<\/p>\n
Following the President’s Cairo University speech a number The President moved the discussion ahead to shared political In shifting the focus to policy, however, religion was I am honored to be in the \u00a0<\/p>\n It is possible to read this as The first practice–that of The second The third practice–the exchange Thus, the wonky policy speech Seems like a very good new <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Following the President’s Cairo University speech a number of journalists commented that it was a political speech and not very “religious.”\u00a0 Indeed, one referred to his policy remarks as “wonky” in which he primarily addressed seven areas of tension that exist between the United States and Muslims around the world. The President moved the discussion…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,18,15,2,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christians","category-international-relations","category-jews","category-muslims","category-religion-in-the-public-square"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nof journalists commented that it was a political speech and not very “religious.”\u00a0 <\/span>Indeed, one referred to his policy remarks
\nas “wonky” in which he primarily addressed seven areas of tension that exist
\nbetween the United States and Muslims around the world.<\/p>\n
\nconcerns relating to peace, economic development, and human rights.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>And the tone was different,
\ntoo.\u00a0 <\/span>In the Bush administration,
\nspeeches were often directed to <\/i>Muslim
\npeople instead of coming from among <\/i>them.\u00a0 <\/span>Patronizing language was banished from
\nthese remarks–as were such offensive concepts as crusades, fascism, competition,
\nand “a clash of civilizations.” \u00a0<\/span>As
\nI watched, my main feeling was of relief–and good riddance.\u00a0 <\/span>Let’s get back to the mutually human
\nbusiness of building a peaceful world with maximum respect for all people.<\/p>\n
\npresent in a more subtle and helpful way than in the past.\u00a0 <\/span>President Obama moved the discussion of
\nreligion away from beliefs toward practices–away from creeds toward deeds.\u00a0 <\/span>The tone for this was set in the
\nspeech’s first paragraph:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\ntimeless city of Cairo, and to be hosted by two remarkable institutions. For
\nover a thousand years, Al-Azhar has stood as a beacon of Islamic learning, and
\nfor over a century, Cairo University has been a source of Egypt’s advancement.
\nTogether, you represent the harmony between tradition and progress. I am
\ngrateful for your hospitality, and the hospitality of the people of Egypt. I am
\nalso proud to carry with me the goodwill of the American people, and a greeting
\nof peace from Muslim communities in my country: assalaamu alaykum.<\/span><\/i> <\/p>\n
\na rather perfunctory greeting, but that would be a mistake.\u00a0 <\/span>This opening paragraph was a nuanced
\npiece of religious reflection that frames a Christian-Muslim dialogue differently
\nthan in the past.\u00a0 <\/span>It lifted up
\nthree spiritual practices shared by the two faiths:\u00a0 <\/span>1) learning as a path to both God and the good life; 2) the
\npractice of hospitality; and 3) the exchange of peace.<\/p>\n
\nlearning as a path to God and the good life–is one long honored in Islamic and
\nChristian traditions.\u00a0 <\/span>A number of
\nrecent histories have argued that medieval Spain managed to create a relatively
\nharmonious pluralism through the leadership of its religious scholars.\u00a0 <\/span>There, Jewish, Islamic, and Christian
\nscholars sought commonality on the basis of new learning and intellectual
\ncuriosity rather than discrediting one another on their distinctive truth
\nclaims.\u00a0 <\/span>At their best, the
\nmonotheistic faiths share the heritage of “tradition and progress” affirmed by
\nPresident Obama–a practice that both stands within a faith and yet lovingly
\npushes it at the same time.\u00a0 <\/span>Good,
\nhonest, open intellectual endeavor is part of the faithful life.<\/p>\n
\npractice–hospitality–is the heart of all three monotheistic faiths.\u00a0 <\/span>In Genesis 18, Abraham and his family
\nwelcomed three strangers to their tents.\u00a0
\n<\/span>The three strangers were, according to the story, actually angels who
\naffirm God’s promise to make Abraham a nation of blessing to the whole
\nearth.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Thus, in an act of
\nhospitality was born Judaism, Christianity, and Islam–the act of welcoming the
\nstranger both birthed and binds the three faiths into a single moral vision of
\nreaching beyond fear and human barriers to welcome the stranger. To praise
\npeople for their hospitality is far more than saying, “thanks for the tea and
\ncookies.”\u00a0 <\/span>Rather, it is to affirm
\nthe deepest spiritual dimensions of religious identity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nof peace–is a symbol of reconciliation in Judaism, Islam, and
\nChristianity.\u00a0 <\/span>To extend one’s
\nhand, open and without a weapon, is an ancient rite of trust and forgiveness.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>“The peace of God” is an
\nexpression of the hope for a time when war shall be no more and that all God’s
\npeople will live in harmony and unity.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The exchange of peace recognizes that we all called to
\nlive out the greater destiny of the universe to bring together of that which
\nhas been divided.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nwas framed by the first paragraph’s religious vision.\u00a0 <\/span>Obama essentially said, “We will no longer let our differing
\ninterpretations of truth divide us; rather, we will seek the common spiritual
\npractices on which we can build a better world.”\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>It is no longer
\nabout which one of us is right, and which of us is wrong.\u00a0 <\/span>Rather, a generative religious vision
\nbuilds on faithful practices of people who honor each other’s integrity.\u00a0 <\/span>And, the three core practices are:
\nintellectual curiosity, hospitality, and reconciliation.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nbeginning for all of us.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n