E-Book Overview
The religious landscape of the United States has changed dramatically in recent decades. How are Christians relating to their Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and other new religious neighbors? Using local examples, The Faith Next Door covers the gamut of Christian responses to America's multireligious reality. We read about the debate over a new Hindu temple in town, the Episcopal church that has hosted a mosque since 1987, the cooperative efforts between African American pastors and Muslim leaders, immigrant Christians seeking to save their non-Christian fellow immigrants, evangelicals resettling immigrants and refugees through "friendship evangelism," Catholics learning about other religions in the spirit of Vatican II, Greek Orthodox Christians and Turkish Muslims gaining a new appreciation of their shared history, and more. The book also examines how the events of September 11, 2001 have shaped Christian approaches to believers from other faiths, from engaging in dialogue to hoping for conversion. Here Christian theology meets the multireligious real world, with multiple results suggestive of national trends. The Faith Next Door will appeal to Christians from all denominations and perspectives who seek models for relationships in the diverse contemporary context. It will also inform non-Christian readers and general observers of trends in American religion about the variety of local Christian responses to other religions.
E-Book Content
THE FAITH NEXT DOOR
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THE FAITH NEXT DOOR American Christians and Their New Religious Neighbors
PAUL D. NUMRICH
1 2009
3 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam
Copyright © 2009 Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Numrich, Paul David, 1952– The faith next door : American Christians and their new religious neighbors / Paul D. Numrich. p. cm. ISBN 978-0-19-538621-9 1. Christianity and other religions—Illinois—Chicago Region—Case studies. 2. Chicago Region (Ill.)—Religion—Case studies. I. Title. BR560.C4N86 2009 261.209773'23—dc22 2008043490
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
For Christine, of course
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Foreword
S I N C E T H E C H A N G E S T O U . S . immigration laws in 1965, the
American ethnic and religious landscape has shifted dramatically. The truism that the U.S. is “a nation of immigrants” is no longer just a platitude. It has a material impact on the everyday experience and consciousness of most Americans. Walk down the street of any major city, and you are likely to overhear conversations in any one of a number of languages. You may encounter multilingual signage on billboards and in shop windows. The religious streetscape may incorporate not only churches and synagogues, but mosques, temples, gurdwaras, or meditation centers. And, increasingly, you don’t need to travel to an urban area t