“Listen not for the sake of information, but of transformation.”
These words were spoken by Rev. Mihee Kim-Kort, ordained Presbyterian pastor and keynote speaker at the Midwest Regional Gathering for NEXT Church last fall. NEXT Church, a Presbyterian network of leaders who are working toward a future that is more relational, diverse, collaborative, hopeful and agile, met under the theme Embodied Faith, asking what Presbyterian values look like in daily actions.
I was
honored to get to present a workshop on “entering faith… into interfaith” where
we discussed how to integrate interfaith engagement into individuals’ values
and institutions’ missions, but further than that, we modeled interfaith engagement by having a dialogue ourselves.
With a
group of 30 Presbyterians – including seminarians, pastors, and community activists
– I guided a “Speed Dialogue” – like speed dating, but for new friends instead
of romance. Project Interfaith put together this comprehensive facilitation guide
for interfaith organizers to use.
Similar to the Interfaith Youth Core equivalent of “Talk
Better Together” – the premise is simple – using conversation as a way of
promoting open, respectful discourse about religion, belief, stereotypes, and
identity.
While
usually done within more diverse contexts, the opportunity to do this activity
within a group of seemingly uniform people allowed for new interfaith lessons
to sprout. We saw that interfaith dialogue is a model not only for
cross-faith/non-faith conversations, but a way to appreciate the nuances and
complexities within one tradition. It was even a perfect gateway into creating
intentionally diverse settings in the future, with many church members
interested in bringing the model back to their community and getting to know
their neighbors through a Speed Faithing Night. Here are just a few lessons
from that day:
1. Commonality
between strangers, yet a diversity of pathways
Participants
had never crossed paths before, likely will never again, and came to value the
commonality they found between their stories. But even in this context within
same tradition, there was a varied range of pathways of where people were
coming from and where they were going.
2. Value
of one-on-one conversations
Most
attendees had participated in large group dialogues – where a delicate balance
had to be struck to include all voices equally. With this opportunity for one-on-one
conversation, they were able to ask questions, dig deeper, and be more focused
with the discussion.
3. Allows
all people to speak and share
perspectives.
The
conversation is designed to be a give-and-take, with no dominate voice or
facilitator, which places value in the voices of all participants – including
those often overshadowed or overlooked.
4. Embraces
all aspects of identity.
Faith
and beliefs are inseparable from other aspects of identity, like race, sexuality,
and gender; Speed-Dialogue allows for an appreciation and respect of the
complexity and intersectionality of identity.
Participants
walked away with new friendships, insights, and a program they could implement
right away – one that would allow them to fully live out their faiths while
engaging with the diversity within their tradition and within the wider
community. I walked away with renewed hope in religious life – seeing faith
leaders become interfaith leaders. As Kim-Kort said, this brave and courageous
engagement creates an expanded vision and experience of God that pushes beyond
the walls of the church. By letting differences permeate our experiences, we
become more compassionate, pluralist, and ultimately, more human.
Katie Gordon is the Program Manager of the Kaufman Interfaith Institute at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and works both in the local community and on the university’s campus to promote interfaith dialogue and cooperation. Katie is a graduate of Alma College, where she studied Religious Studies & Political Science, and is currently pursuing a Masters of Arts in Interfaith Action at Claremont Lincoln University. She is also on the Interfaith Youth Core Alumni Speaker’s Bureau, where she speaks about promoting interfaith in higher education, social justice & service, and engaging non-religious communities in interfaith work.
2 comments:
Thank you so much for this beautifully written post. I loved how it talked about the diversity within faith traditions and how we need such dialogue even among members of the same faith. May God bless you for the work you are doing.
I struggle with faith as i have none. Perhaps the riddle in it is. Is god of all faiths . A wise source told me it dosent matter what you believe. If that is true what paradigm is that god. Is there no official belief structure or orientation. Perhaps one sticks to the meaning of their choice with their whole existence. And to digress say all faiths lead to one god. Or simply is he just a higher power. From which all belief flows.
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