Hans Kung famously remarked that until religions make peace, the world will be at war; and that religions would not make peace until they were in dialogue. Less well known was his conclusion: Until religions make peace within their own traditions, they will have a very difficult time making peace with other religions. In this context, the importance of intrafaith dialogue comes to the fore.
Strouse offers a guide for how we might be more intentional about exploring our own tradition in relationship to those with different beliefs and practices. She quotes Raimon Panikkar, a scholar of comparative religions: "If interreligious dialogue is to be real dialogue, an intrareligious dialogue must accompany it." This concept has not been emphasized in the interfaith movement to date, much to our misfortune. Susan explores how intrafaith dialogue is a powerful way to introduce interfaith to those who have concerns about Christian participation in religious pluralism. And she points to the missed opportunity to connect more deeply with our sisters and brothers from other traditions when we haven't built this internal foundation first.
Each chapter helps us ask important questions of ourselves, and encourages congregations to engage in real God talk that makes a difference in our world.
I highly recommend this little book to pastors who want to make a difference in our congregations, and congregations who want to make a difference in our world.
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I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review here.