. >>ed morning and welcome to mosaic, i'm liz kdale. and reverend ron swisher, i welcome you and hope you're having a wonderful sunday morning. in the bay area we are able to celebrate diversity of different religions and faith groups. our guest today has thought deeply about how christians talk about enter faith matters in our own -- inter-faith matters in our own communities

we might be engaged with. i'm so pleased to welcome reverend susan strouse to the mosaic show. >> good to be here. thank you. >> susan wrote a book that i found helping in the congress gagsz i serve. how do christians talk about int inter faith matters. >> you've been a pastor for 30 years. >> that's right. >> some the east coast and some here. >> that's right. >> you've been in kind of the lutheran congress gags so to speak. >> that's right i sense your passion really is -- congregation so to speak. >> that's right. >> i sense your passion is

really enter faith -- inter faith groups. >> when i was in buff flow, new york, -- buffalo, new york i was asked to represent our women at a gathering. i thought, all right, it was one more thing to do. but i went and i was hooked and got very involved with this organization and went to a lot of inter faith gatherings and the more i did it, the more i enjoyed it. eventually i doeded to move to california, to berkeley to work on my doctorate on inter faith theology and out of that came the book, yeah. >> what hooked i. >> what hooked me on the subject of the book. i really -- enjoyed the inter faith activities in the book.

in my own congregation it happened september 11, 2001, 911. at that time we had an adult forum discussion group. it was a joint group with another congregation and they decided they would like to study world religions. >> mm-hmm. >> and they decided that they wanted to study hinuism and that was great hinduism and that was great. i had a friend, an hindu woman and i invited her to come to the group so they could ask her questions. it went well and everyone was interested in her story and asked insight tul questions -- insight full questions. and everyone left after the group and wanted to talk to me, elsie. she said i'm worried, i really

liked to have the guest, i loved hearing her story but i'm worried about i accept her religion as valid been i'm be traying jesus. >> sue sdwran -- betraying jesus. >> susan have you found that's a common worry. >> it is. it seems a response to the inter faith world is a continuum anything from oh well it really doesn't matter it's the same god and i don't have a problem with it all the way to i don't know what to do with passages from the bible such as jesus say i'm the way of the truth, the life no one comes to the father except through me. it's right there in our own scriptures. i realize from our own bible, we have these passages that would say that, no, we can not accept another person's

religion as equally valid. what do we do with that? are there other ways of looking at that? i started to dig a little deeper into these things and start asking those questions. actually for myself as well. >> yeah, because we weren't trained or ee kwimd in seminary to be -- equipped in seminary to be that engaged in interfaith groups. >> not at that level. >> so you're writing for yourself and your congregation and you found other congregations really appreciated the practice at this cal nature of what the book offers. >> i did. even when i was working on my thesis for the doctorate i was filling in at a congregation and we had an adult discussion group after church one day and i had invited the director of an inter faith council and his wife to come and talk with the group and they came and it was all great. after that happened, a man came

to visit and say, i couldn't come because i was teaching sunday school but i have a question for you. >> let's hear the question when we come back for the next segment to mosaic, thank you.

good morning and welcome back to mosaic. i'm pleased to have our guest with us. reverend susan strouse. she's written a wonderful book, the interfaith conversations. you were just speaking about you had guests at your congregation asking questions and you were going to share a story. >> yes, this young man came to ask the presenters a question. he wasn't with the group but

what do you say about imthe way, the truth. and the light. >> one of the presenters say well that's for christians, that's for us, not everyone else. >> and i could see the answer was not satisfactory to this young man, he sort of glowered and walked away. he actually went to the church council of that congregation to ask what was pastor susan doing with all of this. >> what do you think he wanted to hear. >> i actually called him and had a conversation with him and i told him actually my work is all about helping us to wrestle with that question and answer that question and he said, oh, that's good because i've often wondered that myself. >> huh-uh. >> i realize many people in the congregations have those questions. how do we look at had them and how do we work with them. >> that's why i wrote the book

to help congregations get into raising the questions. i provide a lot of resources but really it's about talking together in a respectful way, not telling anybody they're right or wrong for belief. we are respectful of one another and work together on coming to understandings on how we might think about these things and frankly in the interfaith world. >> yeah. >> with thee low sglans and -- theolosians on the academic level, there are so many ideas but frankly i give a lot of resource materials if people want to follow yup on it, they can do deeper. >> it's more than just learning about eerie lij yons. >> right. >> it's more than just -- about other relij yons. >> right.

>> it's more than -- religions. >> right. >> it's more than just that. it's more intra frait conversation is within our own tradition and it's not just christians, buddhist have these and muslims have these. i'm a christian pastor so with me it's working with the intrachristian congregation. i've heard so often in conversation because people in congregations have all kinds of ideas and thoughts about these things and i thought it's time for us to get together and talk among ourselves about how we work with these matters. it's important thing to do in this day and age we don't have the luxury of first of all, not

engaging with our brothers and sisters of other traditions. >> that's right. >> how do we bring that back into our own tradition, what questions do we come back, what insights do we come back with? how do we receive the gifts of other traditions and incorporate them into our own. >> when you're looking into these conversations is it a matter of what do we have in common with the other faith traditions, are we different? >> it's both and. >> both and, yes. >> and it's refrequenting -- reflecting upon our own tradition and what are we learning about our own identity. >> it is. one of the chapters is about our own identity. can i tell another story. >> of course. >> when i was on internship in buffalo, new york and this was before my interest in interfaith. there was a wedding rehearsal.

my supervisor was coming in for a marriage counseling. it was an interfaith couple and when they came in they asked if the christ candle could be removed from the sanctuary. i was any naive seminary self and i was appalled. i look back and i realize it's a question of identity. how do we really see ourselves as christians and what matters. >> yes. >> does that christ candle matter to take it out or leave it there. what does that all mean? questions of that, like who we really are. >> that's right. >> we didn't have to used to ask those questions, this is what we did. i don't want to say we lived in a christian nation but sometimes we academy like we did and we can't do that any more. and we need to pay attention to who am i in the mix of all the other traditions around me. >> it's important questions. i find the more i learn about

other traditions. >> yep. >> the more an appreciate about my own. >> well let's come back to that, exactly what you appreciate about your own tradition in this conversation when we come back to mosaic after this break.

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welcome back to mosaic during this easter season. i'm talking with reverend suzann strouse about how christians reflect together on interfaith matters and how it effects our owen cristian identity. i can imagine this is a scary experience for some christians but also a very trons forming experience and growth filled experience. >> absolutely. >> share an example of that. >> i would have to go back to the original person who asked me the question, elsie. >> yes. >> in fact i called my dock tral thesis the -- dock toreal

thesis the elsie project in her honor because she started me on this quest. our faith opened us up to new ways of thinking about christian identity. it helped me to relate more to her and i also found my openness to talking about these questions and abled people in my congregations to talk to me about things maybe they wouldn't have talked about before because they maybe thought i would not accept them or tell them they're wrong, especially wrung people. >> yes, let's talk about the mill len i can't answer these days in congregations. >> absolutely. >> i would -- millen yals -- millenials these days in congregations. >> absolute am.

-- absolute am -- absolutely. >> that opened up a lot of conversation about when i meet someone and it's like well i'm a lutheran pastor you kind of see the glazed look. what i'm very involved in interfaith work oh, really, tell me about that. >> it opens up a whole new vista vista. i have found in the relationship that develops they are more accepting of me as a christian and what that means as a christian that is open to talking about these things. it helps in talking about chris yant in a very -- christianity in a positive way. i've been very happy with that outcome. >> in the bay area there are interfaith opportunities and experiences. you know, if someone was wanting to just take a first step and attend and participate in something, can you make a suggestion?

>> well, yes. [ laughter ]. >> or place they could go to to find out. >> first of all, is there an interfaith council -- >> yes. >> in your community. mostarea skyped of interfaith council -- some kind of interfaith council. >> let's put a shout out to the san francisco interfaith council. >> see what's going on and even then contact them and say, you know, i'm really interested in doing something, what's out there and i think anybody from those councils would be more than happy to get back in touch with you and say, well, here's some things or what are you employed in? are you interested in volunteering at a -- we had a habitat for humanity volunteer cleaning up a community garden day, something as simple as that all the way to great thee logical discussions --

hteological discussions. and who's in your neighborhood? an mosque or synagogue, can you go and introduce yourself and say hello? invite them to a potluck supper, invite them to come. simple as that. build a -- build a relationship. it's all about relationships. >> it is about relationships. >> i know that some of the most important questions are just very open-ended. tell me about your faith. >> yes. >> and i know i can tell you about my faith. >> that's right. >> and what we have in common. >> yeah. >> and how we can help. >> curiosity, no judgment. no telling someone else well that's wrong. you can certainly say i don't believe that but tell me more about that and they can say the same to you well that's not my belief but tell me more about that. >> curiosity, a lot of curiosity. >> yep. >> just learn about it.

listen and learn and be together, yeah. >> yeah. have you run across christian communities that are reluctant to have conversations among themselves. >> yeah. >> what is blind that do you think? >> i think fear. a lot of fear. if i take out one aspect of my belief system, then somehow it's all going to fall or fear for children. i hear this in people a lot to: i don't want our children to learn this because then they might convert and i say well then we haven't been teaching them very well about what's valid in our own tradition that they would want to do that. i think it's more fear of the unknown is what's that about. >> and speaking of children, you go to a school these days, you know our children are with kids of all faiths. >> that's right. >> so you want them to, you know, you want them to know who

they are, their identity. >> that's right. >> but also to engage with the others and learn about other faiths and friends. >> i don't think -- is anyone immune from being together with -- not that immune is the right word but we all have some sort of connection somehow with people of other traditions in our neighbors, workplace, schools, enter marriages. >> absolutely. >> how we need to have the conversations about what all this means. >> we'll come back to that for the last segment and talk about how we do that in our congregations. why are we getting killed like this? kyle's not here. got caught drinking beer in the park a couple of nights ago. really? yeah. zero tolerance-he's out for the season. harsh. hey, he knew not to drink. we've made that clear to all our kids, right? uh, no... not really. bill, if we don't tell them what we expect and why they shouldn't drink, how're they gonna know? (announcer) talk. they hear you.

for more information, visit underagedrinking.samhsa.gov. welcome back to mosaic in this easter season and we've been talking with reverend suzann strouse about how christian communities learn about their owen cristian faith but a reflection on interfaith

traditions and matters and topics. >> yes. >> let's go back to a conversation in a congregation or in a community about this. give us a sample of what that might sound like or look like from your book. >> well one example is in one congregation, we scheduled four visits to a place of either worship or medicine takings. >> mm-hmm. >> buddhist temple. >> yep. >> so a group of us went to visit and of course you arrange this ahead of time and find out what's appropriate dress and all those kinds of things. we did all that advance work but we went to visit and experienced what they had to offer but then the important thing about this: . >> yes. >> it's not just going to have the new experience, it's coming back and then rereflecting on what did did i experience?

what was it like for you? what did you see or here in your experience that was similar to your experience of christian experience and be leaf but also what was not and talk about that, reflect on that and see what comes up for people. it will be different every time. different people have different responses and you do have to be sensitive to some people who maybe they are feeling a little distance with their own faith at this point. you have to be pastorally searchings sensitive to this. the important thing is first, to go and have the experience and make new friends in the process, which is wonderful. >> sure. >> and you learn about something but then come back and talk about what does this mean to me as a christian? >> you could even ask how did i experience god in that setting or see jesus in the setting. >> absolutely even if those names were not used and how is

that and how do you feel about that? >> mm-hmm. >> in fact, one of these situations we went to the buddhist group, the khoir director was actually a member of the group -- choir director was actually a member of the group so it was interesting to experience a ritual the choir direct was a part of. >> wonderful. you did a plural i. sunday. >> summer, we don't just do one day. it is sponsored by progressive chris yant.org. >> okay. >> it comes around every year, it will be coming up in may, i believe, yes. but we decide to do a whole summer for the 12 weeks. we had a different speaker each sunday come and share something about their tradition on a particular topic like gender one summer, environment one summer, politics one summer.

so they would come and then afterwards, the congregation members would have a -- a sheet that they could fill out while they were there or later or just something to help them reflect on. what did you hear about this that was like your own experience, your own belief. what was not. those same sorts of questions. always about coming back. >> yeah. >> we call it passing over and coming back. passing over into another tradition but then coming back to your own with new insights, maybe new questions but then more insights which follow. >> and you even said that you found that your owen cristian faith had grown stronger through the whole process. >> absolutely. >> yes. >> and i hear that often. >> yeah. >> from many people that is their experience, yes. >> yep. >> well, in the last minute i want to encourage people to take your book and use it as a resource. >> absolutely. >> in the congregation or in their own lives.

bring it to your pastor and encourage them to do it. we're in the bay area there are many, many opportunities to have authentic interfaith dialogue without giving up or watering down your own faith. >> not at all. >> it's about respect. >> absolutely, yes. >> very good. you know it's easter season for us and as christians, we celebrate the rez recollection of christ -- resurrection of christ. >> yes. >> how might we have an interfaith experience even during easter season absolutely. >> how would you do that? >> all about new life and most of the traditions, many of the world traditions talk about new life and being transformed. >> yeah. >> it's a common -- it's a common theme and would be a time for us to explore those with one another. >> yeah, during this easter season. >> absolutely, yes. >> very good. susan -- suzann you've been a wonderful guest, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> and thank you for being a

leader with us in the interfaith matters. >> thank you. >> thank you. i want to thank my producer and reverend ron swisher my co-host but more importantly i want to thank you my viewers who joined us this sunday morning in this easter season. blessings to you. thank you.

now on kpix 5 news this morning.. north korea is turning heads, and raising eyebrows... live from the cbs bay area studios this is kpix news. new this morning north korea is turning heads. there is a possible resolution? >> and how the mayor plans to combat homelessness with just one month left in office. it's 6:00 good morning i'm melissa cae n. a road was completely shut down for an accident and neda ira np our with a live shot.