Seven Questions

~ by Samir Selmanovic

Faith House website readers have been asking questions that require far more wisdom than I have. And those planning and praying for this project don't want to define boundaries and outcomes with too much specificity at this early stage to resolve the tensions many of us feel. We want to live our way into the answers, holding space open for the many people we have not yet met. We want them to help us craft the answers we need. So at this time, we are spending our energy examining our motives and learning to live with hope.

However, here are some initial answers to seven of those questions. We invite you to help us answer these questions better with your constructive comments. Thank you, friends!

1. Who do you seek to include into this new fellowship, and to what end?

At this early stage, we have four groups in mind: Jews, Christians, Muslims, and “the Other.” (“The other” is a term taken from philosophy to describe those perceived as distinct and different from “us.”) The three great Abrahamic religions have serious problems functioning together, so we want to start at the point of this hurting. We envision a place where Muslims learn to be better Muslims, Jews learn to be better Jews, and Christians learn to be better Christians as we all learn to live our faiths in close proximity with and for the benefit of “the other.” This last group includes atheists and Buddhists among others. They will all have a full place at the table.

2. What can be accomplished with this diverse group?

Faith House members will come to understand the story, the values, and the treasure of each others’ spiritualities. Those who believe in one God will also learn to live with and hear Buddhists and others who have alternative views, as well as atheistic arguments challenging religion (of which the Bible has aplenty) and against God (which is always someone’s interpretation of God, a.k.a. as an idol). When atheists witness people of faith serving something greater than the expansion of their own religions in an atmosphere of open dialogue, love, and service to others, we believe they will come, contribute, and join the conversation. For those who seek vibrant congregations made up exclusively of people from their own tradition/religion, the Faith House will point them to the churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples in New York City. Faith House will also support some of their community ministries both financially and with volunteers.

3. What is the goal of this endeavor from the Christian standpoint?

The goal of Christians in the group is not only to go beyond the Christian monologue with which we are accustomed, but also beyond mere dialogue with others. Dialogue is not enough. We want to, in the name of Christ and for the sake of the world that God so loved, learn to live on the same planet, in the same cities, streets, or families with those who are different from us. We have one world, and we dare not forget that. We Christians want to do this by imitating the love, humility, and hope of Jesus Christ. We believe that the Faith House will be an incarnation of “the way of Christ” for our time and place. And we believe that Christ is cosmic and that God, grace, and goodness are embedded in the texture of life itself. Because of that, we want to be students of God, grace, and goodness from others. We believe that when we love others, we will not fear them. Others will need to dig deeper into their traditions to be a part of this. They will need to grow into their answers too.

4. How long will it take to have an influence in the city?

First, instead of religious navel-gazing we will give our best to the city, serving people in need, participating with others in making it whole. Second, we will bring many guest speakers, teachers, and artists to influence us. We will seek endorsements and participation from Muslim and Jewish communities. But there is so much hurt in our religious pasts, shortcuts will not help. We have no illusions about the challenge of seeking resolution of the collective mess we have created over the centuries. We want to learn to love the questions and the questioners. It will take time to learn to love others and earn respect from them, and to develop friendships among laity and clergy. Only after a substantial time spent in serving the city and learning to love will they believe that the Faith House is a place where they can participate, share their treasure, and have real influence. How long any of this will take is known only to God.

5. As a Christian, should you not give dominant status to Christian faith and values?

We feel called to give up Christian domination; we lay it down without conditions. It is neither Biblical, nor useful, nor enjoyable. It thoroughly breaks down cross-cultural communication. We will share the treasures of Christianity and therefore baptize those who decide to become followers of Christ. But this is not an evangelism project and will never become one. We believe that “the other” is not an object to recruit or conquer but a subject we are called to live with. In fact, if in the process there are, for example, Christians who want to become Muslims, we will love them no matter what decisions they make. Without making ourselves open to this possibility we will never step into anything real. There will be proportionately more Christians at the beginning of Faith House, and that may be the case for the life of Faith House, but we are committed to learn to live with one another and actively create real space for the others.

6. How will you make decisions between right and wrong?

Our guiding criteria for deciding between right and wrong will be developed by all of us coming together from our different traditions. This will be a microcosm of the global problems and this is where all of us will have much at stake in order to make it work. I trust that among all groups there is a yearning to learn to live together through such a challenge. We want to surround ourselves with the wisest advisors and mentors from each tradition that we can find. I anticipate that a default process would be to make each group responsible for its adherents, with the rest guided by an authority/teaching that would be established for new members who have never been believers before. Three monotheistic religions have a great overlapping approach to ethics and that will be a good start.

7. Why are you placing endorsements on the web site both Adventist and evangelical?

We have sought endorsements from Adventist and evangelical Christians simply because that is our cradle, our story, our faith, and a source of support that we feel we must have. Among them (especially at the margins), we see a multitude of Christians who understand what we want to do and believe that Christ would do exactly the same. We need their help on our journey. They have seen how God disarmed Himself through Jesus Christ, and they are willing to trust God and do the same. After this support is established, we will spend more energy in developing relationships with other religious communities.

For a more systematic treatment of why and how we think Christ wants us to preach the gospel today, please click on the Featured Sermon section on the right hand side column of this blog, entitled Finding Our God in the Other. You can also read my chapter in the book Emergent Manifesto of Hope entitled “Sweet Problem of Inclusiveness” (Baker, April 2007).

All of the above answers come with this important disclaimer: At this time we don’t have fixed answers to any questions except that we are determined to learn to love well and live a life of faith for the good of the world.

Thank you for taking this journey with us. We need your constructive input so please, share your wisdom!

God have mercy on us!