By Molly T. Marshall
Religious pluralism is the reality of our time; indeed, the world has always contained persons of widely varied religious experience. Because of differing historical and geographical circumstances, people have found different pathways to express their deepest longings to worship.
While Christians have taken seriously the great commandment to preach to all the nations, they have also learned the challenge of encountering the lived religion of others. Heroic attempts to spread the gospel in the 19th and 20th centuries on the part of American missionaries have resulted in only a fraction of converts in lands where Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism, to name some of the major world’s religions, are imbedded.
Consequently, many Christians have recast the nature of mission from conversion to shared humanitarian projects. Conversions still occur, but they are in the context of a larger vision of human flourishing rather than a narrow version of what constitutes salvation. Missionaries are learning that as they join the life of the people they serve, their gospel witness is offered more humbly — and more effectively.
One no longer has to journey to the “uttermost parts” to encounter different religious commitments and practice. As the demographers tell us, the United States is home to many traditions as migration of the world’s peoples rapidly accelerates. Just a few blocks from my home are a Hindu temple and a Sikh gurdwara, both striving to be good neighbors in our community.
These robust expressions of religious diversity are bringing about significant social and cultural changes in our nation. For example, the Washington National Cathedral plans for the first time to host a Muslim prayer service Nov. 14. Muslim leaders will lead their own traditional Jummah ceremony in sacred space emblematic of the role of Christian faith in the American religious landscape.
Seminaries are finding creative ways to prepare persons of different faith traditions for religious leadership in their communities. This has been particularly effective when preparing chaplains for military or hospital settings, as practices for spiritual care have common themes. This trend toward inclusive theological education for Christians, Muslims and Jews — as well as other religions — will only increase, in my judgment. Ministry in the 21st century requires attentiveness to burgeoning religious pluralism.
This past Sunday afternoon I was a part of a significant interfaith conference at the Islamic Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The presence of this center in Middle Tennessee was hotly contested, yet it has been open for two years, providing worship for Muslim families and educational opportunities for the larger community. The imam is deeply committed to fostering conversations that can be transformative for shared understanding.
Our hosts were unfailingly gracious. Even when I forgot to remove my shoes prior to entering the worship space and wore slacks rather than a long skirt, members of the congregation overlooked my faux pas and made me welcome. Churches could learn much about hospitality from these attentive Muslims, eager to serve and eager to be better understood.
I joined a renowned Jewish scholar, Amy-Jill Levine, and a gifted Islamic scholar Zainab Alwani, to offer lectures on our respective understanding of our tradition’s understanding of Scripture and sexuality. It was a daunting assignment, and we each mined our sacred texts — Tanakh and Talmud, Christian Scripture, and the Koran — for guidance. Each woman sought to illumine the “thou shalt,” “thou shalt not” and “thou might want to” texts.
I chose to delineate the spectrum of Christian responses to human sexuality: prohibitive, procreative, communicative, celebrative and unitive. I suggested, following David Jensen’s insight, that the whole of Scripture is a narrative of desire. I believe that desire for God and for one another is of the same longing, and they do not have to be competitive. Constructing a thoughtful theology of human sexuality is an important and much needed pursuit.
As you might imagine, there were significant differences among the three Abrahamic traditions, as well as common concern for the promotion of healthy human living in families and the larger community. Each of us dealt with transposing ancient texts into a contemporary key, which proves most difficult for the perceived inviolability of the Koran.
The long afternoon was punctuated by a time of prayer for the Muslims, and many of us skipped the refreshments in order to observe the serious devotion to regular prayer with fellow congregants. It was a further opportunity to grow in respect for the lived religion of this body and to acknowledge their generous hospitality to those of us of other traditions.
Christians can no longer approach our religious neighbors with notions of triumphalistic conquest, nor can we simply ignore their presence. I believe that the Holy Spirit is nudging us toward new forms of dialogue and learning as together we seek the things that make for peace.