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Reimagines interfaith engagement by blending diverse religious perspectives and activist insights to foster unity and challenge division in a polarized world.
Blending academic rigor with activist passion, Beyond Dialogue redefines interfaith engagement for the twenty-first century, exploring how diverse faiths can combat hatred and foster unity. Contributors employ multidisciplinary approaches, from theology to anthropology, to confront challenges like nationalism and colonial legacies while highlighting historical and scriptural resources for peace building. Through vivid case studies, such as Hindu anti-nationalist activism and interfaith initiatives at Howard University, this volume offers practical models for dialogue that transcend tolerance and mere dialogue, emphasizing shared humanity. Designed for scholars, students, and lay readers, its accessible narratives and diverse perspectives—including faith traditions that have often been unrepresented, such as Indigenous religions, Neo-Paganism, and the Bahá'í Faith—make it an ideal teaching tool. Addressing urgent trends in interreligious studies, Beyond Dialogue challenges divisive "us vs. them" mindsets, proposing inclusive frameworks for a more just world.
"Beyond Dialogue offers a robust contribution to the field of interreligious studies, with a rich diversity of voices, a dynamic mix of theory and praxis, and the inclusion of underrepresented perspectives that illuminate many of the 'live' questions for our work." — Rachel S. Mikva, author of Interreligious Studies: An Introduction
Daniel Ross Goodman is the Allen and Joan Bildner Visiting Scholar at Rutgers University and teaches in the Theology and Religious Studies Department at St. John's University. He is the author of Soloveitchik's Children: Irving Greenberg, David Hartman, Jonathan Sacks, and the Future of Jewish Theology in America. Elaine Jean Lai is Lecturer for Civic, Liberal, and Global Education (COLLEGE) at Stanford University. Anthony A. Lee is a retired lecturer in African and African American history at UCLA and the General Editor of the academic series Studies in the Babi and Bahá'i Religions.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I: Constraints and Possibilities
1. Does God Want Us to Love Each Other? Texts, Human Agency, and Normative Aesthetics
Khaled Abou El Fadl
2. Creative Hindu Explorations Towards Interfaith Bridge-Building
Nikhil Mandalaparthy
3. Beyond Ahimsa, Aparigraha, and Anekantavad: A Jain Perspective on Ethics and Interfaith Engagement
Utsav Gandhi
4. Beyond Interfaith Settlerhood: Deepening Critical Emplaced and Indigenous-Centered Frameworks of Interfaith Relations in Swwú7mesh Territory
Valeria Vergani
5. Beyond Dialogue: Interfaith Relations and Liberation in Latin America
Raimundo C. Barreto
6. Interfaith Mutual Aid: An Eastern Orthodox Approach to Interreligious Transformation and Liberation
Rico G. Monge
7. Beyond Religious Icons: Engaged Buddhism as Engaged Community
Elaine Jean Lai
8. Lessons for Interfaith Dialogue from Religious Integration and Conflict in Imperial China
Hin Ming Frankie Chik
9. An Exploration of Religious Moral Repair through Through Land Based Ministries
Annanda Barclay
Part II: Precedents and Approaches
10. Bridging Faiths: The Evolution of Interreligious Dialogue from Vatican II to Pope Francis
Ines Angeli Murzaku
11. The Future of Inter-religious Dialogue: Beyond "A Common Word" and "Nostra Aetate"
Bahar Davary
12. The Ethical Nexus Between Imago Dei, Peace, and Imitatio Dei: A Jewish Theological Basis for Interfaith Affirmation
Daniel Ross Goodman
13. Truth is an Infinite Manifold: Transreligious Discourse in a Baha'i Perspective
Roland Faber
14. Revisiting Rights and Rites (Li): A Confucian Engagement of Ethical Responsibility
Anh Q. Tran
15. Beyond Dialogue in Corrie ten Boom's The Hiding Place
Benjamin B. DeVan
16. Contemporary Pagans and Interfaith Work
Helen A. Berger
17. From Indifference to Engagement: A Secular Response to Religious Diversity
Hans Gustafson
18. Living Interfaith at Howard University: A Tapestry of Beliefs and Belonging
Nisa Muhammad
Conclusion
Jacob L. Goodson
List of Contributors
Index