Interfaith Grit: How Uncertainty Will Save Us - Paperback

by Stephanie L. Varnon-Hughes (Author)

This book is meant for every family member, colleague, and airplane seatmate who has asked me a variation of the following question: "Why is the world like this? What can I do?" Being human is a messy endeavor. We are made to be in relationship--built for community, craving to be known and seen and heard, better together. And yet, some flaw in us allows us to dwell on difference and allows diversity to become divisiveness. We fear the unknown. We resist the new. We turn strident and hateful when made to change. Why is this? I believe that leaning into the unknown is a transformative skill. We can practice becoming okay with difference. We can become virtuosic at embracing the unknown. When we learn that diversity will indeed transform us--body, soul, and nation--we can systematically name, teach, and celebrate the practices that help us persevere in shaky places.

Author Biography

Stephanie Varnon-Hughes is the director of Cross-Cultural and Interfaith Programs at Claremont Lincoln University, and an award-winning teacher and interfaith leader whose research interests include the history, theories, and practices of interreligious education. She was a cofounder and editor-in-chief of The Journal of Interreligious Studies, a peer reviewed journal, and its sister publication, State of Formation, an online forum for emerging religious and ethical leaders.