Claremont Lincoln University – A Beacon of Interfaith Light

Last updated on: September 8, 2011 at 12:58 pm by Guest Contributor

2 Comments

Claremont Lincoln University – A Beacon of Interfaith Light 2011-09-08T12:58:24+00:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

By Helene Slessarev-Jamir

I just returned from a very moving convocation at the Claremont School of Theology where I am on the faculty. We were celebrating the historic founding of a new interreligious theological university that brings together institutions representing the three Abrahamic faiths, along with our newest partner, the Jains. The Jains are an eastern religion founded in India over 2,500 years ago who are perhaps best known for their deep commitment to the concept of no-harm or ahimsa.

While each partner institution will continue to train religious leaders in their own traditions, the Claremont Lincoln University will be a space where future religious leaders and scholars can learn from each other and collaboratively seek solutions to major global issues that no one single religion can solve alone. The CLU’s founding vision of desegregating religion was reflected in the extraordinary religious diversity present at the convocation held in a standing room-only auditorium. I sat next to a Jewish cantor and a Muslim woman who had tears flowing down her face as we listened to the prayers offered in all four religions along with a reflection from a Humanist speaker.

The keynote address was given by the Honorable Ebrahim Rasool, South Africa’s ambassador to the United States and an international leader in interfaith dialogue and cooperation. He called on the audience to build across religious boundaries, reminding us that there is more that unites us than divides us. He told the audience that we must build solidarity in the face of the double edged sword of globalization that has created both enormous wealth and deepening poverty. To do so, we must speak to the divine in the other so that we can achieve our shared goals based on the values and principles held in common by the world’s religions.

As we approach the 10th anniversary of 9/11, we are all undoubtedly remembering that day and taking stock of how our country has changed in the intervening decade. There has no doubt been a loss of innocence that over time appears to have hardened into anger and widespread xenophobia.

Even though Muslims had lived peacefully in the U.S. for decades, (there were Muslim believers among the slaves brought to U.S. in the 18th and 19th centuries) they have been recast as the religious other. There is now widespread animosity against Latino immigrants as well. Even our president has come under suspicion in some circles for supposedly being a foreigner.

The United States government has spent the last decade waging war in two Muslim countries in which more than 7,000 Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis and Afghanis have died. Following 9/11, the U.S. deported thousands of Muslims and placed countless others on terrorist watchlists.

No doubt, these long wars have fomented unprecedented levels of Islamaphobia back home. This has now culminated in at least 13 states introducing legislation that would ban the use of sharia or Quranic law, which is being stereotyped based on its most extreme interpretations. It is seen as alien to the U.S. and its Constitution, even though that Constitution guarantees freedom of all religions. However, those who are advocating for these bans are labeling sharia as “foreign law,” even though much of our judicial system is modeled on English Common Law.

In the midst of these raising tides of anger and xenophobia, the creation of the Claremont Lincoln University is like a small beacon of light in the foggy ocean — redirecting us to another shore, by inviting us to live in the midst of the beauty embedded in our many religious traditions.

I feel fortunate to be a participant in this new venture and hope that I can become a voice encouraging others, especially other Christians, to enter into meaningful relationships with our sisters and brothers of other faith traditions. I am intrigued by Jesus’ words in Matthew 8:11 in which he tells his followers that “many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,” which suggests that people of other religions are also connected to the divine.

This article originally appeared on Sojourner’s God’s Politics blog.

Dr. Helene Slessarev-Jamir is the Mildred M. Hutchison Professor of Urban Studies at Claremont School of Theology, a member of the Sojourners board of directors, and the author of Prophetic Activism: Progressive Religious Justice Movement in Contemporary America.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

September 7, 2011

A Liturgy for the Sept. 11 Anniversary

Next Post

September 9, 2011 Green Shoots Growing From the Ashes

Recent Comments

2 Comments | Leave a Comment

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Advent Author Interviews Battle Over the Body and Blood of Christ Bearing Beauty Book Reviews Christian Education christian spirituallity christianity Christmas Church Church Leadership Contemplation Creation Care Death and Dying Death Penalty Disruptive Change Disruptors Series Easter Education Evolution and Faith Future of Progressive Christianity Gun Violence Health & Wellness Holy Week Interfaith Israel-Palestine Leading Differently Lent LGBTQ Living with Cancer Meditations on the Cross Mental Illness millennials Mimetic Mondays Monday Meditations Movie Reviews New Monasticism Pando Populus Parenting Patheos 10+1 Q&A Series PC(USA) Politics Pop Culture Practical Theology Series Prayer progressive christian Race Relations Reformation religion Religion and Politics Religion in America Rethink Church Social Justice Spirituality Spirituality of the Body Stump a Scholar Technology and Faith Thanksgiving Theodicy Trust Me Church Uncategorized Why I'm Still Christian Youth Ministry

Select a Month December 2025 April 2025 January 2025 September 2023 September 2022 May 2022 February 2022 January 2022 November 2021 October 2021 May 2021 February 2021 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 June 2020 May 2020 March 2020 June 2019 March 2019 January 2019 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE