The Faith Next Door American Christians and Their New Religious Neighbors

by Numrich, Paul D

• ISBN13: 9780195386219
• ISBN10: 0195386213
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-08-13
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The religious landscape of the United States has changed dramatically in recent decades. How are Christians relating to their Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and other new religious neighbors? Using local examples, The Faith Next Door covers the gamut of Christian responses to America's multireligious reality. We read about the debate over a new Hindu temple in town, the Episcopal church that has hosted a mosque since 1987, the cooperative efforts between African American pastors and Muslim leaders, immigrant Christians seeking to save their non-Christian fellow immigrants, evangelicals resettling immigrants and refugees through "friendship evangelism," Catholics learning about other religions in the spirit of Vatican II, Greek Orthodox Christians and Turkish Muslims gaining a new appreciation of their shared history, and more. The book also examines how the events of September 11, 2001 have shaped Christian approaches to believers from other faiths, from engaging in dialogue to hoping for conversion. Here Christian theology meets the multireligious real world, with multiple results suggestive of national trends. The Faith Next Door will appeal to Christians from all denominations and perspectives who seek models for relationships in the diverse contemporary context. It will also inform non-Christian readers and general observers of trends in American religion about the variety of local Christian responses to other religions.

Author Biography

Paul D. Numrich was trained in both Christian theology and the academic study of religion. He frequently advises churches and other religious groups, the media, schools, health care professionals, and community groups on a variety of religious topics. He is the Associate Professor in the Snowden Chair for the Study of Religion and Interreligious Relations at Methodist Theological School in Ohio, the Associate Professor of World Religions and Interreligious Relations at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, and Affiliate Research Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Loyola University Chicago. Dr. Numrich is also an ordained Protestant minister.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. vii
Introduction: America's New Religious Diversity	p. 3
A Hindu Temple Comes to Town	p. 17
Evangelizing Fellow Immigrants: South Asian Christians	p. 28
Resettling for Christ: Evangelical Churches of DuPage Country	p. 42
Hosting Muslim Neighbors: Calvary Episcopal Church	p. 56
Struggling to Reach Out: St. Silas Lutheran Church	p. 68
Gathering around the Table of Fellowship: Lake Street Church	p. 80
Bridges to Understanding: St. Lambert Roman Catholic Church	p. 92
Unity in Spirituality: The Focolare Movement	p. 104
Solidarity in the African American Experience: Churches and the Nation of Islam	p. 117
Looking Back, Ahead, and into the Eyes of Others: The Orthodox Christian Experience	p. 130
More Hindus and Others Come to Town	p. 142
Conclusion: Local Christians Face America's New Religious Diversity	p. 155
Index	p. 169
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