Guidelines for effective dialogue in a setting of religious pluralism

• Design time so it is most helpful in accomplishing objectives. Ensure the time is experienced as important, eventful and momentous.
• Build liveliness and momentum into the event so people are motivated to participate and share.
• Pull together the event so people know who is doing what by when.
• Design the most effective methods to encourage participation, i.e., facilitated conversation, brainstorming, small-group dialogue, using life experiences as examples.
• Shape the physical environment/space to invite participation and create expectations for effective dialogue. Have people sitting so they can speak to each other rather than to the facilitator.
• Embrace disagreement as a healthy form of exchange and learning when it is done in a civil manner. Do not rush from the conflict, but examine and explore it so learning can occur.

Four Levels of Inter-religious Dialogue

1. The dialogue of life, where people strive to live in an open and neighborly spirit, sharing their joy and sorrows, their human problems and preoccupations.
2. The dialogue of action, in which persons of all religions collaborate for the integral development and liberation of people.
3. The dialogue of theological exchange, where specialists seek to deepen their understanding of their respective religious heritages, and to appreciate each others spiritual values.
4. The dialogue of religious experience, where persons, rooted in their own religious traditions, share their spiritual riches, for instance with regard to prayer and contemplation, faith and ways of searching for God or the Absolute.

(M. Thomas Thangaraj, The Common Task: A Theology of Christian Mission, Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1999, pp. 95, 96.)

Five Types of Inter-religious Dialogue

1. Informational: Acquiring of knowledge of the faith partner's religious history, founding, basic beliefs, scriptures, etc.
2. Confessional: Allowing the faith partners to speak for and define themselves in terms of what it means to live as an adherent.
3. Experiential: Dialogue with faith partners from within the partner's tradition, worship and ritual - entering into the feelings of one's partner and permitting that person's symbols and stories to guide.
4. Relational: Develop friendships with individual persons beyond the "business" of dialogue.
5. Practical: Collaborate to promote peace and justice.

Random palette of possible questions to choose from:

• What is one thing you remember that was said (or other input, reading, speech, film, etc.)…words/phrases?
• How did this relate to your family/your own life?
• What do your faith tradition’s values have to say about this?
• How can others learn about your faith?
• What are ways that you practice your faith that are important to you?
• What is the most important faith experience of your life?
• What is your most important faith holiday, and why?
• What questions do you have about other faiths?
• What experiences have you had with other faiths?
• When and how have new avenues of understanding opened for you?
• How does your faith approach making changes?
• What does it mean to live a life of faith in your understanding?
• What is it about your faith that gives you strength and solace in times of trouble?
• How do you think about the impact of pluralism on your faith?

Books and Links:

• Beyond Tolerance : searching for interfaith understanding in America, Niebuhr, Gustav.
• A New Religious America by Diana L. Eck
• Mapping Dialogue: Essential Tools for Social Change, by Marianne Mille Bojer, Heiko Rodhl, Marianne Knuth, colleen Magner
• What the World Needs to Know about Interfaith Dialogue e-book on dialogue at www.interfaithdialogue.com
• InterActive Faith, The Essential Interreligious Community-Building Handbook, Edited by Rev. Bud Heckman with Rori Picker Neiss.
• A guide and authority for online interfaith dialogue  – www.beliefnet.com
• 20,000 Dialogues at – www.20000dialogues.org/
• Interfaith Resources: www.interfaithresources.com/
• United States Institute of Peace: www.usip.org
• Diana Eck, Professor of Comparative Religion at Harvard University. www.pluralism.org
• Johnson County Interfaith Resources available

Addition Resources:

• The Jewish Book Fair (www.jcckc.org)
• Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Committee (www.jewishkansascity.org
• Heartland Muslim Council: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it