Renewed Determination
A fellow pastor walked up to me after the Funeral for one of our founders, Father William Treacy. She came to the the funeral to honor him. She was the first female pastor in the area. Father Treacy was the only pastor or priest in the area to reach out and welcome her. This is…
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Rising to Meet Antisemitism
Last spring I was honored to interview Devin Burghart from IREHR, the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights. We spoke about white nationalism and white Christian nationalism, how it threatens our democracy, and what we can do about it. This conversation has been much on my mind as we have seen Antisemitic statements,…
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Brave Conversations in first LGT Class
In the first week we focused on the unity in diversity of the world. In the monotheistic traditions this is grounded in one Creator, a set of common parents of all humanity, and thus our unity as a human family. All too often the idea of one Creator is reduced to one religion about that Creator. This distorts the core teaching of monotheism, turning our recognition of each other as human into “us versus them.”
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A Rabbi, An Imam, and A Pastor Walk Into a Wedding
I was so humbled and honored to be a part of an interfaith wedding in Seattle. The young couple had Muslim, Christian, and Jewish parents. So the couple and their families reached out to Rabbi Anson Laytner, Imam Jamal Rahan, and myself. We were all happy to participate.
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PTU Awarded a Grant for Let’s Go Together
Let’s Go Together focuses on rebuilding trust between members of small towns, cities, and exurban areas by gathering diverse cultural and wisdom groups to
Eat and share stories (no politics or policy)
Do a service project together
March in a parade to show public unity
A big part of this work is to prepare Christian congregations for one big question: Why are you hanging out with them?
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US vs US
PTU is busy at work creating our Let’s Go Together resources. We have big plans, hopes, and dreams. But it is important in this moment to also attend to the small things, the little interactions, the small kindnesses, that can help open one another’s hearts to the fact that we are in this together. In fact, this kind of interaction is what Let’s Go Together is designed to create.
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When to Speak
I asked my Jewish and Muslim friends what they thought I should do at Holden in this week. Should I lead a study of the Christian scriptures or not? We all agreed that people had listened well, had been respectful, and curious when they engaged with both Islamic and Jewish teachings. But then my partners agreed with this: We need Christian leaders to model how to be Christian AND to be in conversation with, and to learn with, people of other traditions.
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Freedom to Love
Whatever your tradition, find in that tradition what gives you freedom to resist social pressure, to evaluate the ethics of the cool kids club, and to make a principled decision for the common good – remembering that the common good is also good for each of us.
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Acting Out of Compassion
I told Father Treacy that I think we underestimate the power of an act of compassion. But every time I have had a major change in attitude in my life, it is because I got to know someone and experienced respect and care from them.
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