Paths to Peace: Speaking to the Religious Other

This Class will utilize texts of religious great thought leaders in the building of interfaith bridges to peace. How do we all live together? What lessons can we learn from the past? In this era marked by polarization, building interfaith bridges is critical to a peaceful, positive, and productive coexistence.

This course will be team taught by Rabbi Judy Schindler who is currently writing her doctoral dissertation on “Pioneering Documents of Dialogue: Christian, Jewish and Muslim Milestones in Reaching Out to the Religious Other” in completing her doctorate in Hebrew Letters program at the Hebrew Union College, and Queens Chaplain Dr. Adrian Bird, who has a PhD from The University of Edinburgh in Global Christianity and formerly served as Affiliate Professor of Christian history at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte. Dr. Bird has extensive experience in the global interfaith movement and has served as the President of Interfaith Partners of South Carolina (IPSC), and is currently on the Executive Committee of MeckMIN.

It will be offered in person (with a Zoom link and recording for those who are traveling).

• Session One, January 24, 2023, “The Many Meanings, History and Purpose of Dialogue and Building Interfaith Bridges of Understanding”
• Session Two, January 31, Pioneering Documents of Dialogue: Christian, Jewish and Muslim Milestones in Reaching Out to the Religious Other
• Session Three, February 6, 7:00 pm and February 7, 12:45 pm Muslim-Jewish Relations At This Moment in Time **Please note this session will on Tuesday evening with our visiting and nationally recognized scholar.
  • Part One - Tuesday, February 6, 2023, 7:00 to 8:15 pm Presbyterian and Pluralist Week Lecture and Upstander Award with Imam Abdullah Antepli - “To Heal Our Broken World: The Role of Interfaith Efforts in Uniting Us”
  • Part Two - Wednesday, February 7, 2023, 12:45 pm Conversation unpacking Imam Antepli’s writings and speech - optional
• Session Four, February 14, A Jewish Lens on the Interfaith work and its evolution 
• Session Five, February 21, A Christian Lens on Interfaith Engagement 
• Session Six, February 28, A Muslim Lens on Interfaith Engagement
• Session Seven, March 20, An Array of Other Religious Thinkers 
• Session Eight, March 28, Where does Israel fit in? Where do we go from here?

The fee for the spring semester is $325 and includes resources and readings. Proceeds support the Stan Greenspon Center at Queens University. We do not want costs to be a barrier. Financial assistance is available. For information, contact Judy Schindler, schindlerj@queens.edu.