This document is a summary of the third conference in the annual Spring series at Esalen, entitled The Abrahamic Family Reunion. The objectives for the gathering were to: 1) coalesce an inter-faith leadership team of clergy and practitioners in the Bay Area and LA ; 2) share theories of change, “best practices,” educational materials, and models for inter-group work; 3) facilitate the “power of combining” and make commitments for the coming year. Written by Frank Poletti.
This report outlines the proceedings from the September 7 -10, 2008 workshop in Kalamazoo, Michigan that took place at the Fetzer Institute’s Season’s resort, written by Vanessa Brake.
The purpose of this gathering at Esalen was to vet some of proposed educational materials the AFR is developing and nurture connections among an emerging network of individuals and organizations that are working to heal the historical wounds among the three great Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This event was focused primarily on the California region, although there were a few participants from other areas, like New Jersey, Washington D.C., and Boston. Written by Frank Poletti.
Summary for the March 25 – 29, 2007 AFR Strategic Planning Workshop, written by Rod O’Neal. This invitational conference brought together twenty-one renowned experts representing all three Abrahamic religions with two primary tasks: first, to discuss as comprehensively as possible what each community of Jews, Christians, and Muslims needs to hear from the other two to believe that an Abrahamic family reunion is possible; and second, to strategize on the most effective ways to present this message to Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities in five U.S. target areas: the San Francisco Bay Area; greater Los Angeles; Washington, DC; metropolitan New York; and greater Boston
In wind-swept and snowy South Bend, Indiana, the first spin-off event of the CTR/Track II Beyond Fundamentalism project emerged a success. Hosted by the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, the meeting of nineteen leading mainline and evangelical Protestants and Catholics, clerics and lay people symbolically ratified a strong, new sense of unity and palpable mutual respect.Written by Joseph Montville.
This invitational and international conference brought together a group of diplomats, activists, and scholars with two primary intentions. First, participants sought empathetically, critically, and intricately to explore the historical, mythological, and ideological roots of Jewish religious violence, the lingering wounds of history, and the way that these can be transformed into healing practices and a substantive peace. A second goal of the conference was to focus particularly on the continuing issue of Jewish-Christian alienation and to explore ways for re-inaugurating a healthy, fruitful relationship between these estranged siblings. Written by Jacob Sherman.
Having first considered modern Hindu fundamentalism in December, 2004, and Islamic fundamentalism in September, 2005, CTR turned its attention closer to home when it convened a groundbreaking conference on Christian fundamentalism, April 2-7, 2006. This invitational conference brought together a unique gathering of scholars, ministers, activists, psychologists, and diplomats. The participants were religiously diverse representing a variety of Christian traditions (including evangelicals, Catholics, and liberal Protestants) and including participants from non-Christian and non-religious backgrounds, as well. Written by Jacob Sherman.
For five days in early September, activists, political psychologists, media personalities, and religious leaders gathered in the Big House to strategize, educate one another, and develop friendships with the intention of addressing one of the crucial diplomatic issues of our day: the global rise of Islamic fundamentalism. The participants who gathered brought both intelligence and the will to act with wisdom. This was not a conference content to theorize, but a gathering of those who make a difference. Written by Jacob Sherman.
