I enjoyed reading “God is big enough to hold all of our curiosity, doubts, joys, and fears” by Rev. Adriene Thorne (Pastor’s Life, June 2026). I, too, have deeply appreciated dialogue and friendship with people of other faiths, particularly with Muslims and Jews. And my day-to-day life is filled with encounters with Buddhists from Myanmar, who oversee businesses in my city, Muslims who have become friends because of our participation in formal dialogues, and several rabbis whom I count as close friends. I am grateful for these relationships. When I think of how I approach other faiths, I realize I almost always do so in the midst of relationships.
Many years ago, I made a comment in a seminar that another student found troubling. She blurted out, “But you’re speaking from a Christian perspective.” To which I replied, “It is the only one I’ve got.” One of the joys of interfaith encounters is that we bring our whole selves into the conversation, and we are pleased when our conversation partners bring their whole selves as well. My commitment to Jesus Christ is at the center of my whole self. I have sometimes found that in formal dialogues some Christians are often consumed with finding common ground before the dialogue begins. I tend to practice a simpler approach: the only requirement for dialogue is a willingness to talk. Common ground, if it emerges, will rise up within the conversation.
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