Welcome to "Creating Interfaith Community"

The Creating Interfaith Community study is designed to help United Methodists in the United States learn the theological and contemporary issues involved in creating interfaith community and its implications for global mission.

Goals:

This study will assist participants to:

• Prepare for dialogue with others
• See all human beings as worthy in the sight of God
• Explore the basic tenants of what they believe
• Recognize borders and to prepare to cross them (this includes agreement to disagree).

The study looks at an interfaith world from the perspective of the Christian faith by considering:

• "Who do you say that I am?" (a question Jesus asked his followers)
• The Wesley Quadrilateral (scripture, tradition, reason, and experience) as a lens for study
• Existing church statements such as the General Board of Global Ministries "Partnership in Mission"
• The ways in which our understandings of the gospel shape how we approach human rights
• What it means to live with our neighbors because of what the gospel calls us to do

The study will help participants learn how people of different faiths build community work together for the good of all. The challenge of mission and ministry require new approaches in a religiously plural world.

Participants will learn to work toward Shalom/Salaam locally and globally by:

• Examining some specific positive examples
• Separating extremist behavior in all religious traditions from basics of religious faith
• Developing personal plans for thinking and behaving in an interfaith world

Creating Interfaith Community
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A Mission Study resource from the United Methodist Women
General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church
©2003