From the Publisher
A bracing rejoinder both to religious fanaticism and to recent books decrying religion
The United States is the most religiously diverse nation in the world and the most religiously diverse collection of people in history. And even in this age of increasing religious violence, there is a growing movement of cooperation: thousands of devout worshippers who are willing to take a gamble on people of radically different faiths.
In this insightful, deeply felt examination of the nature of community and religion, former New York Times religion reporter Gustav Niebuhr traces the roots of religious freedom in America and the setbacks and triumphs it has encountered along the way. From Hindus and Quakers in Queens to Catholics and Jews in Baltimore, to black Baptists and Catholics in Louisville, to Catholics and Buddhists in Los Angeles, Niebuhr focuses on the ways people build ties between groups. He looks at why this movement is a particularly American endeavor and how it can save us all. Beyond Tolerance is a handbook for religious cooperation in our fractured times.
Elie Wiesel
Gustav Niebuhr's remarkable and absorbing Beyond Tolerance comes at a time when religious fanaticism, with its perversion and violence, has emerged as a threat to civilization. Anyone involved or at least interested in dialogue among individuals, communities, and nations, will benefit from its wisdom and humanity.
Publishers Weekly
Niebuhr, the former religion reporter for the New York Times, is now a professor at Syracuse University. This makes his book immensely valuable: he has the careful scholarship of an academic, but the communication expertise of a journalist skilled at getting to the personal heart of a story. Not long after 9/11, Niebuhr set out to find and tell the largely untold stories of those who are involved in interreligious dialogue: why do they do it? what do they gain from it? what do they risk? True dialogue, as the title claims, means moving "beyond tolerance," approaching other religious traditions with a desire to learn and, perhaps more important, to make friends. Niebuhr tells memorable stories of people reaching across religious lines, from a group of Cape Cod Congregationalists who gave a Jewish community a historic building, some land and some money to create a synagogue to the energetic individuals who founded Louisville's famous Festival of Faiths. Niebuhr beautifully honors the commitment and care shown by those working on the front lines of interreligious understanding. (Aug. 4)
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Glenn Masuchika
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Library Journal
Hard times make hard religions. In this post-9/11 era, we witness an America drawing lines between the religious "us" and the religious "them" and are inundated with news reports of increased bigotry and intolerance. But there is hope, Niebuhr (religion, Syracuse Univ.), a former religion reporter for the New York Times, here writes. In this wide-ranging account of his personal journey through the religious landscape of America, Niebuhr compellingly argues that hard times can also be fertile ground for people of faith to increase their tolerance for others espousing contradictory/conflicting religious beliefs as well as to go "beyond tolerance"-i.e., to transcend these differences and, together with people of other faiths, embrace the major themes advocated by all religions: compassion, love, justice, and freedom. Niebuhr brings his reporter's eye for detail to this work, which he populates with people and organizations who strive to find religious meaning in our diverse lives. This is no dry, academic exposition. Written for a general audience, it is also valuable for scholars wishing to see an America many might have thought was calcifying into an insular continent, worshipping hard gods or God. Recommended for public and theological libraries.
Kirkus Reviews
Niebuhr (Religion/Syracuse Univ.) briefly explores interfaith relations in the United States and finds the glass half full. Grandson of Christ and Culture author H. Richard Niebuhr and great-nephew of famed theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, the author covered religion for the New York Times for several years and is well acquainted with his subject. In post-9/11 America it is easy to find examples of religious tension and even violence, Niebuhr acknowledges. However, he argues that an undercurrent of interfaith cooperation is growing, while largely unnoticed. This trend, he demonstrates, is nothing new. Pointing to such early examples as George Washington's letter to Touro Synagogue in 1790, the author explains that the need to survive has caused Americans of varying religious traditions to tolerate each other, though certainly better at some times than at others. For today, Niebuhr argues, society must find a way to move beyond "tolerance," which implies a certain degree of inequality and unwilling coexistence. Instead, he argues on behalf of dialogue, an exercise that "provide[s] the glue that nourishes social relationships." Though dialogue in which ideas and points of view are shared is a good thing, the author is particularly enthusiastic about dialogue that leads to concrete action. He points to Eboo Patel's Interfaith Youth Core as an example of an organization that brings people of different religions together to interact and take part in social action. He also describes the Festival of Faiths in Louisville, Ky., an event that invites people to experience the arts, culture and lifestyles of a world of religions. However, the city's Southern Baptist seminary does not participate in thefestival, and Niebuhr's discussion with the seminary's president about the reasons for its absence makes it clear that not everyone is ready for interfaith dialogue. A worthwhile call to action for those determined to reach out to other religions.
What People Are Saying
Elie Wiesel
"Gustav Niebuhr's remarkable and absorbing Beyond Tolerance comes at a time when religious fanaticism, with its perversion and violence, has emerged as a threat to civilization. Anyone involved or at least interested in dialogue among individuals, communities, and nations, will benefit from its wisdom and humanity."
Robert Wuthnow
"To many writers, tolerance is all that matters ("hey, as long as we're not killing each other, who cares?"). Gustav Niebuhr shows us there is much more to religious diversity than that. We can actually learn from one another -- deepen our faith and strengthen our culture. This highly personal, eminently engaging account shows how some Americans are making this happen."--(Robert Wuthnow, Author of America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity)
Alan Wolfe
"Get behind the headlines, and you may notice that religion is as much about finding peace as waging war. Gustav Niebuhr brings to light an aspect of American religion we all need to know more about. "--(Alan Wolfe, Director, The Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, Boston College)
Helen Tworkov
"What an incredibly timely book. The subject of interfaith relations has become so huge and complex that finding one's footing within it is really a daunting challenge. But by keeping it personal, Gustav Niebuhr becomes a persuasive and reliable guide, and the landscape becomes familiar and knowable, rather than complicated and forbidding."--(Helen Tworkov, Founder, "Tricycle: The Buddhist Review")
George Rupp
"Combining detailed reporting with gentle advocacy, Gustav Niehbuhr makes the case for moving beyond mere tolerance to join in common action that enlists participants from multiple traditions to address shared concerns. He offers a thoughtful antidote to religious stereotyping. Specific examples illustrate interfaith understanding at work in communities across the United States."--(George Rupp, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, Former president of Columbia University)
Wade Clark Roof
"This book is as much about Gustav Niebuhr's life and reflections as it is about our nation's evolving history of interfaith encounters. A deeply personal, moving account of an astute reporter's observations and interpretations. Americans of all faith traditions can benefit from reading it."--(Wade Clark Roof, University of California at Santa Barbara)
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