The Interfaith Alternative

by Greenebaum, Steven

• ISBN13: 9780865717053
• ISBN10: 0865717052
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-04-24
• Publisher: New Society Pub

Summary

Whatever your spiritual path, chances are that the primary tenets of your faith include universal love, acceptance, and compassion. Yet three thousand years after Moses, twenty-five hundred years after the Buddha, two thousand years after Jesus, and fifteen hundred years after Muhammad, we are still divided by our differences. Religious intolerance, discrimination, even persecution and violence make up the not-so-golden rule. The Interfaith Alternativeshows us how we can celebrate each other without fear of losing our own identity. It illuminates the path to creating a nurturing spiritual community that honors and includes all religious languagesan alternative to Jews worshiping only with Jews, Christians with Christians, and Muslims with Muslims. In doing so, it demonstrates that through coming together in a mutually supportive environment we can concentrate on our shared desire to remake the world into a compassionate, loving place. At its core, Interfaith is about community and justice. Once we truly embrace diversity, we embrace our common humanity. A powerful antidote to the current climate of fear and mistrust, The Interfaith Alternativeargues that it is not howwe encounter the sacred, but what we doabout it that countsthere are positive alternatives to religious lines in the sand. Steven Greenebaumis an Interfaith minister whose experiences directing choirs of different faiths and denominations have helped him to understand the profound wisdom of many spiritual traditions. Steven has dedicated his life to working for social and environmental justice. He is the founder of the Living Interfaith Church in Lynnwood, Washington.

Author Biography

Reverend Steven Greenebaum is an Interfaith Minister with Masters Degrees in Mythology, Music and Pastoral Studies. His experiences directing Jewish, Methodist, Presbyterian and Interfaith choirs have helped him to understand the profound wisdom of many spiritual traditions. Steven -has dedicated his life to working for social and environmental justice .through a multitude of forums. He is the founder of the Living Interfaith Church in Lynnwood, Washington.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Preface	p. xvii
Stuck on "Right Belief"
How's It Working for You?	p. 3
The Paradigm of "Right Belief"	p. 7
Grappling with Some Eternal Questions	p. 13
Do We Need the Spiritual in the Twenty-First Century?	p. 17
Who Is Right?	p. 21
Who Is Right? II	p. 25
Dealing with Some Important Words	p. 31
"Right Belief" vs. Compassionate Action	p. 35
God in a Box	p. 39
The Strength of Not Knowing	p. 49
The Sin of Tolerance	p. 53
Changing the Paradigm
Towards a New Beginning	p. 59
Respecting Our Religious Roots	p. 63
Pride and Prejudice	p. 69
Walk a Mile in My Church	p. 73
Is There Any Belief without "Right Belief"?	p. 77
Breaking the Bonds of History	p. 79
The Interfaith Alternative
Religion As Language	p. 85
Interfaith As Faith	p. 89
A Theology of Interfaith	p. 91
And Then What Must We Do?	p. 95
Towards Actions That Count	p. 99
Building a Spiritual Community of Action	p. 103
Laying a Strong Foundation	p. 113
No One Road to Interfaith	p. 123
Yes, But	p. 131
Welcome to the Living Interfaith Church	p. 139
What About Prayer?	p. 147
Some Worthwhile Books	p. 149
Index	p. 153
About the Author	p. 157
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.