Contemporary Issues

Not Without My Neighbour: Issues in Interfaith Relations

S. Wesley Ariarajah and World Council of Churches
WCC Publications, 1999
Considers interfaith prayer, interfaith marriage, religion and conflict, and dialogue and mission.

Faith and Interfaith in a Global Age

Marcus Braybrooke
Conexus, 1998
Chronicles the interfaith movement.

A SourceBook for the Community of Religions

Joel Beversluis, editor
Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions, 1995
Explores what religions stand for, the forming of dialogue and cooperation toward a global ethic.

When Hate Comes to Town: A Handbook of Effective Community Responses

Center for Democratic Renewal
GBGM Service Center #01412
Case Studies and creative responses suggested.

Many Mansions? Multiple Religious Belonging and Christian Identity

Catherine Cornille, editor
Orbis, 2002
Explores a perplexing problem of multiple religious belonging within a pluralistic society.

A New Religious America: How a "Christian Country" Has Become the World's Most Religiously Diverse Nation

Diana L. Eck
HarperSanFrancisco, 2001
Places religious diversity in its historical context and challenges. Looks at ways some have welcomed religious pluralism.

Bridging Our Faiths

Interreligious Council of San Diego
Paulist, 1997
An excellent, easy-to-read guide to most of the major religious faiths in the United States today, with the descriptions of each particular faith being provided by adherents themselves.

Building New Bridges in Hope: A Commentary on the United Methodist Statement on Christian-Jewish Relations

Rabbi Leon Klenick and Rev. Bruce W. Robbins
A conversation between Rabbi Klenick, Director of Interfaith Affairs for the Anti-Defamation League, and Rev. Robbins, General Secretary of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns of The United Methodist Church.
Nine principles of Christian-Jewish dialogue are discussed and offer a foundation for theological reflection. Study questions are included.
The 45-page PDF document is available to download from
http://gccuic-umc.org/web/webpdf/buildingbridgescommentary.pdf (Note: This is a PDF file and requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, available for download from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. The links will open in a new browser window).

Women Speaking , Women Listening: Women in Interreligious Dialogue

Maura O'Neill
Orbis, 1990
Explores the biases in interreligious dialogue, some of the issues that can bring women together, with a goal to foster more inclusive dialogue that is more effective in forwarding understanding and peace.

The Justice Men Owe Women: Positive Resources from World Religions

John C. Raines
Fortress Press, 2001
From the Religious Consultation on Population, Reproductive Health and Ethics, looks to ten, largely patriarchal, world religious traditions to help redress gender injustices. Built on extensive work by a task force of ten progressive religious scholars.

The Illustrated World's Religions: A Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions

Huston Smith
HarperSanFrancisco, 1995
Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and primal religions, we find refreshing and fascinating presentations of both the differences and the similarities among the worldwide religious traditions.

God is One: The Way of Islam

R. Marston Speight
Friendship Press, 2001
Explores who Muslims are, what they believe and how their faith not only unites them but shapes every aspect of their lives.