Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue Fred Stella, Kaufman Interfaith Institute, WGVU-FM, Interfaith Dialogue Association, Grand Valley State University

For centuries theologians, clergy and laity within the Abrahamic traditions have made great attempts to define where the concepts of love and justice fall within their faiths.

Many Christians are quick to acknowledge that Christianity is indeed a religion founded on the principle of love, but look upon the Hebrew scriptures as being little more than a set of moral codes provided by a deity who is more concerned with the performance of ritual and appeasement. A similar view is held by many about Islam.

But in Kelly Clark's new book 'Raging Fire of Love' he takes a deep dive into the sacred scriptures of these religions to offer evidence that all of them hold as their high priority the understanding that the God of Judaism, Christianity and Islam is a loving God; and that adherents to those religions are expected to replicate that love to our "neighbors" (read: everyone) in daily life.

One of the most important aspects of the interfaith movement is raising the bar from mere tolerance (Hey, I'll let you live!) to pluralism, which encourages actual engagement with those of different theologies while still maintaining one's own personal beliefs. For years now, Harvard has measured this movement in the US and occasionally helps those interested in our religious landscape get a better understanding of where we are and the conversations that still need to happen.

In her new book "Pluralism in Practice" Elinor Pierce examines several recent case studies where members of religious groups have had to work out challenging issues with other groups or local governments. Each one is a compelling story in its own right.

Fred Stella welcomes MSU historian Emily Conroy-Krutz to Common Threads to discuss her book, Missionary Diplomacy

The American Christian church has historically been at the forefront of the missionary movement abroad. This is not news. But what many people are not aware of is that for much of the 19th century, Church and State engaged in a serious effort to marry the work of missionaries with a burgeoning diplomatic corps. So, along with evangelizing the peoples of many nations, these churchmen and women were influencing foreign policy and international relations.

As with most human endeavors, there are bright spots and dark ones. In her new book, Missionary Diplomacy, Prof. Conroy Krutz illuminates the crucial place of religion in nineteenth-century American diplomacy. From the 1810s through the 1920s, Protestant missionaries positioned themselves as key experts in the development of American relations in Asia, Africa, the Pacific, and the Middle East.

Missionaries served as consuls, translators, and occasional trouble-makers who forced the State Department to take actions it otherwise would have avoided. Yet as decades passed, more Americans began to question the propriety of missionaries’ power. Were missionaries serving the interests of American diplomacy? Or were they creating unnecessary problems?

As Emily Conroy-Krutz demonstrates, they were doing both. Across the century, missionaries forced the government to articulate new conceptions of the rights of U.S. citizens abroad and of the role of the US as an engine of humanitarianism and religious freedom. By the time the US entered the first world war, missionary diplomacy had for nearly a century created the conditions for some Americans to embrace a vision of their country as an internationally engaged world power. Emiy’s book, Missionary Diplomacyexposes the longstanding influence of evangelical missions on the shape of American foreign relations.

Emily Conroy-Krutz is a historian of the global history of nineteenth-century America. She has particular interests in American empire and the international dimensions of American religion and reform. She is also the author of Christian Imperialism: Converting the World in the Early American Republic (Cornell, 2015). Along with Michael Blaakman and Noelani Arista, she edited The Early Imperial Republic: From the American Revolution to the U.S.-Mexcian War (Penn, 2023).

At Michigan State, she teaches courses on American foreign relations, women’s history, revolutionary America, religion, and legal history. She serves as undergraduate honors advisor and mentors the History Scholars.

Over the years we've had many discussions on human sexuality and spirituality, including religion's response to homosexuality. As of late, Pope Francis has been making headlines and encouraging controversy with his recent declaration that gives permission to priests to bless gay couples.

While many have accused the pontiff of opening the door to a future that endorses same-sex marriage, allies are insisting that this is not the case. The issue here is quite technical and nuanced.

To unravel it all we called upon Ryan Di Corpo, a protege of Fr. James Martin (an advocate encouraging dialogue on this issue who has appeared on Common Threads several times). Ryan has a great understanding of the history of how the Church has dealt with this hot-button topic and where they may go from here.

Ryan Di Corpo is the managing editor of Outreach. A former Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J., fellow at America, his work has appeared in The Washington Post, Boston College Magazine, The Emancipator and elsewhere. He holds a B.A. in film from Fordham University and an M.A. in journalism from Northeastern University, in Boston.

He has been interviewed by several outlets, including Newsweek, the National Catholic Reporter and The Washington Times. He is originally from Massachusetts.

For centuries, Judeo-Christian culture has held a place for the more esoteric elements of spirituality. These would include alchemy, magic, astrology, mysticism and more. Most western religions reject them now as superstitious, or even dangerous.
But several millennia ago, the practitioners of these arts (as they were classified then) were members in good standing of their churches, synagogues and mosques.
In this episode, Fred discusses the subject "Esoterica" with a man who has a Ph. D in the subject: Justin Sledge.

Rabbi David Krishef & I have been friends & colleagues for years. We've had him on before to discuss a fascinating event in his life several years ago. We're having him on again, this time to discuss a remarkable new book of his. If you are a fan of the poetry of the Psalms, I think you'll find this compelling.