Pathways for Mutual Respect

July 22, 2010 — Last month, I had the privilege of participating in a two-week summer institute at Yale Divinity School put on by the Yale Center for Faith and Culture and an organization called Pathways for Mutual Respect.

The program brought together a vibrant and diverse group of college and graduate students, leaders of faith communities, academics, non-profit workers, and other professionals to consider the challenging theme of, “Paradigms & Practice: Approaching ‘Islam-West’ Relations.” Within this broad subject, we explored many topics including: Muslim-Christian Relations, Faith and Globalization, Religious and Political Social Movements, Religious Nationalisms, Peacebuilding, and Intercultural Communication.

For me, one of the highlights of the program was the consistent emphasis on practice—at every point, we were challenged to not only think about intersecting worldviews and cultural paradigms in a conceptual way, but also to apply these concepts to our work in particular spheres of influence.

I also found that the experience of participating in the summer institute and getting to know the team at Pathways for Mutual Respect resonated deeply with the work that I’ve been involved in at the Public Conversations Project. It is always great to connect with people with whom you share common interests, goals, and concerns. Like my colleagues at Public Conversations, the dedicated people I met are working energetically toward more meaningful and constructive conversations on difficult issues—and mutual encouragement in this challenging work is a welcome and vital experience.

For anyone interested in intercultural conversations toward peacebuilding and cultivating community, check out Pathways for Mutual Respect and learn more about their approach to dialogue and conversations across cultural and religious divides—read about their vision and values, and find out how you can connect with what they are doing.

Roger Baumann
Social Media Coordinator, Public Conversations Project