Inter and Faith -- but where's the Interfaith?

Eboo Patel's article "Affirming Identity, Achieving Pluralism" in The Review of Faith and International Affairs (Spring 2007) raises a number of interesting questions that I think I'll wrestle with over the next couple of days. In the article Patel notes that we have a lot of inter and a lot of faith, but not much interfaith.
By this Patel means that we live amongst diversity, great diversity. And that diversity includes much religious faith. But there's not a lot of talking going on. Patel points to an analogy given by Robert Wuthnow at a 2003 AAR session when asked if America's religious communities were adapting to the increased diversity. He used the metaphor of an elevator. "Christians, Muslims, Jews and the rest of America's religious diversity are all riding in it together," and "we are increasingly aware of the other people around us, but we are doing just about everything we can to avoid real interaction" (p. 24).
Why is this? It is because there is a division between "inter" and "faith."
There are increasing numbers of spaces where people from diverse religious communities gather: public schools, shopping malls, universities, YMCAs, corporations, etc. These can be understood as spaces of "inter." There are many places in our society where people from particular religious communities come together to talk about religion. They are called synagogues, churches, mosques, temples, etc. These are spaces of "faith." But there are precious few spaces where people from diverse religions come together and are intentional about matters of religion.
And I might add, when such spaces are created, it's difficult to get people to enter into them and really engage each other! I am board president of an interfaith organization that was born as a space for campus ministry at a state university. We're trying to find our way in this new diverse world, but getting people to step out of their own spaces and come together for conversation is a bit like pulling teeth without Novocaine. But it's essential!

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