by Dorianne Laux
We were talking about poetry. We were talking about nuclear war. She said she couldn’t write about it because she couldn’t imagine it.
The Garden
Spirituality, Creativity, and Community
by Paul Chaffee, Editor
Drums and flutes are among the oldest tools empowering human beings to explore who we are. We have historical evidence that drums go back at least 7,500 years and probably much earlier.
To New Zealanders and Muslims Everywhere
Today we grieve with those affected by the mosque shootings in New Zealand. We grieve for the 49 lives lost and the pain of those who remain. We grieve for the fear and loss of a sense of safety that live on in the aftermath. And we grieve for the hatred that seeps into hearts leading to tragedies like this one.
The Art of Prayer Meets the Prayer of Art
by Cynthia Lindner
This autumn, visitors to the Art Institute’s Bucksbaum Gallery for Photography on the ground floor of the museum’s Modern Wing are met by empty white walls: there’s not a single photograph hanging in this gallery dedicated to their display.
Art and Interfaith Conversation
by Andrew Smith
I learn best by listening to people’s ideas over a good cup of coffee. One such conversation sparked ideas that inspired a whole series of interfaith dialogues that have taken place over the past few years.
How We See Each Other
by Libby Byrne
The gift of art helps us to see more clearly what is really there in our human experience. With this in mind, is there a relationship between the way we see art and the way we imagine religious communities might be inclusive for people with disabilities?
Collaborating to Build Interfaith Bridges
by Vicki Garlock
Sometimes, a story is told more easily through art. That’s certainly the case for this Bulgarian-based interfaith and cultural exchange camp – the brainchild of Angelina Vladikova and Svetlana Karadzhova…
Crossing the Evangelical-Muslim Divide with Film
by Daniel Tutt
This past year I’ve been leading a new initiative at Unity Productions Foundation (UPF), whose mission is to counter bigotry and create peace through the media. Its documentary film The Sultan and the Saint is…
Decolonizing Art
by Vy Vu
Audre Lorde once said: “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” This is why we constantly have to learn the process of decolonizing our body and our tools.
Spirituality and Transcendence: The White Light Festival
by Anya Dunaif
In the fall of 2010, New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts launched a new annual event called the White Light Festival, focused on encouraging people to experience transcendence and spirituality through live performances.
The Art of Community, the Community of Art
by Rev. Andre van Zijl
Art is an interculturally unifying language for communicating human and spiritual experience beyond words. We all hunger for connection and community. We do well to dance, sing, write, paint, and sculpt our way…
Good News in a Bad-News Year
by Paul Chaffee, Editor
Historians looking back at 2018 will have little difficulty describing the mayhem and trauma the world was facing.
Digital Storytelling to Advance Peace in Pakistan
by Ruth Broyde Sharone
The iconic image of a male storyteller addressing an enraptured audience pressed shoulder to shoulder around a glowing campfire may soon be replaced by hijab and sari-clad young women holding their smart phones.
Talanoa: Dialogue for Action
by Bee Moorhead
As the saying goes, “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” Talanoa Dialogue just might change that.
A World of Digital Possibilities
by Elizabeth Dabney Hochman
The next generation is growing up online. We have seen countless studies about the amount of time kids spend engaging with digital media and the effects it has their development.
An Artful Approach to Interfaith Chaplaincy
by Jenifer Miller
With my calligraphy pen I write the name of the tiny beloved baby boy, on the inside of a Comfort Angel, and hand it to his father, for safekeeping.
An Artist's Journey Beyond the Walls of Division
by Andre van Zijl
We enter a completely darkened room which is set up with a foot-wide border of white muslin covered by unlit candles alternating with round black river stones.
The Next Step ... We Must Pray Together
by Marcus Braybrooke
Recently a Muslim was invited to give an Oxford University sermon. The invitation attracted a number of protests. “He does not believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ!” some declared.
Reimagining Interfaith: Taking Our Lead from Kids
by Vicki Garlock
The interfaith movement is all about bringing people together. Most of the time we focus on adults, and social justice issues. Don’t get me wrong. I fully support any and all interfaith efforts. But we need to do more, and we need to do it better.
Hearing the Interfaith Voices Least Often Heard
by Don Frew
I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard someone in a group say “We even have a Witch” and point to me to emphasize how inclusive they are. So, in terms of diversity, I occupy a place at one extreme end of the interfaith spectrum.