An Award-winning Practical Guide for Embracing the Growing
Religious Pluralism in America
“In the process of [interfaith]
engagement, we discover … a world in which our faith is
richer, deeper, and more contextualized, and God’s very
Self is seen in more of its fullness.”
—from the Introduction
This practical guide to the key methods
and resources of the interfaith movement will help you
effectively engage people of other faith traditions in order to
increase understanding and acceptance in your community and
beyond.
Drawing on the knowledge and experience of
interfaith leaders from the world’s many faith
traditions—Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism,
Hinduism, Bahá’í Faith, Jainism, Shinto,
Sikh Faith, Taoism, Zoroastrianism—this comprehensive
resource provides practical ideas for connecting with people of
all faiths and backgrounds through common concerns and
activities that promote respect and support. It enables
communities rich with diversity to work together to create
paths toward peace and justice.
“Provides vital [information] on how
interreligious dialogue can be developed on a community level.
Contributors … share valuable insights in a very readable
fashion.”
—John
T. Pawlikowski, OSM, PhD, professor
of social ethics and director,
Catholic-Jewish Studies Program, Catholic Theological Union; president,
International Council of Christians and Jews
Catholic-Jewish Studies Program, Catholic Theological Union; president,
International Council of Christians and Jews
“A critical resource for those
leading their communities past intolerance and fear into hope,
understanding, and social change. Inspires the reader while
providing cutting-edge methods to help communities build trust
and celebrate our diversity and common goals.”
—Rev.
Jennifer Butler, executive
director, Faith in Public Life
“A wonderful handbook that should be
on the bookshelf of every member of the clergy. It provides
practical and inspirational resources for communal interfaith
programming.”
—Rabbi
Leonard A. Schoolman, director, The
Center for Religious Inquiry,
Saint Bartholomew’s Church, New York; author of The Changing Christian World:
A Brief Introduction for Jews
Saint Bartholomew’s Church, New York; author of The Changing Christian World:
A Brief Introduction for Jews
“Shows how practically dialogue can
deepen our understanding and practice of our own faith
traditions and at the same time help us to develop an
understanding and respect for the faith traditions of
others.”
—Dr.
Sayyid M. Syeed, national director,
Interfaith and Community Alliance,
Islamic Society of North America
Islamic Society of North America
“A book that can make a dramatic
difference. Will enable communities to think constructively
about religious difference in conversation across the divides.
Anyone seriously interested in dialogue and peace between the
different religious traditions must read this book.”
—The
Very Rev. Ian Markham, PhD, dean
and president
of Virginia Theological Seminary
of Virginia Theological Seminary
“A must read for those of us
involved in national faith-based organizations and an excellent
guide for working in our local communities. It has a wealth of
background information and a very useful resource section. The
guidelines for language use is very important for our dialogue
in multifaith groups. Our communication colleagues will
find this a very important book to have in their libraries for
reference.”
—Shirley
Whipple Struchen, executive
director, Religion Communicators Council
Rev. Bud Heckman was executive director of Religions for
Peace-USA, under whose auspices this project began. An ordained
United Methodist minister, he is currently chief development
officer at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut.
Rori Picker Neiss was lead staff of Religions for Peace-USA. Currently
she is program coordinator for the Jewish Orthodox Feminist
Alliance.
Rev. Dirk Ficca, executive director of the Council for a
Parliament of the World’s Religions, is a moderator of
Chicago Presbytery’s Committee on Ecumenical and
Interreligious Relations.
