BAIC

July 2nd, 2009

Interfaith Center at the PresidioOne of the many hats I wear these days is as editor of the Bay Area Interfaith Connection, a monthly e-mail newsletter based at the Interfaith Center at the Presidio. It covers issues of interest in interfaith/ multifaith/ multireligious relations, along with events around the Bay Area.

July’s issue features the new capacity for webcasting at the Interfaith Center, which will make it possible for people around the world to connect to events at ICP, the announcement of “Taking It to Melbourne,” a forum for hearing about the upcoming Parliament of the World’s Religions from some of those who will be participating, and a report from the recent NAIN (North American Interfaith Network) gathering in Kansas City.

Take a look- the current issue of the newsletter is available on the Interfaith Center at the Presidio website; archives of editorials and information from previous issues are also available.  If you’d be interested in receiving BAIC via e-mail, write to paul@interfaith-presidio.org, or to me at calendar@interfaithspace.org.

Posted in Interfaith Center at the Presidio, Local, Parliament of the World's Religions | No Comments »

Taking It to Melbourne

June 27th, 2009

Preparing for the December Parliament of Religions

Sunday, July 12, 2009
4:00-7:00 pm
Interfaith Chapel in the Presidio

  • What do Chicago, Cape Town, and Barcelona have in common?
  • How did a 19th century Hindu teacher change world religion?
  • What happens when 10,000 people from different spiritual traditions converge in one place?
  • To whom did the Australian government offer a collective apology?
  • And what are we taking to Melbourne?!?

These questions and more will be explored at Taking It to Melbourne, a pre-Parliament of the World’s Religions event. We’ll have videoclips and pictures on a big screen along with personal stories of people who have journeyed to past Parliaments. And a special feature: presentations from those in our area who will be offering workshops at the Parliament in December.

Californians (and visitors from afar) who have proposed workshops for the Parliament in Melbourne: We invite you to be part of the program, taking two or three minutes to explain your workshop proposal and why it is important to you. Contact Paul Chaffee at paul@interfaith-presidio.org if you are interested in presenting.

LIVE WEBCAST – If you can’t come to San Francisco, go to www.interfaith-presidio.org and click on the Video Center button to join the event, at 4:00 pm (PST) (No login required).

If you are coming in person, you’ll find a map and directions at the website.

Posted in International, Local, National, Parliament of the World's Religions | 1 Comment »

New/Old Tensions between
Catholics and Jews

June 26th, 2009

A statement from the US Council of Bishops last week has stirred up some long-standing tensions between the Roman Catholic Church and the Jewish community. On June 18, 2009, the  Committee on Doctrine and Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued “A Note on Ambiguities Contained in Reflections on Covenant and Mission.”

The “Ambiguities” are part of a document issued in 2002 by a group of Catholic and Jewish scholars seeking common ground for dialogue and mutual understanding. The recent statement points out that “Reflections on Covenant and Mission” was never an official document of the Catholic Bishops, and clarifies several statements made in that document.

The core of the issue relates to the question of whether Christians (specifically Catholic Christians) should be seeking to convert Jews. This has been a sticky question from the earliest days of the Christian movement. What has happened to God’s original covenant with the Jews?

The present issue reinforces some of the historic affirmations of the Church- however grateful Christians may be to the Jews, they are to understand that the new revelation in Jesus Christ has fulfilled and completed the covenant. Christians are to evangelize, to “tell the good news.”

Some Jewish leaders are understandably upset by statements in this new document that seem to imply that Catholics should enter interfaith dialogue with an intent to convert Jews. The Anti Defamation League asked the Bishops to reaffirm a commitment to dialogue without proselyting.

It is a constant tension in interfaith relationships– how to hold firmly to your own convictions while appreciating the religious commitments of your dialogue partner. Rabbi Yehiel E. Poupko, Judaic Scholar at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago notes, “No faith community should turn to another and tell them what to believe.” However, it does make a difference how another community acts. In light of the tragic history of Jewish/Christian relations over the past two thousand years, a little “humility and caution” would be appropriate on both sides.

Posted in Judaism, National, Roman Catholicism | No Comments »

Baptists Meet This Week

June 20th, 2009

What comes to your mind when you hear the name “Baptists”? For many, it conjures up visions of fire-and-brimstone preachers, country churches, and televangelists like Jerry Fallwell. But Baptists are one largest and most diverse religious groupings in the U.S, second only to Catholics.

According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, one in six  Americans (17.2%) identify themselves as Baptist of one sort or another. But that number includes an amazing (and sometimes baffling) diversity of belief and practice. One of the key Baptist principles is the autonomy of the local congregation, and there is no Pope, Bishop, or other hierarchy to enforce orthodoxy. Baptist groups reflect regional, historical, and cultural distinctions, including Southern Baptists, American Baptists (formerly Northern Baptists), Progressive Baptists, Primitive Baptists, Missionary Baptists, General Baptists, Seventh Day Baptists, and on and on, including my own personal favorite, the Two Seed in the Spirit Predestinarian Baptists.

This week, two of the largest Baptist groups in the United States will be holding their regular gatherings. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) meets in Louisville June 23-24, while the American Baptist Churches (ABC/USA – my own denomination) will meet in Pasadena June 26-28.

EthicsDaily.com, a site sponsored by a diverse group of Baptists notes one significant distinction between these two groups. The SBC program (titled “Actions Speak Louder than Words”) features program leaders who are predominantly white and male (in the whole conference there is one African American, one Hispanic, and one woman).

By contrast, the ABC program “I Am Sending You” demonstrates ethnic and gender diversity throughout. The beginning plenary session will be opened by an ordained woman, include a welcome from the executive minister of the ABC churches of Los Angeles who is Indo-American, hear scripture read by a woman, a talk by a white male, and preaching from an African-American. Women, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Hispanics are featured among the executives, workshop leaders, and featured speakers.

Not all Baptists are the same! So the next time you hear the word “Baptist,” take a moment to ask “which kind?”

Posted in Christianity, Local, National | No Comments »

ISA: Three Commitments

June 12th, 2009

I’m about to head off for four days, meeting with folks from the California branches of the International Satsang Association. ISA is a global association of individuals who make three commitments in their lives: to deepen their own spiritual practice within their own tradition; to work to remove barriers of  prejudice and misunderstanding between people; and to develop relationships of compassion and appreciation across boundaries of  “race, language, culture, and religion.”

The group will be meeting with Sister Ishpriya, the founder of ISA, who left England to serve as a Roman Catholic Sister of the Sacred Heart in India. She set up a Christian ashram in the foothills of the Himalayas, and has devoted her life to interfaith dialogue in a spirit of mutual understanding and a common search for truth.

The Bay Area Satsang group meets every other month in San Jose. Our meetings include time for meditation and learning from one another about the challenges of living out our commitments in our day-to-day living. We welcome anyone interested in those commitments to join with us. For more information, see the website.

Posted in International, Local, Satsang | No Comments »

URI Global Council Online

June 10th, 2009

The Global Council of the United Religions Initiative (URI) has been meeting this week at Vallambrosa. Representatives from around the world, together with URI staff will join together for a Reunion & Blessing Celebration on Thursday, June 11, at 3:00 pm (PST), a service organized by the Interfaith Center and URI.

People are welcome to join the group at the Presidio Interfaith Chapel if they wish. But for those who might not be able to make the journey, there is now the option of viewing the service in an online webcast from the Interfaith Center at the Presidio.  Simply go to www.interfaith-presidio.org, and click on the “Video Center” buttton.

The Interfaith Center at the Presidio hopes to make more events available online through this new capability. Watch for announcements of upcoming events.

Posted in International, Local, National, URI | No Comments »

Interfaith Response to Elder Abuse

June 6th, 2009

June 25, 2009 11:00 am – 2:30 pm

PROTECTING OUR ELDERS
Interfaith Community Response to Elder Abuse & Neglect

Santa Clara County Department of Aging and Adult Services and Archstone Foundation have initiated a project to strengthen Faith Communities to recognize and respond to the mistreatment and neglect of older people in whatever settings it occurs, so that each individual can achieve an optimal quality of life in keeping with his or her cultural values and tradition. Please join us for a free Summit Meeting, with panel Presentations on:

  • What is Elder Abuse & Neglect: Intervention and Prevention
  • The Role of Public Guardian/Conservator
  • Caregiver Support: Compassionate Responses

Lunch provided. Location: Cupertino Community Hall, 10350 Torre Avenue, Cupertino.

To rsvp or for more info, please contact rsvp@protectelders.com or (650) 269.2589

Posted in Local | No Comments »

An Interview with Leonard Swidler

June 6th, 2009

Professor Leonard Swidler is one of the most revered figures in interreligious dialogue in the U.S. At Temple University in Philadelphia, where he has taught since 1966, he has expanded his work from ecumenical dialogue among Christians, to Jewish/ Christian dialogue, to the whole spectrum of interreligious conversation. He is founder of the Journal of Ecumenical Studies and the Dialogue Institute. He is the author of the Dialogue Decalogue, which offers an essential foundation for interreligious dialogue. Joshua Stanton, Editor-in-Chief, interviewed Swidler for Interreligious Dialogue, the website for the Journal of Interreligious Dialogue. Swidler described the trajectory of his interfaith experience, a path that is familiar to many who find themselves engaged in dialogue:

Swidler: It began as intra-Christian dialogue. But post-Vatican II, it broke out of the box. We started dialoguing with Jews… and once you turned away from looking inward and started looking outward, it developed a kind of momentum to keep going…. We needed to find ways to translate theory into action in life in organizations and institutions.

Stanton What’s in store for the Dialogue Institute in the future?

Swidler: Three years ago we received substantial funding to expand our staff…. Despite the current economy, you can expect to see us expand even more in the future. We have three major initiatives planned: one with Israeli women - Jewish, Christian, and Muslim – of al-Qasemi Academy, which is a teachers college primarily for Arab women… another is with Saudi professors, who are also coming for a week of training… and a third is interreligious dialogue a training for all U.S. Military Chaplains in Europe, and for two different combat brigades about to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan

More broadly, we hope to bring together religious figures and leaders and global business. These are the two most powerful forces for change in the world. We tend to think of them as antithetical rather than working together. But they can and should be brought together.

Read the rest of the interview, and about the work of Leonard Swidler:

Posted in 10 Commandments of Dialogue, National | 1 Comment »

Local Muslim Group Praises Obama

June 4th, 2009

The San Jose-based educational association ING responded favorably to President Obama’s speech in Cairo today. In a press release, ING stated:

ING welcomes a new course for relations between U.S. and Muslim communities as set out in President Obama’s landmark speech in Cairo today. The tone and focus of the visit and speech is a breath of fresh air and gives promise to the vision and mission of ING’s work for the last 16 years, a world where people of all faiths and none are understood and respected and their contributions valued.

ING hails President Obama’s emphasis on freedom of religion that has made this country from its founding a beacon of hope for the religiously oppressed. It is important to remember that it is that very principle as preserved in the First Amendment that guarantees the religious freedom of all the diverse religious groups in this country. We welcome his emphasis that it is part of this religious freedom that guarantees a Muslim woman’s right to wear the religious dress of her choice in this country: Likewise, it is important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit, for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear. We cannot disguise hostility towards any religion behind the pretence of liberalism. He is right in pointing out that at the same time it is incumbent upon Muslims to practice this same religious freedom and respect which is foundational in ING’s interfaith work as based on the Qur’an’s principles or religious pluralism.

ING is a San Jose-based group that has worked for over sixteen years to educate students, governmental agencies, law enforcement personnel, health care workers and local faith communities about Islam and about what it means to live in a society that honors and respects diverse religious traditions. They recently started an Interfaith Speakers Bureau with volunteers from Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim communities to help develop understanding and appreciation among religions.

Posted in International, Islam, Local, Religious Freedom | No Comments »

Baptist Leader Spurns “Respect”

May 19th, 2009

Commenting on the recent statement by Pope Benedict XVI that “My visit to Jordan gives me a welcome opportunity to speak of my deep respect for the Muslim community,” Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary took issue.

Criticizing the Pope not only for acting as a “head of state” and “speaking in diplomatic jargon rather than plain and direct speech,” Mohler further argues that the Pope is “speaking of “respect” without any clear understanding of what this really means.”

While evangelical Christians face a different context to this question, the urgency is the same.  We are not playing a diplomatic role as head of state, but we are called to be ambassadors for Christ and his Gospel.

In this light, any belief system that pulls persons away from the Gospel of Christ, denies and subverts Christian truth, and blinds sinners from seeing Christ as the only hope of salvation is, by biblical definition, a way that leads to destruction.  Islam, like every other rival to the Christian gospel, takes persons captive and is devoid of genuine hope for salvation.

Mohler is not only unable to respect Islam; he is also not ready to respect other Christians who might have a different opinion to his. Certainly he disrespects the Pope, who is the leader of the largest Christian body in the world. And, while Southern Baptists may be the largest Protestant denomination in the US, there are four times as many Catholics. Not only that, but not all baptists (like yours truly, for example) will agree with Mohler’s assessment.

Thus, evangelical Christians may respect the sincerity with which Muslims hold their beliefs, but we cannot respect the beliefs themselves.  We can respect Muslim people for their contributions to human welfare, scholarship, and culture.  We can respect the brilliance of Muslim scholarship in the medieval era and the wonders of Islamic art and architecture.  But we cannot respect a belief system that denies the truth of the gospel, insists that Jesus was not God’s Son, and takes millions of souls captive.

Hmmm. Interesting distinctions. It’s a variation on the old adage to “hate the sin, but love the sinner.” Only problem is, such fine distinctions usually don’t work out very well in the real world. “I respect the sincerity of your belief, but I detest the beliefs themselves” doesn’t sound much like respect at all.

This does not make for good diplomacy, but we are called to witness, not public relations.  We must aim to be gracious and winsome in our witness to Christ, but the bottom line is that the gospel will necessarily come into open conflict with its rivals.

What Mohler dismisses as “good diplomacy, and “public relations” is, rather, the kind of compassionate and hospitable welcoming of diversity upon which a sustainable human community depends. When I claim a divine right to disrespect another, I create and foment conflict in my relationships, and ultimately in my community.

Posted in Christianity, International, Islam, National | 1 Comment »

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