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Seminary town meeting addresses the new climate of religious pluralism

For Lutherans, engaging in dialog with other religious traditions is not exactly second nature, but Lutheran Church leaders engaged in spirited town meeting exchange at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia recently expressed a clear-cut desire for the modern church to grow in its relationships with other traditions.

The town meeting involved attendees to the annual Spring Convocation at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. Earlier they had heard presentations by National Correspondent Gustav Niebuhr of the New York Times on the topic of Religious Pluralism, and they also listened to Professor Adele Stiles Resmer of the Seminary's Faculty discuss local implications for ministry concerning pluralism. (See related stories in the web's News and Events section.)

Pastor John Heinemeier

The town meeting opened with a presentation by Pastor John Heinemeier, who has served as a parish pastor in Brooklyn, NY; New York's South Bronx and in Boston's Roxbury section. Heinemeier presented eight ideas of what's needed to foster a positive attitude concerning religious pluralism. He described himself as a product of a "German ghetto" in rural Texas. He said his attitude toward people of other faiths had been tempered by long-standing service to non-white congregations.

"We need a new sense of humility toward other faiths," he began. "We need to be willing to be acted upon, to be willing to walk together toward the truth through a cross-fertilization of traditions." He suggested God had a universal covenant with the world before the time of Jesus, and he said that the revelation of God's spirit preceded Jesus, and that today Christians have an opportunity to learn from other traditions about the working of God via other faiths. Second, he said a "cousinly" dialog is on order between Christians, Hindus and Buddhists. Prior to Vatican II 40 years ago, the Church was more at the center of the spirit world. Today God is at the center and world religions are the revolving planets around the center. Next he suggested the need for a certain theology of dialog "with" and not "about" people of other traditions. He encouraged those at the meeting to take the time to listen to and empathize with those of other faiths.

Heinemeier also noted that social justice is a wonderful context for people of various traditions to begin to work together. He then noted that there is a similarity between "cultural" and "religious" pluralism. "The two are closely aligned," Heinemeier remarked. He said he was encouraged to note that in the Seminary Chapel "three or four hymnals recognize the music of a variety of cultures. That is a good sign." He encouraged those in the meeting to approach persons of other traditions with "less certainty" toward other faiths. And finally, he pushed seminaries to take the lead in pushing and probing the notion of pluralism via a "firmly biblical and confessional witness. The Church needs seminaries to step up to the plate on this."

Seminary Alumnus Dr. William Rusch in brief remarks said religious pluralism is more about the notion of "interfaith" rather than "ecumenical" concerns. "One is not more important than the other, but the distinction is important. Pluralism has to do with the major religions of the world. It is an interfaith idea." Rusch, head of Faith and Order for the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, said a positive attitude toward pluralism encourages greater understanding and cooperation between diverse faiths and cooperation in the area of social justice. Ecumenical dialogs are inter-Christian and aim to bring diverse Christian churches toward full communion, a goal distinct from interfaith discussions. "For Lutherans there is a new sense of urgency" toward pluralistic dialog, "but it is not our strong suit. We are late-comers to this. We have in many ways made up for lost time, but with a certain reluctance." He said the former Lutheran Council in the USA had developed guidelines in 1971 and during the 1980s on interfaith relationships with Jewish people.

Moderator and Alum Pastor Roy Lloyd, a consultant for The American Bible Society, acknowledged that pluralism is "new to us" and said Lutherans are beginning to see that we are part of "a different world….Is God as we can discern God active outside the Christian worldview or not?" is a question each believer must answer, Lloyd suggested. He wondered whether "we may choose to posit a God who is bigger than our limited worldview or whether God is still at the center of a Christological and Trinitarian view of theology."

Pastor Nelson Gaetz of Syracuse, NY suggested Lutherans need to be at a point of departure where they may talk with and not about persons of other faiths. "The only God there is may be the same God for those in other traditions we relate to," he said. Gaetz noted it is "tough enough" for many Lutherans to relate to those with cultural differences, let alone deal with religious diversity.

The Rev. Becky Knox described a visit last summer to Rocky Boy in Box Elder, MT, and said the Native American Reservation immersion had enabled her to gain a special faith perspective. "I think I've learned the most when I've been willing to step out and be a stranger, take a risk to be a part of another experience," she said. Knox, who graduated from the Seminary last year, encouraged others to take on similar risks in order to grow.

Seminary Dean Paul Rajashekar said that as recently as 1984 the term "dialog" wasn't in vogue for Christians in terms of other faiths because it "implied parity." Dialog is now a common term for interfaith relationships, he said. Discussions of theology used to be limited too in interfaith discussions, but now such discussions have begun to open up too. He said perspectives on theology have "not caught up" with interfaith dialogs and noted that frequently lay people are interacting more with people of other faiths than professional leaders do.

Christians could be better off beginning pluralistic interfaith discussions with each other, deepening their understanding of Hinduism and Buddhism first before they engage in interfaith discussions, one speaker suggested. "We may need to help each other get ready," he said.

Pastor Bruce Davidson, who has chaired the Alum Advisory Board through this Convocation, confessed he "knows little about comparative religions. I need to do work to listen and grow." He wondered about what is being done to prepare seminarians to seriously engage in such dialogs.

Rajashekar said seminarians have a number of opportunities including some courses which touch on Islamic, Christian and Jewish relations. He acknowledged that many students "hesitate" to step inside of other traditions. "We need to do some work here," Rajashekar said, but he added that "any study of systematic theology has to cross-reference other traditions along the way." He said the newly announced H. George Anderson Chair on Mission and Cultures is designed to more strongly embrace such study, particularly with the hoped-for establishing down the road of a Multicultural Resource Center for students, congregations and professional leaders.