A deeply personal journey to interfaith collaboration that offers hope for an inclusive and healing way of being together in the world. Too often religion seems to fuel more hatred than love, more conflict than collaboration. Interfaith Talk Radio's "interfaith amigos"--a pastor, a rabbi and an Imam--provide a rich understanding of the road to interfaith collaboration by sharing their stories, challenges and the inner spiritual work necessary to go beyond tolerance to a vital, inclusive spirituality. From their deep commitment and lived experience, they present ways we can work together to transcend the differences that have divided us historically. Together they explore: The five stages of the interfaith journey The power of our stories The core of our traditions The promises and problems of our traditions New dimensions of spiritual identity And much more Along with inspiring insights and encouragement for tapping into the promise of interfaith dialogue, they provide practical actions, additional readings and discussion questions to help you embody their revolutionary spirit of healing.

How do religious traditions create strangers and neighbors? How do they construct otherness? Or, instead, work to overcome it? In this exciting collection of interdisciplinary essays, scholars and activists from various traditions explore these questions. Through legal and media studies, they reveal how we see religious others. They show that Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and Sikh texts frame others in open-ended ways. Conflict resolution experts and Hindu teachers, they explain, draw on a shared positive psychology. Jewish mystics and Christian contemplatives use powerful tools of compassionate perception. Finally, the authors explain how Christian theology can help teach respectful views of difference. They are not afraid to discuss how religious groups have alienated one another. But, together, they choose to draw positive lessons about future cooperation.

Refine your heart and mind with the wisdom of Islamic spirituality "To live a meaningful life--one that brings us joy, contentment and fulfillment--we have to do the inner spiritual work of becoming a more complete human being." --from the Introduction Over the centuries, Islamic sages have gleaned timeless spiritual insights and practices from sacred texts, meditation and knowledge of the heart--gems that have been passed down from generation to generation. This book invites you--no matter what your practice may be--to access the treasure chest of Islamic spirituality, particularly Sufism, and use its wealth to strengthen your own journey. The riches include guidance drawn from the Qur'an, sayings of the Prophet Muhammad and Sufi poets such as the thirteenth-century Rumi on cultivating awareness, intentionality and compassion for self and others. This book also features entertaining wisdom teaching stories, especially those of Mulla Nasruddin, Islam's great comic foil, to expand the mind and heart. It breaks down barriers to accessing this ancient tradition for modern seekers by dispelling myths about the Muslim faith concerning gender bias, inclusivity and appreciation for diversity. Regardless of where you are on your spiritual journey, you will find these gems worthy additions to your own treasure chest within.

Presents Bible stories that involve clothing in an essential way as a means of learning about the text, its characters and their interactions. Uses the garments of the Bible to show us how to shed our own layers of covering and reveal our authentic selves.

There is no them — there is only us, celebrating our common humanity Whatever your spiritual path, chances are that the primary tenets of your faith include universal love, acceptance, and compassion. Yet three thousand years after Moses, twenty-five hundred years after the Buddha, two thousand years after Jesus, and fifteen hundred years after Muhammad, we are still divided by our differences. Religious intolerance, discrimination, even persecution and violence make up the not-so-golden rule. The Interfaith Alternative shows us how we can celebrate each other without fear of losing our own identity. It illuminates the path to creating a nurturing spiritual community that honors and includes all religious languages—an alternative to Jews worshiping only with Jews, Christians with Christians, and Muslims with Muslims. In doing so, it demonstrates that through coming together in a mutually supportive environment we can concentrate on our shared desire to remake the world into a compassionate, loving place. At its core, Interfaith is about community and justice. Once we truly embrace diversity, we embrace our common humanity. A powerful antidote to the current climate of fear and mistrust, The Interfaith Alternative argues that it is not how we encounter the sacred, but what we do about it that counts—there are positive alternatives to religious lines in the sand. Steven Greenebaum is an Interfaith minister whose experiences directing choirs of different faiths and denominations have helped him to understand the profound wisdom of many spiritual traditions. Steven has dedicated his life to working for social and environmental justice. He is the founder of the Living Interfaith Church in Lynnwood, Washington.

The spiritual teachings of many faith traditions can help you step beyond the limits of any one tradition to the reality that can't be named. The fastest growing spiritual movement in the United States today is that of the religiously unaffiliated. These spiritual seekers make up 20 percent of the adult American population; they are the spiritual equivalent of political independents. Refusing to limit themselves to one religion or another, these seekers without borders are open to wisdom wherever it can be found. This is a "bible" for this vast and growing social movement. It weaves sacred texts and teachings from the world's major religions--Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and more--into a coherent exploration of the five core questions at the heart of every religion's search: * Who am I? * Where did I come from? * Where am I going? * How shall I live? * Why? It couples these sacred teachings with modern commentary designed to help readers use these texts in their daily lives. It also provides the basics of spiritual mentor Eknath Easwaran's Passage Meditation to help you internalize the texts that articulate your deepest insights and values.

God¿s imperatives for us¿ to practice peacemaking, love others and build community¿ all begin with authentic dialogue. Think of an issue that makes your blood boil. Now imagine lunch with a friend who is just as passionate about it¿on the other side. How can the two of you even broach the issue, let alone hear each other with curiosity and compassion? The answer begins long before the lunch does, by learning to engage dialogue as a habit of the heart¿an inner transformation that the ancient practices of Christian spirituality can address. This highly readable and timely guide to restoring dialogue shows Christians of many stripes how to cultivate this transformation while preparing them to approach their adversaries with curiosity, civility and compassion. This book: ¿ Examines the obstacles that keep us from dialogue: black-and-white thinking, our ¿distraction lifestyle,¿ the fear of change and others. ¿ Explores the strengths of character from which healthy dialogue springs¿and the work of the soul that cultivates them. ¿ Shows how to enhance the work of the soul by engaging the world around us. ¿ Lays out practical guidelines for dialogue and how they work in an imperfect world. ¿ Includes extended anecdotes of dialogue in action, from resolutions of interpersonal conflict to difficult dialogues on some of the most divisive issues of our age. ¿ Uses provocative questions at the end of each chapter to stimulate group discussion and individual reflection.