Book Review: Interfaith Dialogue in Practice: Christian, Muslim, Jew

Abstract

Interfaith Dialogue in Practice: Christian, Muslim, Jew. Edited by Daniel S. Brown, Jr. Kansas City, Mo.: Rockhurst University Press, 2013. 160 pp. $30.00 (paper).Although there are a growing number of titles which focus on the subject of interfaith dialogue, Interfaith Dialogue in Practice: Christian, Muslim, Jew, edited by Daniel S. Brown, Jr., addresses the topic from a newer dimension. This is a collection of essays by scholars in the field of communications, rather than the usual specialists in religion or theology or politics. By using a communications strategy the book attempts to examine the use of language and the creation of messages and meaning which define the of dialogue. Brown argues that while theology and religion ground the messages within a dialogue context, and while politics has an impact on the experience of dialogue partners, it is in fact through communications that individuals and groups engage in processes which lead to greater mutual understanding. Centered on interfaith dialogue within three major Abrahamic traditions-Judaism, Christianity, and Islam-Brown argues that interfaith dialogue should ideally include all religions and occur on multiple levels: interpersonal, organizational, public, and mediated.The authors included in this volume are scholars in the field of communications from a variety of academic institutions, and from religious backgrounds in Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. The editor, Daniel S. Brown, is professor of communication studies at Grove City College with a specialty in media and culture. Although there is no formal structure imposed on the books chapters, the first four generally relate to local dialogues and dialogue practices, and the last five are more concerned with interfaith dialogue within institutional settings.In his first chapter, Brown argues that interfaith dialogue is best envisioned as an organic process leading to greater understanding between dialogue partners. The emphasis here is less on professional or academic interfaith dialogues, although they are certainly important, but rather on the dialogue which occurs between neighbors, or lay people, through conversations and friendships. Gerald W. C. Drisldll and John Gribas focus on the dialectic tension between grace and truth which they see underlying the three Abrahamic traditions covered in the book, and which contribute to communicative dilemmas and paradoxes within interfaith dialogue. These authors argue that practitioners of interfaith dialogue need to focus on strategies and resources to avoid these pitfalls. Jacob H. Stutzmans chapter focuses on the problems of religious illiteracy as impediments to greater interfaith understanding. In her article on the transformative power of the labyrinth as a paradigm for interfaith journey, Elizabeth W. McLaughlin argues for the need within interfaith dialogue to share metaphors and stories.In chapter 5, Paul Fortunato and Diana I. …