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Welcome to Interfaith Dialogue
Welcome to Interfaith Dialogue, one of the four foundation courses at Confluence Seminary of Sacred Studies.
People today live, work, marry, grieve, and celebrate alongside neighbors of every faith and of no faith at all. A minister who serves this world needs more than knowledge of one tradition. You need to understand how people of different beliefs see one another, how to listen across difference, and how to serve everyone who comes to you with dignity and respect.
This course gives you that foundation. You will study the main ways religions understand one another, the history of the interfaith movement, the practical skills of dialogue, real stories of conflict and cooperation, and the everyday work of an interfaith minister: weddings, memorials, hospital and jail visits, and community service.
You do not need to belong to any religion to take this course, and you will never be asked to change what you believe. You will be asked to think carefully, write honestly, and treat every tradition, including those you disagree with, fairly.
How This Course Works
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Prerequisite | None. Titles and degrees begin with ordination through the Ordination Orientation. |
| Pace | Self-paced. Most students finish in four to six weeks, studying about four to five hours a week. There are no deadlines. |
| Structure | Six modules. Each module has a lesson, a reading assignment, and a ten-question quiz. |
| Book report | Read one of the books offered, pass its ten-question quiz, and write a one-paragraph summary, after Module 6. |
| Final exam | Fifteen multiple-choice questions and one essay of 1,500 to 2,000 words, taken after Module 6. |
| Credit | 3 credit hours toward further titles and degrees. |
Grading
| Part | To pass |
|---|---|
| Module quizzes (6) | Pass each with 70% or higher. Retakes allowed. |
| Book report quiz (10 questions) | Pass with 70% or higher. Retakes allowed. |
| Book report summary (one paragraph) | Approved by the school |
| Final exam, Part 1 (multiple choice) | Pass with 70% or higher. Retakes allowed. |
| Final exam, Part 2 (one essay, 1,500 to 2,000 words) | Approved by the school |
Required texts
- Acts of Faith, Eboo Patel
- The Dignity of Difference, Jonathan Sacks
- Living Buddha, Living Christ, Thich Nhat Hanh
- A New Religious America, Diana L. Eck (a book report choice; otherwise optional)
Many of these books are available from public libraries, used bookstores, and as ebooks.
What you will study
Module 1: Why Interfaith? Faith in a Diverse World Module 2: Ways of Seeing Religious Difference Module 3: The Interfaith Movement: A Short History Module 4: The Skills of Dialogue Module 5: Conflict and Cooperation: Case Studies Module 6: Interfaith Ministry in Practice
Book report choices
Acts of Faith, Eboo Patel; A New Religious America, Diana L. Eck
Academic honesty
All written work must be your own. You may quote and discuss the course readings and other sources, but you must say where the words and ideas came from. Submitting work written by someone else, including work generated entirely by AI tools, is not permitted.