The Spirituality of Learning
Christian Scientists think of angels as bright ideas. Angels are moments of clarity and expanded consciousness, moments of fresh vision and creativity, broadened perspective, and infusions of loving inspiration. Christian Scientists, who think of God as pure Mind, a divine principle of loving consciousness, see the intellect as a portal of revelation. I come from [...]
Why Monty Python Makes for Good Religion: Reflections on Religion and Film, Part 1/3
Humor; humor is difficult. Religion; religion is difficult. They can both be reassuring, and discomfiting. They can affix labels, or they can liberate. They can be subversive, or they can uplift the dominant paradigm. Both can be thrilling and boring. They can be unifying, or alienating. Religion and humor both aspire to help us live [...]
Raising Up Interfaith Leaders
The interfaith and ecumenical movements need to raise up young people who understand how to delve into differences of faith and belief while also focusing on grassroots justice work. Too often, interfaith dialogue is approached through a single avenue between commonalities or differences. All the while, social activism is seen as a second step made [...]
Caritas de libertati: A People of Hope
Surely you’ve heard the Good News: We Have a Pope. What do you make of it all? So far I’ve heard many different opinions on the matter. Some are excited, but I would say a large majority of those in my circles are fairly upset. While many feel positively towards the fact Pope Francis I [...]
Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Women Writing: She Answers Abraham on “Faithful Advocacy” and More
My Christian friend LeeAnne got the conversation about Faithful Advocacy started by reflecting on a passage from the Gospel of John: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth…” (14:16-17a). In LeeAnne’s reflection, she explains that advocacy—“speaking up for the [...]
A New Supreme Pontiff and What It Means for Interreligious Dialogue
Just before noon on Monday in Rome, Italy, Pope Benedict XVI addressed assembled Cardinals of the Catholic Church. After serving nearly eight years as the Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, [...]
Experiencing Islam: An Interview with Homayra Ziad, PhD
In January, Hebrew College and Andover Newton Theological School offered for the first time a joint winter seminar on Islam for rabbinical, cantorial and ministerial students. This one-week intensive course, “Experiencing Islam,” was led by Homayra Ziad, assistant professor of religion at Trinity College. Following her time on our hilltop campus, Ziad spoke with the [...]
What’s the Big Deal About Interfaith Marriage?
I attended the 2009 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne, Australia. I was amazed by the preponderance of sacred fashion statements (the hats!), the number of New Age practitioners from the North American West Coast, and the ubiquity of the phrase “interfaith dialogue.” As former chair of the Union Theological Seminary Interfaith Caucus, a [...]
Do We Worship the Same God? Part II: Jewish and Muslim Voices
This is part two of a two-part review of Miroslav Volf’s new edited volume, Do We Worship the Same God? Miroslav Volf has done a great service in bringing together a thoughtful group of renowned thinkers around the question of whether Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship the same God. Each essay offers a penetrating analysis from the [...]
Do We Worship the Same God? Part I: Christian Voices
This is part one of a two-part review of Miroslav Volf’s new edited volume, Do We Worship the Same God? Miroslav Volf has done a great service in bringing together a thoughtful group of renowned thinkers around the question of whether Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship the same God. Each essay offers a penetrating analysis from the [...]
Contributing Scholars
Jem JebbiaJem is a first year M.A. student at the University of Chicago studying Islam and pre-Islamic religions in the Ancient Near East. She practices Mahayana Buddhism and interfaith activism.
Joseph PailleCandidate for ordination in the ELCA studying theology at Princeton Seminary in New Jersey. Research interests include end-of-life care, Lutheran liturgics, religion in the public sphere, and interdisciplinary work bridging behavioral economics and theology.
Br. Larry WhitneyBr. Larry is the University Chaplain for Community Life at Boston University's Marsh Chapel and an STM student in philosophical theology at the Boston University School of Theology.