Editorial
Skillsets for Interfaith Relationships
by Paul Chaffee
What does it take to create and nurture healthy interfaith culture? Good intentions and an open heart are surely necessary. By themselves, though, good will is hardly enough in this conflicted age where so many have been wounded in so many ways and where racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and partisanship seem endemic.
Photo: Unsplash
Compassion is a theme which occurs over and over in the quest to transform strangers into friends. But compassion as a feeling, by itself, will not get it done. Behaving compassionately comes closer, though this may include calling out bias and corruption, protesting injustice, and being generous. This month’s TIO is full of articles that shine a light on behaving compassionately and making a difference in the world.
At the outset compassionate behavior is an inward gift, the spiritual grounding that animates interfaith activists. Parker Palmer and Carrie Newcomer’s exploration of Howard Thurman’s injunction to “look to the growing edge” is a wonderful door opener. Vicki Garlock’s advice about spiritual grounding: “Start with the kids!” Then jem Jebbia finds wisdom in play, and Anneke Kat dramatizes the life-saving potential of religious literacy. In the review of Learning to Live Well Together, we learn about a community in Leicester, UK “where difference and conflict are seen as opportunities for growth.”
If you are a nonprofit officer, director, or staffer you probably think a lot about money. Frank Fredericks shares good advice about how to be effective as a lean operation. Ariella Amit’s story is a template on how to create and develop a large, effective, young-adult interfaith organization in your city. And Chris Alexander explores what it means to be a Christian and an interfaith proponent, a skillset sadly lacking in many Christian communities.
Photo: Pixabay
The rest of the issue looks at how interfaith communities can take advantage of newly emerging digital capabilities. Shelly Fohr explores the opportunities provided by social media, and I introduce SINE, a powerful new tool for creating unparalleled global waves of attention for interfaith projects.
As usual, this is all a tip-of-the-iceberg survey. Since the 1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago, literally thousands of interfaith efforts have sprouted up on their own, groups from Nigeria to Norway, from Brazil to India, and in every one of the 50 states in the US. In the process new leadership has risen up, particularly among women and Millennials.
This month, from young and old, we sample their good work. If any particular story is compelling, drill down into the subject via your favorite browser, and you will likely find community.
Header Photo: David Goehring, C.c. 2.0