Having been involved in interfaith efforts for more than two decades I have found that not only has my Christian faith been strengthened but it has been enhanced by my friendships with folks whose faith/religious confessions are different from my own. I’ve learned much from our conversations and through experiencing the religious life of my friends. Sharing in an Iftar dinner at a mosque (or in co-hosting with a Muslim group one at the church I served as pastor) or a Seder at the local synagogue have proven to be blessings. I am fortunate to have, in recent decades to have lived in very diverse religious contexts. That is especially since we moved to Michigan thirteen years ago. I realize that not everyone has the kind of opportunity to build close friendships with persons whose religious confessions are different from their own, nevertheless, whether our communities are religiously diverse or not, we can take advantage of resources that will introduce us to the religious life of others whose confessions are different from our own. There are a plethora of recent contributions available to readers—consider for instance Barbara Brown Taylor’s Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others, (HarperOne, 2019)—that offer appreciative looks at other faith traditions. The key to the kind of resource that helps open one’s heart and mind to the other is the attention given to the best in our neighbors’ traditions. Too often we compare the negative elements of the other in comparison to the best in our own. That’s really not fair. At the same time, it’s important that we not simply merge these various religious traditions into one mass of religious life.
In this review, I offer up another possible resource that might prove useful to persons interested in exploring other traditions and how they conceive of living life in the human context. How might different traditions envision compassion or empathy? Where are there commonalities and differences, even if in emphasis? I need to add into this conversation my own belief that while commonalities are important we should not paper over the differences. In fact, it’s the differences that make the conversation interesting. My friend Amin and I have been having these conversations for thirteen years and we never get tired of exploring those intricacies of our different faith traditions.
In reading Jerry Zehr’s The Peacemaker’s Path, I found a resource that made sure that both the commonalities and the differences are present. Zehr is a Disciples of Christ minister (as am I) who serves as the pastor of the Carmel Christian Church in Carmel, Indiana (a suburb of Indianapolis). He notes that he has spent the past thirty years of pastoral ministry involved in interfaith dialogue. It is out of this experience, which includes being an active leader within a local interfaith group, that he created this important resource. While he is a Christian he wrote this in partnership with friends from other faith traditions for people of faith whatever their background. So, no matter whether you are Christian or Buddhist, Muslim or Baha’i, you will find yourself represented on its pages.
The author writes in his introduction that the world is in disarray, with people painfully divided. Unfortunately, “many people use their religious beliefs to justify separation and even acts of cruelty against others” (p. xiii). With that in mind, he offers us this collection of daily reflections that draw on the faith expressions of the major religious traditions in the world. He does so with a statement from theologian Hans Küng as a starting point, a statement that the interfaith group I’m involved with also draws upon: “No peace among the nations without peace among the religions. No peace among the religions without dialogue between the religions.”
Zehr wrote the book, which offers the reader forty daily reflections/devotions, for three reasons. The first was a desire “to make a healing contribution to the ethnic and religious polarization of our time.” Second, he wanted to “deepen and broaden our relationships as individuals and congregations with people of other religions.” Finally, he wrote the book out of an interest in helping “people find inner peace and become peacemakers in our world.” (p. xiii).
The forty daily reflections that comprise the book are organized around six themes. The first focuses on “walking the enlightened path.” There are six daily reflections under this heading. The first is titled “Awakening.” That’s an appropriate place to begin because the journey begins with an awakening to the importance of faith in one’s journey. From there we move to the “Universal Mind,” which involves an exploration of God’s role in our lives. Then we move to “Respecting Others’ Beliefs,” “Connecting to Creation,” “Faith/Trust,” and then “Wonder.” Each of these daily reflections begins with a reflection/story that introduces the concept. This is followed by a selection of statements from five to eight different faith traditions, including Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Baha’i, and more. These excerpts from different faith traditions are followed by a set of reflection questions and a call to action. Then, there is a closing prayer from various traditions, most of which were written by friends and colleagues of the author.
Each of the themes is developed through six daily reflections that follow the same format as I outlined above. On the seventh day of each week, Zehr opts to provide an opportunity for the reader/user to review and reflect on what has transpired during the week. This seventh reflection point is usually briefer offering a statement that reflects what has transpired earlier in the week, followed by a set of reflection questions, and then a closing prayer.
The pattern is repeated for each theme. These themes include “the Power of Prayer,” “Loving Yourself,” “Loving Others,” “Actions and Impact,” and finally “Quest for Peace.” Over the course of these weeks, the reader/user will explore a variety of important comments from being created in the image of God to initiating reconciliation. In the Epilogue to the book, after we’ve moved along this peacemaker’s path, Zehr notes that “the concept of loving God and loving our neighbor seems so simple, and yet it is much harder when we must live it out in our day-to-day lives” (p. 185). From experience, I know that this is true. It may look easy but it’s not. However, if we are to experience peace in this world it is a path that must be taken. And, on a personal level, blessings will flow from the effort put into the work of relationship building.
I am grateful to have been asked to read and review The Peacemaker’s Path by its author, Jerry Zehr, because it reflects my own commitments to interfaith/interreligious dialog and friendships. I know it will enhance the experiences of those who are already engaged in such conversations because it allows the user to reflect on the journey that has been undertaken. It will help deepen the relationships with others even as it assists in deepening one’s commitment to one’s faith. It will also serve as a helpful and encouraging resource for those who are interested in taking this journey and yet are not sure what to make of the commonalities and the differences. The important thing is to remember, as Zehr does, that true peace will not come through being assimilated into the beliefs and practices of the larger group so that the differences that make each tradition unique no longer exist. In other words, this isn’t an invitation to join a religious melting pot. Rather, it is as we grow to appreciate our differences as well as our commonalities that we will find our path to peace. The rest is up to God!