With the crowd cheering, balloons falling and television pundits starting to praise Kamala Harris for her Thursday night speech accepting the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, the Democratic National Convention program still had another agenda item. Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt and…
Kyle Reese and Joy Carol extol the blessings of interfaith relationships
Kyle Reese believes he is a better Baptist and pastor because of the years he has spent cultivating interfaith relationships. “Interfaith makes me a better practitioner of the Christian faith because I have engaged with people from other faith communities…
Interfaith leaders influenced MLK’s Christian outlook, biographer says
While deeply committed to his Christian faith, Martin Luther King Jr. was influenced by Buddhist, Hindu and Jewish ideas in formulating and leading the Civil Rights movement, said Jonathan Eig, author of the new biography, King: A Life. Input from…
Baptist congregation in Tbilisi dedicates space for Jewish synagogue
Dedication of a synagogue within the confines of a Baptist church in the Republic of Georgia exemplifies the peacemaking potential of interfaith dialogue and relationships, said Paul Hayes, a retired Baptist pastor and former Alliance of Baptists board member. Hayes…
Christian and interfaith tours to Israel canceled, while some already there are stranded
Being in Israel during the outbreak of war is like witnessing the unfolding of history in its most horrible and violent aspects, George Mason said Oct. 9 from near the Sea of Galilee. Mason had been in Jerusalem two days…
To understand pluralism, think of a potluck
Promoting diversity in American culture and democracy is like hosting a potluck gathering, author and interfaith activist Eboo Patel said. “Maybe there’s something about a potluck that just brings out the best in pluralism,” Patel, founder and president of Interfaith…
One expression of faith creates refugees; the other resettles them
Religion remains one of the most powerful forces on the planet, sometimes for good and sometimes for evil. Religion can summon us to our highest ideals, treating each and every person with all reverence due their divine origin. Of course,…
Meditating with Buddhists and other Asian lessons
During the 1988-89 school year, our family lived in Fukuoka, Japan, on a sabbatical leave from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. During that time, we served as Mission Service Corps volunteers sponsored by what was then called the Foreign Mission Board…
2022 was a year of celebration
Throughout 2022, I spent the year learning about various holiday traditions and seeking to gain a greater understanding of what they teach us about God. My theme verse for the year was Psalm 145:7: “They celebrate your abundant goodness and…