GlocalNet

Friday I spent the day with Eboo Patel and the Inter-faith Youth Council in Chicago.  Tomorrow I’ll write more and show pictures - BUT, there were some incredible things I saw, heard, observed, and witnessed.  I felt like I was having a 21st century conversation about faith like it will be in the future.  It was the closest thing I’ve experienced to visiting with people globally of different religions.  Muslims, Christians, Jews, and a passing Bhuddist all had great conversations.  BUT, interfaith is really misunderstood - there are some things it is not that are important to know up front.

Interfaith is not about liberalism.  YES, liberals have talked about interfaith a long time however, the people I talked to were not - it wasn’t about a liberal pie in the sky kind of view but about we are in this thing together we’d better understand one another and get along.

Interfaith is not about syncretism.  It’s about people holding passionately on to their faith without taking on an “us against them” mentality but instead dialoging, loving, and interacting with.

Interfaith is not about tolerance, or respect.  It’s more than that - its about cooperation and collaboration to get along in a complex and integrated world.  It’s about learning a different way to communicate.  It’s taking responsibility for all of us being in this world together.

Interfaith is not about not addressing your differences, theologically or geo-politically.  The young people I was with were debating each other - but not in an angry way at all. 

Interfaith is not about converting one another - but understanding one another. 

I sat at the table of the future, and it was good - it was very very good -