The Pluralism Project at Harvard University

Cecilia Owen

Harvard Divinity School
Interfaith Efforts and Profiles in Philadelphia, PA

Philadelphia is a city rich in religious organizations that are working together through interfaith dialogues and collaborations. I will address a number of different issues: Which religious organizations have entered into interfaith dialogue or collaboration, and what issues are they attempting to address? What are some of the impediments that prevent various groups from coming together in coalition? These interfaith efforts take many forms, from participating in interfaith dialogues, worship services and peace vigils, to sending representatives to national interfaith summits. Historically, interfaith groups have also collaborated around issues such as affordable housing, education, and youth services. After determining what interfaith activities are (or are not) taking place, I will look at the effects of this work on the members of religious organizations in Philadelphia. Have interfaith efforts been beneficial, and to whom? How is this interfaith work viewed in relation to the overall goals of each religious organization?

I will consider as well who is likely to get involved in interfaith work. What roles do religious leaders play in interfaith efforts? Lay people? Academics? It is clear that leaders at the helm of interfaith efforts in Philadelphia hail from a wide variety of organizations: the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, the Office of the Chaplain at the University of Pennsylvania, Masjid Jamia, the Quaker Yearly Meeting, Temple University, the American Muslim Society of the Tri-State Area, the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, and the Jewish Community Relations Council, just to name a few. Specifically, I will consider how women from various faith traditions have participated in leadership roles within interfaith alliances.

To understand interfaith work within a socio-political context, I must ask: What impetus has there been for organizing interfaith efforts, both past and present? Were the tragic events of 9/11/01 a motivational factor for such alliances? Although some leaders describe interfaith efforts that ignited shortly after 9/11/01 but soon tapered off, most leaders speak of how the events of 9/11 strengthened pre-existing interfaith coalitions in Philadelphia. The sustainability of interfaith efforts merits some attention as well.

Finally, what resources, financial and otherwise, do religious organizations bring to interfaith work? How do the various organizational hierarchies of different faith traditions affect their participation in interfaith collaborations? What are the various motivations that bring each faith group to the table? In answering these various questions about the nature of interfaith work, I seek to portray both the complexity and the value of interfaith collaboration.

Interview with the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, President of the Interfaith Alliance (2004)