Conference on religious conflict features best-selling author Bruce Feiler
Janel Shoun |
But after five years of a jumpy stock market, rising gas prices, disturbing privacy issues and skyrocketing utility bills, it has become clear that almost every aspect of day-to-day living is affected by a centuries-old conflict half a world away.
Yet few of us have a clear understanding of the root causes of such violent religious turmoil and even less understanding of how to prevent such conflicts making their way into our own neighborhoods, places of worship and workplaces.Preventing and managing the daily conflicts born of Nashville’s diversity of belief systems is the topic of Lipscomb University’s second conference on conflict resolution, “A Call to Conversation: An Invitation to Dialogue on Religious Conflict,” 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 28.
Cost is $95 to attend the conference, featuring a panel discussion by local religious leaders, a key-note address by Bruce Feiler, best-selling author of Where God Was Born, and break-out sessions on topics such as managing conflict within a congregation or impact of religious conflict on the local economy. To register or for more information, visit icm.lipscomb.edu or call 615.966.7140 or 800.333.4358, ext. 7140.
Coordinated by Lipscomb’s Institute for Conflict Management and co-sponsored by the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University, the all-day conference will kick off with a look at global issues through a breakfast talk by Feiler, who explores the parallels within Judaism, Christianity and Islam in Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths and Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses.
The general public can attend just the breakfast speech by Feiler at 8 a.m. in Lipscomb’s Allen Arena for a cost of $25. Feiler’s speech will follow less than a week after a Nov. 22 airing of “Walking the Bible,” a three-hour documentary based on Feiler’s books and travels, at 7 p.m. on Nashville Public Television, Channel 8.
The rest of the day will be spent looking at issues closer to home, starting with a panel discussion by Nashville’s religious leaders, including Rabbi Mark Schiftan, senior rabbi at The Temple; Dr. A. K. M. Fakhruddin, president of the Islamic Center of Nashville as well as representatives of Protestant and Catholic faith traditions.“I think people are desperately trying to make sense of what is happening in this world and are more aware than ever of the role religion plays – for better or worse – in the conflicts in our world today,” said Rabbi Mark Schiftan, senior rabbi at The Temple, the largest and oldest Jewish institution in Nashville.
“There is a critical need for members of the various faith communities to honestly explore and understand both the areas of agreement and the areas of strong disagreement,” said Schiftan, who is hosting a tour of Isreal this month for Jewish and Christian leaders together.
“All of the religious communities that follow the path of Abraham have far more to draw them close together than to keep them apart. The only way to accomplish this is through honest dialogue and vigorous debate.”
Break-out dialog sessions during the conference will allow religious leaders and business professionals to discuss how diversity in religious beliefs can cause conflict within their various areas of responsibility and influence.
“If you work in health care, end of life issues can become troublesome if you are unaware of certain religious beliefs. Or in the prison system today, an increasingly diverse religious population, including Christians, Muslims and many other world religions, can be housed side by side. Religious beliefs affect business today in many many ways we may not think of immediately,” said Larry Bridgesmith, executive director of the Institute for Conflict Management and a former partner with the law firm Waller Lansden Dortch and Davis.
“Conference participants will divide up and discuss topics such as the impact of stereotyping, how to maintain interfaith relationships or the importance of apology, among other topics that often come up within their various industries,” he said.
Churches themselves are certainly not immune to harmful conflict and often have less access to problem-solving resources than many businesses, said Charles McGowan, president of Operation Andrew, a network of leaders from more than 250 churches who work to engender unity and generosity within all branches of the Christian body.
“Never a week passes that I do not run across a situation that breaks my heart,” said McGowan, noting that churches are subject to the same subversive behavior, power plays and uprisings that large companies and nations suffer. “There is a great need in the city for additional resources that churches can call on to resolve conflict.”
Especially now that more and more congregations are non-denominational or independent. Without a central authority to provide guidance, these congregations are often left with no mediating authority to turn to, he said.
“Bitterness and ill feelings can last for generations,” he noted.
“A Call to Conversation” is the second conflict management conference hosted by Lipscomb’s Institute for Conflict Management, launched in June. More than 500 people turned out to hear keynote speaker Terry Waite, British humanitarian and former hostage, at the first conference held in September.
The Institute is currently recruiting students for its first class in its masters of conflict management program, and will host two more conferences on employment and health care issues in the spring.
The Institute was founded by Lipscomb President Randy Lowry, who previously established the Straus Center for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., and has worked with conflict resolution in China, Australia and Italy, among other nations.