April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
OUR NEIGHBORS' FAITH
Campus ministry makes interfaith connections
Among his words of wisdom was this advice: "Pay attention to what's happening around you. Campus ministry is about 10 years ahead of the rest of the church; how your students see faith may become a road map for the rest of us."
I've witnessed the truth of those words as they relate to a variety of issues, but most profoundly as they apply to the interfaith movement on campus.
In 1965, Chapel House, now renamed the Interfaith Center, was founded by the ecumenical Capital Area Council of Churches, the Albany Diocese and the Jewish Federation. Over the years, the three faith groups have worked together to help students as they travel their own unique faith journeys.
But, in the words of musician Bob Dylan, "The times, they are a-changin'." Author Brian McLaren opens his book, "Church on the Other Side," with similar words: "If you have a new world, you need a new church. You have a new world."
The subtitle of his work, "Exploring the Radical Future of the Local Congregation," hints at what he understands about a new direction for us. Our students increasingly see faith through a much wider lens. They no longer only see Protestant, Catholic and Jew; they also see Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Baha'i, Pagan, Sikh, Taoist and many more. Perhaps more importantly, they no longer see the faith journeys of others as something to be merely "tolerated," but worthy of full understanding and respect.
The new mindset has practical implications at the Interfaith Center. Our building space now includes an interfaith prayer and meditation room. Our programs include events such as cookouts and service projects co-sponsored by our faith groups.
We've added a new "Faith Journeys" program where faculty and staff from a variety of faith backgrounds are invited to share their personal stories. Our interfaith student group now offers "Religion 101," including guest speakers from some of the less-familiar faith traditions and field trips to faith centers such as a mosque and a Hindu temple.
The new mindset also has implications for the individual lives of our students: Faith is no longer an "either/or," but a "both/and." For example, our Christian students have discovered they learn new insights about meditation from our Buddhist students; our Jewish students can learn a new appreciation for creation from our Pagan students; our Hindu students can learn about fasting from our Muslims.
The list goes on and on. There is a new understanding of faith in our post-modern world on campus. It can be disconcerting at times as we find ourselves wondering what will happen to the foundations of our faith and what this new way will mean to our own traditions.
Change can be frightening, but change can also be exciting - and, as we move into the post-Christianity world on campus, all of us at the Interfaith Center share the optimism!
Several years ago, the Barna Group published a book entitled "unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity...and Why It Matters." It paints a picture of what might be labeled an "image problem" with our churches.
The book notes: "In our national surveys, we found three of the most common perceptions of present day Christianity are antihomosexual (91 percent), judgmental (87 percent) and hypocritical (85 percent). These 'big three' are followed by the following negative perceptions, embraced by a majority of young adults: 'old-fashioned,' 'too involved in politics,' 'out of touch with reality,' 'insensitive to others,' 'boring,' 'not accepting of other faiths' and 'confusing.'"
College students are on to something! They recognize that deep appreciation for a wide variety of faith journeys not only benefits them personally, but the faith community as a whole. They are leading the way for the church of the future. May we follow them.
(Rev. Damhof is the Protestant campus minister at the Interfaith Center at The University at Albany and pastor of Journey United Church of Christ in Glenmont.)[[In-content Ad]]
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