The contextual shift gives birth to a whole new language and set of questions. We can’t speak of churches, but faith communities. We don’t speak of pastors, but spiritual leaders. How does one participate in a worship service where the names for God are astoundingly diverse? What does one say to the couple struggling to raise their children when each parent yearns for the children to follow his or her faith? These are difficult questions that do not lend themselves to easy answers.
Ministry in this new, now not so new, context comes with great opportunities as well. I have been challenged and enriched by working with people of different faiths. Maplewood is a stably integrated community with a community organization dedicated to preserve the community’s inclusiveness. I learned from conversations about the vision and hope that the different faiths have for the world in which we live. Currently, many different faith communities are working together to build a Habitat for Humanity house. Writing the vision statement and publicity pieces for this project taught every one of us about our commonalities and differences.
Knowing of my interests, people often hand me books on interfaith dialogues. Usually, these books focus on the commonalities and differences of a particular combination of faiths. I picked up Cynthia Campbell’s book, A Multitude of Blessings: A Christian Approach to Religious Diversity, expecting to find a similar line of thought. I was pleased to discover a different approach.
Campbell is not offering another comparative religions book. She suggests that the changing context of our world raises new questions for Christians. Her book is written for Christians as they contemplate how to reflect on religious diversity. Our context demands that we re-examine some of our theological and biblical reflections on other faiths. Our communities include more than the Judeo-Christian-Muslim stream of faith. This makes what we have in common a difficult starting point.
In the first chapter, Campbell explores three common approaches to religious diversity, suggesting that all three fall short. If God is the one who seeks humanity, then could it be that religious diversity is part of “God’s providential plan for humankind?” In subsequent chapters she invites us to reread the Hebrew Scriptures with a focus on Genesis; the claims of Christ highlighting relevant texts from the gospels and epistles; and the work of the Holy Spirit highlighting texts from Acts. With each chapter she encourages us to consider inclusive rather than exclusive story lines. Our changed context invites us to do nothing less.
In the concluding chapter, Campbell offers “six practical consequences for Christian faith and life.” The six consequences move beyond the expected responses of living in a diverse world as they cover not only Christian witness and dialogue, but also recovering spiritual practices.
I found the book to be helpful because it approached the subject in a different way. It truly is a book for Christians struggling to find a better way to live in our religiously diverse society. She summarizes earlier approaches to several issues in a concise and easily understood manner. She takes on some of the more difficult texts offering alternative understandings. She employs both “A Brief Statement of Faith” and the “Study Catechism” as part of her own reflections. In this way, she encourages us to think anew in our changing context without denying our Reformed heritage.
In the last few years, the congregation I serve offered several educational courses on interfaith issues. The husband of an elder in the congregation, who is Muslim, taught the first one. He introduced the congregation to the ways that he practices Islam. The second course explored violence in religions that proclaim peace. A Jew, a Muslim and a Christian addressed the question, “How do religions of peace give birth to violent groups?” Then, we explored two possible responses — college students living together in an interfaith housing unit, and an interfaith project to build a house.
Campbell’s book might have been a better place to start. How can Christians confess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and maintain a positive appreciation for the religiously diverse world God gives us? This is a question worth exploring. Campbell’s book is a helpful tool in the exploration.
Rick Boyer is pastor of Prospect Church, Maplewood, N.J.
