My Neighbor s Faith Stories of Interreligious Encounter, Growth, and Transformation Edited by Jennifer Howe Peace, Or N. Rose, and Gregory Mobley
Founded in 1970, Orbis Books endeavors to publish works that enlighten the mind, nourish the spirit, and challenge the conscience. The publishing arm of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, Orbis seeks to explore the global dimensions of the Christian faith and mission, to invite dialogue with diverse cultures and religious traditions, and to serve the cause of reconciliation and peace. The books published reflect the views of their authors and do not represent the official position of the Maryknoll Society. To learn more about Maryknoll and Orbis Books, please visit our website at http://www.maryknollsociety.org. Copyright 2012 by Jennifer Howe Peace, Or N. Rose, and Gregory Mobley Published by Orbis Books, Box 302, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0302. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Queries regarding rights and permissions should be addressed to: Orbis Books, P.O. Box 302, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0302. Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data My neighbor s faith : stories of interreligious encounter, growth, and transformation / edited by Jennifer Howe Peace, Or N. Rose, and Gregory Mobley. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-57075-958-1 (pbk.); eisbn 978-1-60833-117-8 1. Religions Relations. I. Peace, Jennifer Howe. II. Rose, Or N. III. Mobley, Gregory. BL410.M9 2012 201'.5 dc23 2011040734
Contents Foreword by Joan D. Chittister, OSB Acknowledgments Introduction xi xv xvii Part I: Encountering the Neighbor 1. Brian D. McLaren, Entering without Knocking 3 2. Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, Water Carriers 7 3. Irving (Yitz) Greenberg, What Would Roy and Alice Do? 11 4. Zeenat Rahman, The Hijabi Monologues 17 5. Pravrajika Vrajaprana, Interfaith Incognito: What a Hindu Nun Learned from Evangelical Christians 20 6. Jennifer Howe Peace, God Is Greater 25 7. Sherman A. Jackson, My Ever-Present Interfaith Interlocutors 30 8. Burton L. Visotzky, It Begins with a Text 36 Part II: Viewing Home Anew 9. Nancy Fuchs Kreimer, Trouble Praying 45 10. Gregory Mobley, What the Rabbi Taught the Reverend about the Baby Jesus 48 11. Rita Nakashima Brock, When I Get to Heaven 51 12. Judith Plaskow, An Accidental Dialoguer 56 13. Arthur Green, A Monk s Gift 62 vii
viii My Neighbor s Faith 14. Wendy Peterson, The Prayer God Could Not Answer: A Métis-Aboriginal Encounter 68 15. Judith Berling, How a Daoist Fire-Walking Ceremony Made Me an Episcopalian 73 Part III: Redrawing Our Maps 16. Kecia Ali, Belief-O-Matic and Me 83 17. Roger S. Gottlieb and Bill J. Leonard, Gambling on Hope: One Shared Faith 86 18. Jeffery D. Long, Never Was There a Time... : Crossing Over to Hinduism from Roman Catholicism through the Bhagavad Gita 93 19. Janet M. Cooper Nelson, Dearly Beloved 100 20. Paul Raushenbush, Why Don t You Just Convert? 106 21. Najeeba Syeed-Miller, The State of the Heart in Multifaith Relationships 109 22. Richard J. Mouw, This War of Words and This Tumult of Opinions : The Beginning of a Dialogue with Mormons 112 23. Homayra Ziad, Oh How You ve Spun Me Round, Darling 117 24. Paul F. Knitter, Theological Goosebumps: A Turning Point in My Interfaith Journey 120 Part IV: Unpacking Our Belongings 25. Abdullah Antepli, Never Again: A Muslim Visits the Nazi Death Camps 127 26. Ramdas Lamb, The Lessons We Learn as Children 131 27. Ali S. Asani, Encountering the Muslim Other at Harvard 135 28. Mary C. Boys, It s Complicated 138 29. Rodney L. Petersen, What I Learned in Zenica about Forgiveness 144 30. Michael Lerner, Learning to See God in Everyone 149
Contents ix 31. Anantanand Rambachan, The Ambiguities of Liberation and Oppression: Assuming Responsibility for One s Tradition 154 32. Richard Twiss, All My Relations 159 Part V: Stepping across the Line 33. Ruben L. F. Habito, A Christian Confronts a Zen Kōan 165 34. Valarie Kaur, Double-Edged Daggers 172 35. Charles P. Gibbs, Jesus Appeared to Babaji 177 36. Varun Soni, Under the Bodhi Tree 182 37. Daniel A. Berman, How We Pray 185 38. Rodger Kamenetz, The Canine-Buddhist Dialogue 188 39. S. Mark Heim, Otherness and Wonder: A Christian Experiences Moksha 192 40. John Makransky, What Mast Ram Baba Dropped into My Bowl 197 Part VI: Finding Fellow Travelers 41. Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, What I Found in the Chapel 207 42. Samir Selmanovic, If Muhammad Had Not Spoken 211 43. Laurie L. Patton, Sewing in Silence 214 44. Judith Simmer-Brown, The Solitude of Contemplative Life: A Buddhist-Benedictine Friendship 220 45. Or N. Rose, Holy Chutzpah: Lessons from William Sloane Coffin 224 46. Rebecca Ann Parker in conversation with Ibrahim Farajajé, Out Beyond: Forging Resistance and Hope through Multireligious Friendship 228
x My Neighbor s Faith 47. Bradley Hirschfield, Finding Faith on the Road: Where Deep Commitment and Genuine Openness Meet 234 Part VII: Repairing Our Shared World 48. Eboo Patel, The Heroes I Was Looking For 243 49. Jonah Pesner with Hurmon Hamilton, A Community, Not Simply a Coalition 249 50. Phyllis Berman and Arthur Waskow, Dwelling Together in the Tent of Abraham, Hagar, and Sarah 252 51. Ji Hyang Padma, Practicing in the Temples of Human Experience 258 52. Miguel A. De La Torre, The Value of a Peso 261 53. Jim Wallis, A Test of Character 264 Contributors 267