, we make believe and pretend that all is well. We no more walk away and the pain reoccurs. Why? Because we have not had the opportunity to share our pain and acknowledge that we have been hurt. For many years I have worked to engage the marginalized, a mother with children or a black youth, not because they have done anything wrong, but because when pain has been inflicted upon one, healing can only take place when a voice has been given to that pain. When I can reach across the table to my Muslim brothers and sisters and acknowledge their pain of being alienated and vice versa than healing take place and we can now walk forth in harmony.  What is our responsibility to the other?

The Rev Dr. Linda Smith has a Doctorate of Ministry in Transformation Leadership from ABSW and is an alumni from the School of Theology and Ministry, with a Master of Divinity.She is currently serving in ministry as the Pastor of the Church of Mary Magdalene and SKY Urban Empowerment Center, as well as being a Professional Spiritual life and leadership coach, with a prior professional career in Human Resources.

By: Rev Dr. Linda Smith

The prophet Micah inquired, “What does the Lord require?” This should compel us to ask some fundamental questions that we as Religious and community leaders must engage often in order that we might be enlightened about barriers that stop us from achieving the harmony we seek.  What is this heaven and new earth that is emerging among us? (Rev 21) Are we attempting to put new wines into old wineskins? (Matt 9:16)  Are we inviting people to participate in our community and worship life without insisting that they become like us in order to be acceptable: those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, different faiths, sexual orientations, races, classes and abilities and a host of other imperatives?  These questions must be at the center of our thoughts and dialogue when it comes to addressing the barriers that stop us from living in harmony.  Because without a deep reflection and opening to these questions, the barriers will continue to hinder us from the peace we so desire.

Barriers to the harmony we seek are of a very diverse nature, arising from social, racial, political, economical and religious differences. These issues continue to divide us and prevent us from the core work that we are all called to do.  But yet the one natural and common connector, religion, is often the most divisive. Why?  Perhaps, as in the words of Walter Brueggemann, there is an ideology at work among us that wants to make the world very small in order to make it safe, and to exclude and eliminate everyone who is not like us.  By doing so we engage in hate and resentment that ultimately spins off in policies concerning immigrants and capital punishment, so that our hate to the other turns to violent vengeance – all in the name of religious piety. This is a contradiction to the God of mercy, the God that loves all the children and protects all the weak ones.

Working within the marginalized community, I am quickly reminded of the need for the breakdown of barriers that so often strangle people at the core of their being. The poor are not looking for handouts; they are looking to be included. When they are included life is restored.

Perhaps the greatest work of including the other is working with the marginalized of the community. How I engage them is essential to their healing and wholeness.  They must be made to feel like they belong, they have a voice and they are not condemned for their past actions.

The greatest work that we have before us is to bring reconciliation to the wounded of humanity.  Jesus came to release the captives, to let the oppressed go free. The world needs to be restored from long term injustices in order to move forward in harmony and peace.  So many people are hanging on to past injustices that go unacknowledged building hate on top of hate.

Every Sunday congregants and parishioners, reach across aisles and rows of seats to embrace each other, shake hand, hug, and return to their seats feeling good about the moment. At this one moment people are able to set aside some of the more difficult issues and barriers that often create disharmony. Subjects that are dear to the heart of people, but ones about which we are unable to have a conversation about;  Issues of racial injustices, sexuality, women in ministry, equal pay for both men and women, education equality, caring for the poor, cultural differences, social standing, long term injustices and religious differences.  These are all interrelated and interconnected and cannot be separated. These become barriers when we don’t address them, but these issues are not easy ones to address because the people we deal with are as diverse in opinion as the issues.

When we take personal responsibility for our faith, we have no time to judge or condemn one another. When we attend to ourselves with compassion and mercy, more healing is made available for others. As we heal the wounds of the past, we carry less pain into the world, less confusion and anger, and we bring more charity and peace.  It is no longer simply for personal gain; it becomes our gift, our offering to the earth and the divine spirit within us all.

The Gospel story of the woman at the well began the conversation. She, a hated Samaritan, was able to discern the commonality, common ancestry and religious ancestry when speaking with Jesus. He empowered and ordained her, engaged her. Even in his naming her multiple husbands, I believe the text was less about calling her out and more about getting to know her. How are we called to reduce “social difference”, to accept the Torah and the Quran as sacred, to determine as Christians how this country has constructed race and religion to benefit a few of the many? What is our responsibility to the other?

To read about six essential points to breaking down barriers see another post from Rev Dr. Linda Smith this Wednesday, March 13^th!

The Rev Dr. Linda Smith has a Doctorate of Ministry in Transformation Leadership from ABSW and is an alumni from the School of Theology and Ministry, with a Master of Divinity.She is currently serving in ministry as the Pastor of the Church of Mary Magdalene and SKY Urban Empowerment Center, as well as being a Professional Spiritual life and leadership coach, with a prior professional career in Human Resources.

By: Janice Tufte

I am a sister of many scarves. I wear a scarf to represent justice, a scarf for education, scarves for respect, reflection and worship. Intentional Interfaith education along with dialogue are the first steps for diverse faith groups “to get together to know one another”. The next step is Action. We have been taught in Islam to speak out against wrongs, to use our hands to stop the wrong if discussion is not an option; the least favored way to bring about change is to do nothing. If we Say Nothing and Do Nothing, how are we then catalysts for creating and nurturing a collaborative positive future for our children? I ask you how are we then stewards of the earth if we are quiet? What scarf is the quiet scarf I ask myself? Are many of us humans veiling ourselves with silence?

In Islam it is best for one to be quiet when someone has committed a slight against us, if the slight is unintentional. Benefit of doubt is emphasized unless clearly one has been wronged. Islam teaches us to always provide a more respectful greeting after being greeted. Niyaa or intent before performing an action is a highly regarded requirement in Islam. As Muslims we are required to make intention or supplication to Allah (GOD) for every prayer, also for every ritual cleansing before prayer. Muslims are taught to make supplications of intent before going outside, before eating, before giving gifts of money or goods; we are supposed to make intention for every act we are planning to perform. In Islam we believe that our intention is as important as the actual act.

Just think if all of us, no matter what the faith, offered real intentions to their higher power before every action.  We would all be forced to think before we act. What a different world we could all wake up to if we practiced the simple act of making positive intention to perform good acts during the day. This would command discipline and a conscientious constant reminder to ones’ inner self of what their next steps are, what their original intentions were. I say quietly to myself my intention for the day when selecting my scarf to wear on that day or for this occasion.

Last month in Seattle, I had the opportunity to wear my justice scarf and spoke out for others to not be quiet when living amidst violence. I, along with hundreds of citizen leaders walked the talk, in the same shoes, inspired by the same civil rights leaders before us;  Musa, Noah, Issa, Muhammed, Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr. We walked while reflecting in the cool, misty evening across Seattle from Cathedral to Cathedral carrying candles, some singing… some signing. We all shared the same intent; we want the violence to stop, now. The useless horrific acts against others or selves, to burglaries gone bad… all need to stop. Children were carrying signs that proclaimed: Arms are for Hugging. We should remind ourselves that we are here as “stewards” of this earth by choice, and through intent and by design we must collectively make that positive change.

It is time for us to walk our talk. I am an ambassador for my faith and I wear a scarf every day, to remind myself to do good acts, and to remember to not be silent amongst injustices.

Q2:62 Those who believe in the Quran and those who follow the Jewish scriptures, and the Christians and the Sabians, any who believe in God and the last day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

Janice Tufte, advocate /consultant / catalyst for positive changes.

Janice believes in  encouraging others to be involved with volunteerism, sharing all the benefits of giving. Janice has founded six successful projects in the Puget Sound in as many years; tackling poverty head on, incorporating homeless awareness opportunities with a direct service focus.

By Terri Stewart

In my role as Head Chaplain of the Youth Chaplaincy Coalition, one of the programs I work with is called the Neighborhood Youth Mission Team (NYMT). At one particular NYMT gathering, we came together to do service work. We went to Rainier Beach United Methodist Church where they are installing a non-profit day-care to serve the local neighborhood.

The youth, all incarcerated, wanted to do a project together that meant something to their community. One of them even dreams of his own day-care someday; one that will be open late to serve the working people in this poverty-stricken area. The youth chose this day-care project. In particular, they worked on leveling the floor so better flooring could be installed. All day long they removed chipped tiles, filled it with putty, and smoothed it out-except for an extended break that we took for group formation.

We gathered in the sanctuary and one boy sat at the drums, one went to the piano, and one stood behind the pulpit. The fourth young man sat with me in the pews, along with the detention center staff that accompanied us. The boys jammed on the piano and drums (and no, they did not have “skill” but they were surely making a joyful noise!) while the “preacher” raised his hands and said, “Brothers and sisters, we are gathered here today to preach the news of…” and then he would dissolve into giggles. At one point, he was laughing so hard, he was on his knees! It was amazing to see these “street hardened” youth laughing and playing in a church sanctuary just like any young person anywhere.

I asked the preacher, “If you could tell people one thing about your neighborhood, what would you say?” He got serious. The room quieted. Everybody watched and listened. Then he preached, “You have to fix the economic opportunities that my people have! It is a never ending circle of poverty that spirals inward on itself and turns into violence. As soon as one of us has something, someone jumps on him because he has nothing. And people just continue to hurt each other.”

One of the other boys chimed in, “You have to learn to play the game to survive and it is hard.”

Unfortunately, this triggered a reaction in another boy. He exclaimed, “It ain’t no game.” I stepped in, hoping to quiet the emotions that were growing asking that we remember to not invalidate anybody’s experience. He said, “You don’t get it. We’re not talking about a board game. Game is what you do on the streets to hustle, to sell drugs, to survive. We don’t need game. Life is not game.”

What can you do? Inwardly sigh and hold the emotions in the room. The boys went back to working on the floor and we were all a little more thoughtful. The boys finished their work and went back to detention.

It is in these moments that I feel like shaking the world by its scruff! Unfortunately, that is not possible!

The four young men that I spent time with that day are all affected by incarceration, drug use, and poverty. The correlation of parental incarceration, drug use, poverty, and low education with incarceration is quite high. So we know, without a doubt, that by not having good school systems, we are sentencing children to jail. In fact, many states forecast their prison populations off of third grade reading levels. Instead of fixing the education, they negotiate favorable contracts with long-term planning. Infuriating.

What are some other things we know? Oh yeah! Jesus told his followers that they would be judged by their treatment of the hungry, thirsty, sick, and imprisoned. As my teenage son would say, “fail.”

Another thing we know is that the solution to youth crime is not incarceration. A report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation reports:

• Youth prisons do not reduce recidivism
• Youth prisons waste taxpayer money
• Youth prisons expose youth to dangerous and abusive conditions

But, the good news:

• States have reduced their juvenile corrections populations
• There has been no corresponding increase in juvenile crimes or violence

In particular, King County is piloting a program for youth that diverts a large amount of youth before they become imprisoned. This has been done without an increase in crime rates, without an increase in staff, and without more money. However, the staff are certainly feeling fatigued by the increased work load.

The question is, “What are we, as people of faith, to do about kids in prison?” I will admit that I am saddened by our church’s response-especially the mainline and/or liberal churches. Of all the volunteers that I coordinate, there are about 4 mainline, liberal chaplain volunteers. So the people that offer a “God of Love” have abandoned the prison to the people that offer a “God of Judgment.” That just makes me mad.

I am also saddened by our societal response. Where is the march for full funding of education? Where is the push for more group homes and less incarceration? Where is the demand that job opportunities be a priority for those living in poverty? Where is the watchful eye over Olympia to ensure just and fair laws are created that lead to solutions rather than more incarceration? Where is it?

There is an action being considered in Olympia right now that would remove a judge’s discretion when sentencing youth who have been found with firearms. This may sound mild, but it would require all youth to be incarcerated for 10 days if they are convicted of having a firearm. Again, we know that incarceration increases recidivism and yet this bill is demanding certain incarceration. Also, it removes the judge’s discretion to make other decisions that may be in the best interest of the youth and the community. Stopping this law would be one step in the right direction.

Rev. Terri Stewart is the founder and director of the Youth Chaplaincy Coalition  and a graduate of the School of Theology and Ministry.

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By Tad Monroe

In my role as Ecumenical and Multifaith Minister at Seattle University I facilitate a program called Interfaith Dinners. A couple of times a quarter we gather primarily undergraduate students from a variety of religious or spiritual backgrounds to talk about common issues from our differing perspectives. We do this to learn about the traditions and journeys of others, as well as to mine and highlight the differences and commonalities of our perspectives.

This past January we held one of these Interfaith Dinners and our topic of conversation was liberation. The intent was to hear from one another about the ways our traditions, practices, and experiences define liberation and facilitate liberation in our own lives and in the wider world.

I anticipated that our conversation would stay pretty informational in nature regarding the different ways we define liberation and that we’d probably get in to some good conversation about the way we understand the work of liberation in the world from a social justice perspective. I was surprised though, and I’m not sure why, by what happened.

I don’t remember exactly where it began, but at some point someone began to talk about a very personal need for liberation in their own life and in the lives of others from the toxicity of shame.

For a better part of an hour the flood gates opened and people began to share deeply profound struggles, sentiments, and experiences in their own lives and the lives of those closest to them as it related to shame.

Now I am no stranger to shame in my own life or in the stories I’ve heard from countless others in my role as a pastor and spiritual director. I have been convinced for some time that rather than releasing us from shame our religious and spiritual traditions have more often than not been a part of the mechanism that perpetuates these deep feelings of shame.

While I know this experience well in my own Christian tradition it was striking to hear it articulated with equal urgency and passion in a group made up of Muslims, Buddhists, and those who identify as Agnostic or spiritual but not religious. It occurred to me that this deep experience of shame is not simply a product of our religions but a deeply human experience that transcends our religious traditions. And yet our traditions, many of which have frame works, practices, or theological perspectives that address the issues of freeing us from our shame, still they often just end up reinforcing it.

Interestingly on this particular night, it was shame that was the unifying factor. I found myself in a room of bright, articulate, sincere, and passionate young women and men with deep commitments to the work of social justice, spiritual and religious understanding, and their own deep and personal faith commitments. Collectively what I heard from them was that as they try to make their way in this world to live authentic, compassionate, and engaged lives – they often are wearied in their own work as liberators, by their own lack of liberation from the deep shame they encounter in themselves.

I was struck again by just how foundational this work is. I was re-invigorated by the urgent call to people of faith everywhere to cultivate a deep commitment to theologies, practices, and frameworks that address the issue of human shame.

If the work of liberation in the world is going to continue, we must not forget that those called to the front lines of that work are they themselves in deep need of liberation, and they are looking to their own communities of faith and faith leaders to be attentive to that work.

I am not suggesting that we cannot do the work of liberation until we ourselves are fully liberated. It is always happening side by side. As the Catholic priest and writer Henri Nouwen taught us, we are all wounded healers. We do not serve or participate in the healing of others from a place of perfect health or enlightenment. We serve alongside – not only as witnesses to healing, transformation, or liberation but as those seeking the same.

Someone once told me that we need to learn to differentiate between shame and guilt. Guilt is not always such a bad thing. Guilt is the inner conscience at work or the Spirit of the divine at work, bringing our hearts and minds to rest in the realities that each of us is prone and capable of participating in the death, destruction, and evil of this world – in large and small ways. Guilt is a healthy recognition of those truths. I’ve made a mistake – I can acknowledge it and seek forgiveness and offer a form of penitence to the offended or hurt.

Shame is an entirely different thing. Shame is not being sad or remorseful for something we’ve done or a wrong we’ve committed or participated in. Rather, shame is being sorry for who we are in the most fundamental sense. Shame is grounded in a deep hatred and distrust of our very humanity and our very essence.

I believe because of shame itself we perpetuate a vicious cycle that never even allows us to authentically confront our guilt. The only thing that can allow us to take a deep and honest look at ourselves is the belief and trust in our sacred worth. When we are convinced that we are children of God or simply a beautiful creature of great worth (whatever our faith, spirituality, or philosophy teaches us), we can acknowledge that while we may be flawed, we remain beautiful, sacred, and of unfathomable worth – each of us.

I am reminded of an exhortations from my own Christian tradition found in the New Testament. In the exhortation the author gives us two images – one of a veil and the other of a mirror. We are invited to take off the veil – the veil we hide behind and the veil that obscures our own vision. I often think of this veil as shame. [It is important to note that some cultural and religious traditions use veils not in the context of shamefulness, but for other commitments such as modesty and I am not intending to demean or criticize such practices.]

In the same section of the scripture the author offers us an alternative image or metaphor – that of a mirror. Unlike a veil that hides, a mirror reflects. As Christians we are invited to look into the mirror with boldness and without shame. In it we will see ourselves – a human face. As a Christian that human face reminds me of the human face of God in Jesus Christ. We are then reminded that we are held in the deep unending love and mercy of Christ and in the humanity of God we are reminded of our great worth and God’s great effort in reminding us of our worth.

Perhaps all of our faith traditions, spiritual practices, and human philosophies should reflect deeply on attending to their own unique ways in which they invite people to a mirror where they are reflected and see in that reflection their great worth. We can also, each of us, invite others to take off the metaphorical veils of shame from their faces and eyes so that they might be further liberated themselves, as they continue to work for the liberation of the whole world.

Tad Monroe is the Ecumenical and Multifaith Minister at Seattle University; he is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church USA, a high school football coach, writer, and arts programmer. You can read his writing at http://www.tadmonroe.com, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DrunkenTelegraph.

By Jackie O’Ryan

They gathered at the temple and it was the first of such a gathering. They were interfaith leaders speaking out in unison on a political issue. They were rabbis, bishops, an imam, cathedral pastors, several reverends, women religious, an evangelical pastor, a Jesuit priest, and more. And, regardless of the particular faith each held, all were there to denounce gun violence with one voice.

The gathering was at Temple De Hirsch Sinai and they were there to urge a moral response to those killed in the tragic shooting in Newtown, Connecticut just one week earlier. They asserted that preventing gun violence is not only a political matter; it is a solemn religious obligation and the only appropriate religious response is sustained moral outrage and focused moral action until something substantial is accomplished in Congress and in our Washington State Legislature.

Rabbi Daniel Weiner stepped forward first. “We understand that preventing gun violence is not a simple matter and that honest, well-intentioned people will differ on exactly what measures are required,” he said. “But we must make a start. We ask our elected officials to put the welfare of our children and the safety of our citizens ahead of partisan concerns and enact substantive gun violence preventative measures in 2013.”

Rev. Dr. Sandy Brown, pastor at Seattle’s First United Methodist Church, was—and still is—a main force in the call for a faithful voice. He said, “I feel clergy are moving beyond the mourning phase and we’re now impatient for an end to gun violence and mass shootings. We believe our faith traditions challenge our communities to live in peace. That’s why we now take this prophetic and public stand.”

“If we are honest about whether or not we are doing enough to protect children, the answer is no,” said Bishop Greg Rickel of the Diocese of Olympia. “There have been 181 shootings at schools across the United States since Columbine. We are getting used to it, and this is something we should never get used to.”

Clergy have mourned with families all too often. That must have been part of the motivation behind this landmark gathering. They are calling for an end to the violence that lands them in the living rooms of families who have lost loved ones to gun violence year in and year out. That’s why 200 clergy from across Washington State signed Faith Action Network’s petition denouncing “Gun Appreciation Day” on Martin Luther King weekend.

Leslie Braxton, pastor of New Beginnings Christian Fellowship in Renton, said, “Why can’t we move away from the gun war and gun culture of the 18th and 19th century? For us to not have the courage to change laws that don’t make sense, makes us all enablers to mass murder.”

Since Newtown, how many people have been killed by guns? The running count by Slate is 1,619 (at this writing).

There are no words in the sacred Scriptures of the Christian, Jewish or Islamic traditions that either opposes common sense gun violence preventative measures or supports any right to automatic weapons that fire 100 shots in a single minute.

But what can we do?

House Bill 1588 is one of the most significant gun violence prevention measures introduced in our legislature in decades. It would require universal background checks for ALL gun sales in the state—including gun shows. Please tell your legislators and the governor that you support this legislation. The bill will be getting a hearing soon in the House Judiciary Committee.

Leave a message for the Governor, your 2 Representatives, and your Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline: 1-800-562-6000.

Then, E-mail your Legislators and Governor Inslee and tell them clearly that you support expanding universal background checks with HB 1588.

If you don’t know who your Legislators are, look them up on the Find Your Legislator webpage.

“We need to do more than just wring our hands about terrible things that happen,” said Fr. Michael G. Ryan, pastor of St. James Cathedral. “Those things happen in a society that we are all part of, a society that we have the power to influence and to change—maybe not in big ways, but certainly in real ways,” he said. “And it’s time to do it.”

It is our solemn religious obligation.

Jackie O’Ryan is the Co-Director of the Faith Action Network (FAN).

by Rabbi Anson Laytner

I was recently at a meeting to discuss interreligious (or interfaith) programming.  As soon as one participant mentioned the words “interfaith dialogue”, eyes rolled, lungs sighed, and bodies squirmed.

When—and why—did interfaith dialogue get such a dubious reputation?

Why, I have to ask, is the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake so undervalued?  Would we criticize a doctor or a scholar for wanting to learn more about her/his field of interest?  So what’s wrong with people of faith learning about other faiths through interfaith dialogue?

If we’re going to interact with people of other faiths then it is essential to know something about their worldview, beliefs and practices, and they of ours.  Sure, one can read a book, but even a book is a poor substitute for an encounter with real live human beings with a different faith tradition.

But that is precisely the problem: people.

Many people do not know how to present effectively.  Interfaith dialogue seems to conjure up sessions of endless talk about theological matters.  I have attended many such sessions.   Some were better than others, usually depending on whether or not the presenter knew how to engage the listeners.  More often than not, the sessions were just simply boring.

A second aspect of the problem is that most people are conflict adverse, meaning that we will go to great lengths to paper over real, legitimate differences in favor of bland, usually superficial, statements of harmony.  Although harmony is well and good, it is through intellectual conflict and spiritual challenge that real connections are made.

A third component is that we tend to take refuge in our dogmas rather than expose ourselves as thinking, spiritually-questing people.  Thus many in interfaith dialogues simply repeat what they’ve learned that their faiths believe rather than how they themselves believe.  True, you learn about other faiths, but when do you really encounter the people around the table with you?

Rabbi Eric Yoffie, past president of Union for Reform Judaism, offered four principles to guide meaningful interfaith dialogues:

• First, meaningful dialogue happens when the conversation turns to our religious differences.
• Second, interreligious exchanges become compelling when participants give expression to their religious passions.
• Third, interreligious dialogue engages when we discuss what we all consider to be true but what we rarely say: that, in some ways at least, we all believe in the exceptionalism of our own faith-traditions.
• Fourth, interreligious dialogue becomes real when we talk about what in our own traditions and communities we don’t like and then talk frankly about why that it is so.

In my own experience, there is a fifth important principle:  talk must lead to action.  The purpose of most interfaith dialogues is the pursuit of knowledge in order to promote better understanding of one’s fellow human beings in order to build a better society.  This is a noble purpose.  But, in my own case, ten years of engaging in “pure” interfaith dialogue while directing community relations for the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle led to exactly nothing.

It was only when I became executive director of Multifaith Works (currently Rosehedge-Multifaith Works), an organization that provides housing and supportive services for people living with AIDS, that I came to appreciate the value of practical—or applied—interfaith dialogue.

We didn’t have the luxury of sitting around discussing the various meanings of suffering, or the theological import, if any, of AIDS.  There were people dying every day and countless more who needed help while still living.  Instead, people of faith simply rolled up their sleeves and dove into the work of accompanying the dying and supporting the living.

Later, when there was time to reflect, we could talk about what our various faiths teach about caring for the sick, helping the poor and homeless, or traditional attitudes towards homosexuality, or the meaning of suffering.  First we came together to act, then we could talk on the basis of shared experience.  And that made all the difference to our conversation.

What we found, of course, was that all our faiths teach compassion for the sick and dying.  And, while many faiths or denominations had issues with homosexuality, our contact with living human beings softened all but the most judgmental of hearts.  From our experiences, we could talk meaningfully and groundedly and honestly.

Our organization wasn’t alone in discovering this principle.  STM’s own Faith and Family Homelessness project, Habitat for Humanity, Earth Ministry and other interfaith or single faith organizations likewise are built around this principle:  You need to walk the talk before you can genuinely talk the talk.

Rabbi Anson Laytner is program manager of Seattle University School of Theology & Ministry’s Interreligious Initiative.