Bring Clergy Beyond Borders to Your Community
Inter-Religious Dialogue,
Peacebuilding, and Conflict Resolution:
Panels, Seminars, Training Workshops, and Forums of Reconciliation
Inter-Religious Dialogue,
Peacebuilding, and Conflict Resolution:
Panels, Seminars, Training Workshops, and Forums of Reconciliation
Clergy Beyond Borders provides expert interfaith clergy teams who can present in a variety of formats from two hours to two days. CBB can creatively address audiences ranging from religious leaders already engaged in interfaith activities to student and community groups looking for guidance, hope and inspiration in order to counter the forces spreading bigotry against one or another religious or cultural group.
Programs can be designed to meet community needs but generally fall into "single session" and "full-day" formats. See below for more details. Please contact Rabbi Gerry Serotta, rabbiserotta at ClergyBeyondBorders.org, or Virginia Spatz, cbbconference at gmail.com, to discuss an appropriate time frame and honorarium for a program in your community.
Single Session Community Programs
Depending upon the length of the program and the nature of the participants, the presentation will focus on some of the following elements
Exploration of the 30 "commandments" of interfaith dialogue, preparing participants to examine the goals and methods of effective dialogue;
Delineation of the theological basis for interfaith work, familiarizing participants with each tradition's sacred texts, and their various interpretations, including the topics of "chosenness" and the religious basis for pluralism.
Presentation of model rituals - such as "Hajj-Hanukah" -- and other examples of community programs, serving as a basis for creating local inter-religious celebrations and social justice programs;
Exploration of religion in the public sphere, offering suggestions for maintaining separation of Church and State while allowing for appropriate spiritual values to join the public discourse;
Grounding in how to approach "hot-button" political topics such as "conflict of civilization" rhetoric, religious law in a pluralist state, or the implication of specific issues such as, for example, Israel/Palestine conflict for inter-religious understanding.
Multi-Session Trainings for Religious Leaders
CBB's Training for Interfaith Clergy Groups in Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding is a 10-hour program, with additional social time included to help develop relationships among participants. This should ideally be conducted in a setting that allows an overnight stay. Minimum participation would be 12, ideal would be 18-30. The program will prepare participants to, in turn, train others.
Explore the basics of Clergy Beyond Borders - active pluralism beyond tolerance, beyond rather than without borders;
Learn textual resources for pluralism and peacemaking in each tradition, as well as strategies for coping with problematic texts and traditions;
Become familiar with spiritual practices/rituals which can enhance inter-religious cooperation;
Review conflict resolution strategies, with specific emphasis on the unique role of clergy;
Examine best practices and answers to common misperceptions in coping with "hot-button" political issues of the day related to such issue as the role of religious law in a democratic society, Israel/Palestine and East/West conflicts, etc;
Explore models of joint religious observances and social justice programming
2011 Planned Programming
Our plan for 2011 includes a domestic "Religious Leaders for Reconciliation Bus/Caravan" designed to amplify the voices for pluralism and confront extremist trends, both of which exist in our various religious traditions.
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