by Sable Manson
n the spring of 2020, I was working with my higher education colleagues to prepare for an interfaith retreat set on Catalina Island, off the coast of southern California. We had planned numerous…
Interfaith Retreat-in-a-Box
Religious Pluralism at the Opera
by Jane Fitzpatrick
Opera has told stories of faith and humanity for centuries, and they continue to inspire conversations about the past, present, and future of religious pluralism in a variety of modern contexts…
The Garden
by Dorianne Laux
We were talking about poetry. We were talking about nuclear war. She said she couldn’t write about it because she couldn’t imagine it.
The Art of Prayer Meets the Prayer of Art
by Cynthia Lindner
This autumn, visitors to the Art Institute’s Bucksbaum Gallery for Photography on the ground floor of the museum’s Modern Wing are met by empty white walls: there’s not a single photograph hanging in this gallery dedicated to their display.
Art and Interfaith Conversation
by Andrew Smith
I learn best by listening to people’s ideas over a good cup of coffee. One such conversation sparked ideas that inspired a whole series of interfaith dialogues that have taken place over the past few years.
How We See Each Other
by Libby Byrne
The gift of art helps us to see more clearly what is really there in our human experience. With this in mind, is there a relationship between the way we see art and the way we imagine religious communities might be inclusive for people with disabilities?
Collaborating to Build Interfaith Bridges
by Vicki Garlock
Sometimes, a story is told more easily through art. That’s certainly the case for this Bulgarian-based interfaith and cultural exchange camp – the brainchild of Angelina Vladikova and Svetlana Karadzhova…
Decolonizing Art
by Vy Vu
Audre Lorde once said: “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” This is why we constantly have to learn the process of decolonizing our body and our tools.
Spirituality and Transcendence: The White Light Festival
by Anya Dunaif
In the fall of 2010, New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts launched a new annual event called the White Light Festival, focused on encouraging people to experience transcendence and spirituality through live performances.
The Art of Community, the Community of Art
by Rev. Andre van Zijl
Art is an interculturally unifying language for communicating human and spiritual experience beyond words. We all hunger for connection and community. We do well to dance, sing, write, paint, and sculpt our way…
Speaking from the Heart
by Karimah Stauch
Tonight I want to share with you my tears, the cry of the deepest longing for peace. Sometimes the tensions inside are just so high…
Where is the Heart in the Climate Justice Movement? Where is the Music?
by Kyle Lemle
We’ve all read the numbers and heard the forecasts: 350 ppm of carbon, three meters of sea level rise, or three degrees Celsius.
A Muslim, a Jew, and a Christian Walk into a Concert Hall…
by Vicki Garlock
It all started in 2010 when Ontario, Canada based Dawud Wharnsby was contacted by David LaMotte, who was working on peace and justice issues with the North Carolina Council of Churches.
An Interfaith Crucible of Art & Architecture
by Ruth Broyde Sharone
The stunning museum, designed by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, is a landmark structure, revealing in exquisite detail the rich artistic culture of Islam and the diversity of Islamic civilization.
The Cosmic Mass Returns to the 2018 World Parliament
by Matthew Fox
I have been involved in celebrating Cosmic Masses throughout North America for the last 24 years. We have sponsored more than 100 of them in various cities and have people to lead them around the country.
Abraham and the Old Man
by Carrie Sue Ayvar
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I spent every summer from the time I was a year old until I went away to college at my maternal grandparent’s house in North Miami Beach, Florida.
In Search of a Shared Narrative
by Ralph Singh
I have been a storyteller for as long as I can remember. I honed my skills at the feet of the great Master, H.H. Baba Virsa Singh ji of Gobind Sadan. As his first foreign devotee, I had the privilege of translating stories from the lives of those we refer to as Messiah, Prophets, Avatars, and Saints.
Shedding Light Along the Way
by Pam Faro
I am not Hindu, but one of my favorite stories is: Hanuman the Monkey God came upon Lord Brahma, creator of the universe, and Lord Brahma was weeping…
Sacred Storytelling
by Mark Novak
People of faith understand the power of storytelling. We know that the meaning of our traditions are often best conveyed not by theological statements or scholarly arguments, but by telling stories.
An Artful Approach to Interfaith Chaplaincy
by Jenifer Miller
With my calligraphy pen I write the name of the tiny beloved baby boy, on the inside of a Comfort Angel, and hand it to his father, for safekeeping.