Research On Religion » ecumenism

Marion Larson on Bubbles, Bridges, and Multifaith Engagement

tonygill — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 09:00:14 +0000

Are Christian students and faculty on private religious colleges contained in a bubble? If so, what can they do to engage an increasingly pluralistic religious society? Prof. Marion Larson, professor and chair of the English Department at Bethel University, answers these questions and presents a number of different strategies for engaging people of different faiths based upon her new book From Bubble to Bridge, co-authored with her Bethel colleague, Prof. Sara Shady. We begin the conversation by exploring where the idea for this book came from. Dr. Larson talks about her interest in viewing teaching through the lens of “hospitality,” a concept that becomes central to also engaging people of different faith traditions. We then discuss the concept of a “bubble,” and why many Christian students attending private religious colleges could often be seen as existing within such an enclosed environment. Marion does not consider a bubble to be entirely bad, and we discuss how religious leaders and parents are often afraid of seeing their children lose their religious traditions in a multicultural world. Bubbles can be protective, but they also can be limiting, and Prof. Larson seeks methods of trying to negotiate these competing tendencies. Our discussion also brings up the issue of whether religious faith should be kept out of the public square as a means of ameliorating conflict, but Prof. Larson disagrees with this type of assessment, noting that one’s faith is to be lived publicly. We discuss various notions of engaging people of different faiths, including tolerance, inclusion, dwelling, and “sending.” Much of this is premised on Profs. Larson and Shady’s concept of “hospitality,” which in turn is greatly informed by Miroslav Wolf’s notion of “embracing arms.” Prof. Larson discusses the importance of three virtues in interfaith engagement: receptive humility; reflective commitment; and imaginative empathy. Throughout the conversation, Marion discusses case studies of actual individuals who have lived out an interfaith engagement as a means of illustrating a number of the theoretical points she is making. She also talks about Sara and her work with Interfaith Youth Corps, a Chicago-based organization founded by Eboo Patel. We also explore the tension between inclusivity and the desire to hang out with our own tight-knit homogenous groups, and whether or not there is Christian privilege at work in US society. Marion finishes with some reflections about what she and Prof. Shady learned throughout the process of conceptualizing, researching, and writing this book. Recorded: February 10, 2017.

Prof. Sara Shady’s bio at Bethel University.

From Bubble to Bridge: Educating Christians for a Multifaith World, by Marion Larson and Sara Shady.

Interfaith Youth Corps.

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Torrey Olsen on Faith-Based Humanitarianism and World Vision

tonygill — Sun, 05 Oct 2014 08:01:40 +0000

Being a humanitarian aid worker can be a dangerous job. Torrey Olsen, Director of Christian Witness at World Vision, knows this well from his own experience. With over 15 years experience in West Africa, Mr. Olsen has endured malaria, being shot at, and being abducted at gunpoint and left to walk home in the Sahara Desert. He reviews these experiences and what the role of religiously-based humanitarian aid organizations play in the world with a specific focus on World Vision.

Our conversation begins with a discussion of World Vision, a Christian-based humanitarian relief organization with 45,000-50,000, several hundred thousand volunteers, and an annual budget of roughly $2 billion. Torrey reviews the history of this entity, its general mission, and discusses a number of different projects that they have engaged in over the years. He notes that while a faith-based organization rooted in Christianity, it is not a proselytizing ministry and has signed on to the Red Cross Code of Conduct. Moreover, while employing nearly every stripe of Christian, World Vision operates ecumenically both hiring members of other faith traditions (e.g., Muslims, Hindus) and reaching out to these different confessions as a way to build communities and solve social problems at the grassroots level. Mr. Olsen provides details of a recent project they are undertaking designed to bring Christian pastors and Islamic clerics together to disseminate information about the Ebola epidemic that is affecting western Africa. He also covers a number of other humanitarian projects and along the way Tony learns what Plumpy’Nuts are.

Our discussion of World Vision also includes some reflections on how there has been a massive sea change in the world of humanitarian aid efforts. Compared to the not so distant past, secular non-government organizations, governments, and local communities are embracing the efforts of faith-based organizations to help solve various socio-economic problems. While there is much talk about “new social movements,” these “old social movements” (i.e., religious congregations) are ready-made for rapid collective action and have very useful information about local conditions and how aid efforts can be managed in that context. Moreover, these religious groups also happen to be highly trusted among local populations, which facilitates efforts to bring both short-term and long-term assistance to communities in need. We also discuss the general strategy of World Vision, which includes “rapid response teams” to drop in emergency supplies and long-term development projects such as encouraging local gardening as a means of battling malnutrition. Torrey lays out his job with the organization, noting three specific tasks that he is responsible for: 1) training and supporting staff; 2) mobilizing pre-existing churches and faith-based organizations; and 3) supporting child sponsorship programs. (Mr. Olsen and his wife have “walked the walk” by adopting a child and guiding him through a successful college and professional career.)

We then turn to Torrey’s personal history, and what a story it is! We learn that although being raised as a pastor’s son, Torrey had his “prodigal period” only to return to his faith with a strong interest in economic development. His first experience in the field involved be caught in the middle of a civil war in Chad and hiding under a bed while hundreds of villagers were killed around him, and then escaping to an French airplane. This wasn’t the only harrowing experience he has had, as later in his aid career he was abducted at gunpoint. He describes his thoughts and emotions during this very tense time, a fascinating look into how difficult it can be working in some of the world’s “hot spots.” Nonetheless, he also recounts the numerous success stories he has been part of, including a project that had citizens growing their own food in small gardens in West Africa and an ecumenical effort between Muslims and Christians to help educate people about AIDS. Torrey also mentions the role a movie — “The Imam and the Pastor” — played in alleviating conflict in local regions of Ghana that had the effect of local residents resisting an affront by Boko Haram. He describes the most rewarding aspects of development work as being long-term projects that flourish and being able to let local individuals, using their own knowledge of their conditions, make choices that best suit their environment.

We finish the interview with his response to critiques that organizations such as World Vision are engaging in cultural imperialism or “ricebowl Christianity.” He notes the acceptance that his efforts have among local populations he has worked with and wishes that more media attention would be paid to the good works that people are doing rather than the conflict. The podcast ends on an upbeat and optimistic note about the future direction of the world and the role that religious individuals play in it. Recorded: October 3, 2014.

RELATED LINKS

Torrey Olsen’s bio at World Vision.

Plumpy’Nuts.

The Imam and the Pastor film.

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Russell Kleckley on Religion, Science, and Johannes Kepler

tonygill — Sun, 14 Sep 2014 08:00:22 +0000

We all know Johannes Kepler as one of history’s great mathematicians and astronomers, but did he have anything to say about theology? Of course he did, and Russell Kleckley, an associate professor of religion at Augsburg College, details the life and times of this fascinating individual who both reflected and challenged the thinking of his age. Before diving into the topic of Kepler, though, we talk about scuba diving as it was on a dive trip in the Florida Keys where the two of us met. We share a brief story about the famous “Scuba Jesus” that is located about 30 feet underwater in the Atlantic Ocean.

Following this bit of fun banter, we turn to the serious historical topic of Johannes Kepler. Prof. Kleckley provides a quick “textbook” summary of Kepler’s life for those of us who may have missed that day in high school. We learn about his mercenary father, his mother who was accused of witchcraft, some important moments in Kepler’s life such as the observation of the Great Comet of 1577, and his major scientific contributions. It is then I probe how Russell became interested in studying this “natural philosopher” as a topic of his doctoral dissertation. He explains how Kepler, whose theological musings often go unnoticed, was representative of the intellectual ferment that was occurring in the century following the Protestant Reformation. This historical context is also reviewed for listeners and we chat about why scientists — as we would call them today — were considered to be “natural philosophers” back then. The desire to explain the workings of the natural world were intimately tied to finding theological meaning in the world, including a greater understanding of God’s design of the universe. We learn that Kepler considered himself a “priest of the book of nature,” indicating that he saw no conflict whatsoever with his spiritual beliefs and his empirical quest to explain the world around him.

The conversation then moves into an examination of Kepler’s theology, specifically his differences with Lutherans, Calvinists, and Catholics. The fact that Kepler lived at the geographic intersection of these faiths, was raised a Lutheran, and had to move around to different town due to theological conflict plays an important role of how Kepler developed his own understanding of faith and orthodoxy. We discuss the meaning of two revealing statements written by Kepler himself that reflected his thought and historical context — “I am neither a Lutheran nor a Calvinist” and “One should be pious, but not at all too pious.” Both statements indicate his frustrations with the growing orthodoxy of the day. Russell details a number of theological differences Kepler had with the two dominant Protestant faiths at the time, particularly centering around ideas about free will/predestination and his understanding of Article VIII of the Formula of Concord. This latter controversy revolved around the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. We see Kepler’s discomfort with orthodoxies that had developed after the Reformation and how he preferred a hierarchy of authority that started with Scripture and then deferred to the Early Church Fathers. Later doctrine needed to be approached with more skepticism and flexibility. Russell also points out how Kepler’s concern over more recent orthodoxies (for his era) led him to advocate for more ecumenical relations among Christians, seeking to build bridges across Protestant theologies as well as with Catholics.

We finish the discussion with Russell’s personal reflections on his study of this topic. While noting that Kepler probably did not have much of an impact on the theological debates of his era, his thought and life history is an indication for us today that science and religion need not be antithetical to one another but can really work well hand-in-hand. Recorded: September 8, 2014.

“Johannes Kepler’s Case against Confessional Discord in a Harmonious Cosmos.” Lutheran Forum 45 (Winter 2011): 40-44.

“Stealing Golden Vessels: Johannes Kepler on Worldly Knowledge and Christian Truth” In Glaube und Denken. Jahrbuch der Karl-Heim-Gesellschaft 17 (2004): 133-144.

“Astronomy Is God’s Affair: Johannes Kepler and the Dialogue between Theology and Science,” in Anna M. Madsen, ed., Glaube und Denken: Die Bedeutung der Theologie für die Gesellschaft. Special edition, Festschrift for Hans Schwarz on the occasion of his 65^th Birthday (Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2004), pp. 363-373.

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Matt Boswell on Redemption Church, One Year Later

tonygill — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 08:00:56 +0000

One year ago, we interviewed Pastor Matt Boswell of Redemption Church who was part of a small team that created a church in one week’s time. We return to the scene of our initial interview — Match Coffee and Wine Bar in Duvall, WA — to see what has changed over the course of the year. This is a fascinating interview that provides insights into how churches grow and change. The podcast starts with Pastor Matt getting on Tony for not having attended church in a couple months. Hear your faithful host’s pathetic explanation as he tries to weasel out of responsibility for his spiritual growth. Nonetheless, this exchange opens the door to talk about church attendance and how it may ebb and flow over the course of a year. After a gangbuster opening week back in early October 2011, with standing room only, attendance at Redemption Church (RC) has settled into a typical rhythm. Matt talks about how the Pacific Northwest has a church attendance pattern that is different than other places in the United States with the typical member coming to Sunday services twice a month. We hypothesize about reasons why this might be. The other large issue that comes up early in the podcast deals with the logistics of a church that doesn’t have a “traditional church building.” Whereas RC does have administrative offices located above the local hardware store, the congregation meets in the town’s public high school, a space that is only available to them for a couple hours every weekend. The importance of “space” and “mission” is discussed at length. Whereas many people do like to have, and are comforted by, a stable location that they know they can go to (which is the role of the administrative offices), one of the initial goals of RC was to become a “church without walls,” wherein the pastoral staff has to go out into different parts of the town to work. Matt talks about how he often works on his Sunday sermons in a local bar, often attracting the attention of the patrons who find it odd that a member of the clergy would be hanging out with beer drinkers. This then moves to a discussion of how RC has structured its outreach and the different means with which they seek to attract people to the Word of God. Tony also brings up the issue of weddings and funerals and how these things are managed. After all, not many people like to get married in a high school auditorium, or make their last stop on earth be the same place where the senior class performed “Grease” the night before. Matt gives his take on where the wedding scene is at and how RC manages weddings and (potentially) funeral. (RC has not had the occasion of a funeral in its first year of existence.) He also shares the most unusual place he married a couple. The issue of “space” also brings up one of Tony’s most vexing questions: Has anyone in the “packed tight” high school auditorium ever spilled the sacramental grape juice when it is passed around? And what about those popcorn buckets? After answering this deeply philosophical question, the conversation then skips to a “church tour” that the RC pastoral staff took to Spokane, WA to learn about how other churches operate. This is a fascinating comparative study of different denominations at different points in their life span. Matt discusses how he learned about the importance of a church having a “vision.” This discussion would be of great interest to any clergy member or those interested in what makes for a successful congregation. We finish up with Matt’s reflections on what he learned over the past year, including both the triumphs and the mistakes, and a “lightning round” of questions that I asked to other guests including preaching politics, pacifism, and fighting in the US War of Independence. Recorded with ambient sounds of Match Coffee and Wine Bar: September 19, 2012.

RELATED LINKS

Redemption Church website.

Matt Boswell on Building Redemption Church, Part II.

Scott Thompson on Youth Ministry.

Ryan Habig on Music Ministry (including the soon-to-be hit single “With Us” for free!).

Joe Fuiten on Clergy & Politics.

Should Christians Have Fought in the US War of Independence?

Ron Mock on Pacifism, War, and Terrorism.

Fletcher Harper on GreenFaith

tonygill — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 08:00:40 +0000

With Earth Day coming up soon, Research on Religion steps outside to examine how religion can have an impact on the natural environment. We invite Rev. Fletcher Harper, an Episcopal priest and executive director of GreenFaith, to discuss what spiritual faith has to do with environmental stewardship. GreenFaith is one of the oldest religiously-based environmental organizations in the country, starting out as an all-volunteer group known as Partners for Environmental Quality in the early 1990s. Rev. Harper begins by revealing how his interest in both religion and the environment developed over his life’s history, and then how he became connected with GreenFaith, first as a volunteer and then as its director. We cover the history of this organization and how it has interacted with other religious communities, as well as the secular environmental movement. Fletcher notes that it was not all smooth sailing and details some of the skepticism this religious environmental movement faced from different sectors of society. He also shares with us the ecumenical nature of the organization and reveals which denominations and faith traditions tend to be more receptive to connecting with his organization’s mission. It is not surprising that the Islamic and Hindu communities have been slower at connecting with GreenFaith given that theses minority faiths have more immediate ethnic and cultural issues that they are addressing in American society. He also mentions that Catholic clergy have been somewhat reluctant to get involved in the environmental movement given the association that some green groups have with population control. Tony then asks what type of projects GreenFaith is involved in, what a typical day in the life of Rev. Harper is like, and where his organization gets its funding. As for the latter, most of the financing comes from private contributions along with a few fee-based ventures such as training programs or helping other organizations locate opportunities to improve energy efficiency. GreenFaith does work in partnership with local and regional governments on occassion, and gets some funding from grants, but their efforts are mainly privately-based. This brings up the issue of whether Christians abdicate their responsibility for social action by often panning off work onto the government, which leads to an interesting philosophical discussion. We finish off by examining GreenFaith’s view of “market-based environmentalism,” which seeks to alter economic incentives in ways that individuals find it beneficial to conserve the environment on their own, with less government regulation. Fletcher talks about what he learned from the Property & Environment Research Center (PERC) in Bozeman (MT), where he participated in a week long seminar on this approach to environmental issues. Recorded: March 22, 2012.

Property & Environmental Research Center (PERC).

“Where Free Markets Meet Faith,” by Paul Schwennesen.