Interfaith Dialogues

The two words that form the title of this article mean different things to different people. Regardless of the nuances of meaning we assign to "interfaith dialogue" such conversations have become a growing reality in the light of the tragedy of September 11th.

Noted in the next column are a number of opportunities that have come across my desk in the past week. They are listed here for your information in case you may wish to attend one or more of them. While I personally struggle with assigning equal value to the religions represented in dialogue, there is value in learning to listen to and respect those of other faiths.

Those who do assign equal value to major religions are offended by the thought of joining these dialogues for the purpose of evangelism. Others see these educational opportunities in the spirit of I Corinthians 9:19-23 where the Apostle Paul seeks to identify with different groups of people in order to proclaim the Gospel. Regardless of your motivation for attending I think we would all agree that it is acting in love to try to understand people with different perspectives in matters of faith.

These are trying times for our nation. As Christians, let us do the things that inspire peace, hope, faith and love. Perhaps these opportunities to talk to others of different faith traditions can in some way build new levels of trust and security among neighbors.

We must always be careful not to use our faith as a weapon against those who are "not like us." We are called to follow the spirit of our Lord when he spoke to the Samaritan woman in the Gospel of John, chapter four. He was very sensitive and yet at the same time was insistent that she not use religious traditions as a way of pushing aside Jesus' unique claims as the Messiah.

For those who do attend any of these educational opportunities, I would be interested to hear about your experience.

Grace & Peace
Pastor George

Basic Fundamentals of the Islamic Faith
Wednesday, November 7th at 7:00 pm

Dr. Louis Cantori, Professor of Political Science at UMBC will describe the basics of the Islamic faith.

Aspects of Islamic Culture & How Islam Faith Affects Society
Wednesday, November 14th at 7:00 pm

Rasha El Haggan, an active member and teacher at the Islamic Society of Baltimore will address how Islamic faith affects the workings of its society as a whole.

Talks will be located at:
Light Street Presbyterian Church
809 Light Street; Baltimore, Maryland 21230
410-539-0125

Islamic and Christian Values in the Aftermath of September 11th
Sunday, November 11th at 7:00 pm

The American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee and Mission Helper Productions, Inc. present Maqbool Patel, Vice President, Coppin State College, and past president of Islamic Society of Baltimore with an Islamic viewpoint and a Christian Faith response by Claudette Shwiry of the Arab American Institute, Washington, DC.

This discussion will be held at:
Mission Helper Center
1001 West Joppa Road (entrance on Chestnut Ave.)
Towson, Maryland 21204
410-823-8585

God's Justice and God's Mercy
Tuesday, November 27th at 7:30 pm

Faith in the Modern World
Wednesday, December 12th at 7:30 pm

Institute For Christian & Jewish Studies sponsors Dr. Sulayman Nyang, Professor of African Studies at Howard University, as he presents the Islamic perspective which will be followed by Christian and Jewish responses.

These discussions will take place at:
Chizuk Amuno Congregation
8100 Stevenson Road; Baltimore, Maryland 21208

For more information call The Institute For Christian & Jewish Studies (410-523-7227).