Getting to the Heart of Interfaith

Getting to the Heart of Interfaith

By Ted Falcon, Don Mackenzie, Jamal Rahman
Skylight Paths Publishing, 2009, 183 pages, $16.99

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They came together after 9/11—a Christian pastor, a Jewish rabbi, and a Muslim sheikh. They believe that in the face of today’s immense global challenges, it is imperative that we work together to solve common problems. “It’s a matter of our survival,” they say, and thus begins the captivating story of their shared journey.

Beginning with the assumption that all major religious traditions are authentic and share important core values, the authors present what they believe are the five stages of genuine engagement with those of other faiths:

1. Move beyond suspicion.
   
2. Learn more about other traditions.
   
3. Acknowledge the difficult parts of your own.
   
4. Confront challenging topics.
   
5. Share spiritual practices.

Fundamentally, this is a book about relationships. It is also both a call to action and a manual for success. We cannot take an interfaith journey simply by reading a book, not even this one. And we will not solve the big problems of this world alone. Instead, we must take up the mantle of this work in our own communities, never forgetting that “it’s a matter of our survival.”

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The Rev. Wendy L. Bell wrote this review for America: The Remix, the Spring 2010 issue of YES! Magazine. Wendy is a Unitarian Universalist minister in Harvard, Massachusetts.

Interested?

• Honoring the Spirit: Read an excerpt from the book.
• The Interfaith Amigos blog weekly at YES! Magazine.
• Abraham to Descendants: "Knock it Off": The Interfaith Amigos, a rabbi, a minister, and an imam, brought together by 9/11 and what followed, discover new spiritual depths from their dialogue and friendship.