Over the past few months, Buxton has gathered together young professionals in the DC Metropolitan Area to delve into deeper discussion on a more personal level. The smaller size of these events allows participants to share their experiences on various topics. These individuals represent a myriad of organizations and each contributes their unique perspective. Three of our most recent roundtables have included “Perceptions of Christians in America,” “Gender and Modesty,” and “The Future of Bridge Building in America.”
Perceptions of Christians Today
A group of 20 Muslim, Christian, and Jewish young professionals discussed a recent study that showed significant majorities of non-Christian 16 to 29-year-olds as perceiving Christians to be hypocritical, anti-homosexual and too political, among other negative qualities. Central discussion questions included: Why do these perceptions exist? To what extent do they reflect reality? What are the implications of these perceptions for Christians – for non-Christians? Rev. Thomas Hinson of Church of the Advent in Washington, DC contributed to the roundtable as a featured guest. Rev. Hinson is currently preaching a series of sermons which addresses the implications of the research for the Christian Church today.
Gender and Modesty
Asma Uddin of altmuslimah.com, and Eleanor Barkhorn of The Atlantic Culture Channel spoke on issues of gender and modesty as Muslim and Christian women, respectively. Both speakers are editors of popular websites that provide forums for “taboo” topics such as these.
Participants addressed questions such as, “How are different faith groups in America creating conversation about issues such as sexuality, modesty, and gender?” Members of the Muslim faith were candid about the challenges associated with wearing the hijab while others of the Christian faith discussed what constitutes modest clothing in their own tradition.
The Future of Bridge-Building in America
As the final event for the 2009-2010 Buxton Fellows, this roundtable focused on the exchange of best practices in interfaith work and the need for creative solutions to address future challenges. Many strides have been made; yet, we must also acknowledge that the vast majority of faith communities throughout America continue to misunderstand and misrepresent those outside their fold. The 25 Christians, Muslims, and Jews present addressed questions like:
“How can each of us individually work to improve understanding among different faith groups?”
“On the broader scale, what can places of worship, governments, and schools do to build and support these bridges?”
“Dreaming big, what kinds of efforts would “move the needle” such that America became a country characterized by constructive interaction across its various faith communities?”
The experiences that drew each individual to the table were dynamic and produced robust conversation as ideas were exchanged. At the end of the conversation, individuals agreed that while work to build bridges among people from diverse backgrounds is overwhelming at the macro-level, each individual has the ability to make a significant impact in his or her sphere of influence.
Tags: Bridge Building, Buxton Initiative, Buxton Roundtable, Future of Interfaith Dialogue, Gender, Modesty, Perceptions of Christians in America, Reconciliation, UnChristian
