Editorial
Selecting the articles to publish in this initial “best of TIO” issues was more than difficult. Inevitably it was arbitrary because twice as many could have been selected without compromising the power and impact of the stories you’ll find in this issue.
Taken together, this particular collection begins to convey what a huge canvas interfaith culture has become. No longer simply a movement, interfaith is an everyday reality for most people, and humankind is up to all sorts of responses, some tragic, some miraculous. Major media tends to be full of bad news interfaith stories, locally and globally, though light is breaking through in publications like Religion Dispatches and Huffington Post Religion.
TIO is an observer of how creative, life-giving, and constructive interfaith interaction can be in our encounters with “the other,” whether we’re talking locally, globally, historically, ethically, spiritually, practically, or biographically. It all accrues to the complex weave of an emerging 21st century culture. The contributors here are not only splendid scribes – each has been active in moving the interfaith movement forward in their work and influence and has important lessons to share. Each is remarkably busy, yet all took the time to share their stories.
In a day when apocalyptic thinking ranges from blockbuster films and fundamentalist religion to climate change and extinction possibilities, this issue is seeded with light, offering details about how we can participate in supporting life and the planet, in transforming ourselves and our communities. Enjoy.