Shoulder to Shoulder is a national coalition-based campaign of religious denominations and faith-based organizations and communities that are committed to ending discrimination and violence against Muslims in the United States by equipping, connecting, and mobilizing faith leaders to effectively take action. The ELCA is a founding member of Shoulder to Shoulder and has supported the work of the campaign since 2010.

By Dr. Catherine Orsborn

Like many of you, we started 2020 with a lot of plans. We were excited to engage (in person!) with people across the country through our Faith Over Fear trainings and through our annual Ramadan campaign. In February, we started to get a little concerned about Coronavirus, but figured that things would surely be “back to normal” by the time Ramadan rolled around. As slowly (then quickly) new information and recommendations emerged, we realized we were facing a future with much greater uncertainty than any of us could have imagined.

In mid-March, our team gathered on Zoom and we asked one another, how in the world do we plan for the future in a time like this? Do we just abandon our plans for a bit (we joked for a few minutes about taking a “spring break”)? Or is it possible to find meaningful ways to connect across lines of difference and to address discrimination and bias, even while we’re physically distancing from one another? We think that it is. Thus, we took to the task of designing a plan for interfaith engagement during Ramadan that allows for meaningful social connection across physical distance.

As Priya Parker has argued in her book The Art of Gathering, the purpose (rather than category) of a gathering is the most important place to begin planning any meaningful coming-together. This is true as much for a virtual space as it is for an in-person event. In rethinking our Ramadan plans, we asked ourselves WHY people find interfaith Iftars meaningful, and how can we recreate that experience in a virtual space? While certainly, people learn things from the “front of the room” content at many Iftar events, we mostly have heard from people in our networks that it is the one-on-one or small group conversations and connections that really make an interfaith Iftar experience worthwhile to them.

So instead of trying to pivot every large interfaith Iftar to a virtual one, we thought, why not focus on just connecting households to one another for more intimate conversations over a meal? We designed a matching system and a guidebook, with ideas for how to make these encounters fun and meaningful, and launched our Welcome to my Table initiative for Ramadan 2020.

The staff and Executive Committee of Shoulder to Shoulder joined the family of Shoulder to Shoulder co-founder Dr. Mohamed Elsanousi for a virtual Iftar in his home as part of this initiative. We gathered on Zoom, watched presentations from Dr. Elsanousi’s school-age children, and shared some of our own experiences with fasting with one another. I held my infant daughter on my lap throughout. It was brief and it was meaningful to be let inside someone’s home in this way.

We’ve started to hear stories of others who gathered through this initiative, including two interfaith couples (one Muslim and one Catholic in each couple) from different parts of the US, who found the experience incredibly enriching and uplifting, saying, “We discussed travel, food, immigration to the US, our jobs, how the pandemic is affecting our lives and the world. The time flew and by the end I realized we forgot to talk about Ramadan!…I’ve been trying to see the silver lining in everything in this pandemic and this was definitely a blessing” (Linden, Wisconsin).

Another household pairing reported that they found it to be a great opportunity for their teenagers to connect with each other and share about their remote learning experiences, while others were able to use the time to share about commonalities and differences between Lent and Ramadan observances. Many noted that they’ll continue to stay in touch with their household “match,” whether virtually or- someday- in person.

We are also finding that this moment is ripe for uplifting the incredible stories of American Muslims responding to the challenges that Coronavirus has created, whether it is providing essential medical care or responding to food insecurity. As interfaith partners looking to help change false and negative narratives about Muslims and Islam, this is an opportunity not only to connect across lines of religious difference, but also to help tell a different story.

We are learning as we go– this is a brand new reality for all of us to navigate, but we’re committed to continuing the work of reaching across lines of difference, even when it’s a little more complicated. We are all aware that Zoom fatigue is real, and we know that we cannot move every single thing we were planning to do in-person to a virtual event- we’ll burn out. But if we are asking questions around purpose and goals of our initiatives and events, and we are intentional in engagement with one another, I think we’ll continue to find meaning and connection in these complex times.

Dr. Catherine Orsborn serves as the Executive Director of Shoulder to Shoulder

     © mars.nasa.gov

By The Rev. Paul S. Tché

Have I been to Mars? Of course not. I understand no one has yet. We—by which I mean human beings—have sent robots to explore the aerosphere, atmosphere, and surface of Mars, so we have some limited information about the overall environment, which doesn’t seem perfectly fit to be a “colony” of the Earth. Our unlimited imagination, however, has already taken many of us to Mars and has established hundreds of human habitations there. I understand that in our fantasy worlds of Mars, we can do whatever we want and overcome treacherous living conditions. But the reality on Mars in the near future doesn’t seem that rosy. We wouldn’t have the freedom to roam around the neighborhood for a walk or go jogging or biking unless we build everything inside of a gigantic dome. We are probably able to put one community in a dome, but not the entire Mars colony. It is bigger than the Earth, remember. Under these circumstances, I have absolutely no idea about what people would do for religious life. If I cannot find my Christian tradition in my sector, should I take my airship and travel through the red dust of Mars every Sunday?

I am confident COVID-19 will bring radical changes to our lives. But the difference after COVID-19 would not be as dramatic if we were to colonize Mars . . . or would it? Well, even if our lives would not be as radically different as living on Mars, it may be helpful for us—especially many religious folks like me who lack imagination because of our long tradition—to simulate religious practice on Mars to stimulate our creativity and inspire more unique adaptations of post-COVID-19 faith life.

Let us imagine that a bunch of dedicated Christians decide to emigrate to Mars. What would we do first as we commissioned them to establish our religious communities there? If you are a Catholic, then you must figure out how your parishioners receive the Holy Communion. Would the Church allow good Catholics to receive the elements virtually via hologram? Would the Church encourage members to go to any liturgical church to participate in the Eucharist? Asking these questions has already made my head spin even with the light gravity on Mars.

How about my own faith community, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)? Do we need to establish a Disciples congregation on Mars? Why? As a church born out of the desire for Christian unity, why on Earth do we need to create divisions once more on Mars? Oh, I guess we must promote Christian unity there too.

How about my beloved Lutheran friends? I think you should found the Evangelical Lutheran Church – Martian Mission District (ELC-MMD) because it would add another cute acronym to the list of the universal Lutheran communion. But seriously, if you must establish a church there, what would be its calling? What would be the purpose for founding a church on Mars?

You may find these questions silly to even contemplate, so let’s return to Earth for a while. I am certain you have imagined what the next year or two may look like. Donald McNeil, the New York Times reporter who has covered the stories about different infectious disease for two decades, has given some primary answers to the question. Here are his points: a) there is enormous uncertainty; b) social distancing is still vital; and c) it’s unclear how well the U.S. will cope with the next phase of coping with the pandemic. (The New York Times Morning Briefing, April 20, 2020).

There is enormous uncertainty about our future. Inevitably, collective life for each religious community will not be the same as six months ago. Each faith community is asking questions to prepare itself for the post-COVID-19 spiritual life.

What are we asking about now? Do we still ask about things that only matter to each communion, or do we ask questions about our collective Christian life after the tempest of this pandemic subsides?

I want to point out that what we are currently asking is not as crucial as we might think. We must reflect on the current situation with COVID-19 as if we are facing the circumstances of living on Mars. Only that radicality will help us imagine religious life on Earth after or still under the threat of this virus.

It is said that some have come “back” to religious life while facing uncertainty. I hope that we do not fall into the trap of false hope because of this belief. It is not evident that the numbers of churchgoers will significantly increase and that each communion will have more members in pews after this pandemic. Instead, I have a grim prediction. This pandemic will accelerate the adoption of post-institutional religiosity all over the globe. This is because we will probably have to live with COVID-19 (or similar infectious diseases) rather than overcome it. Thus, our life of social distancing will not go away soon.

Under these circumstances, I cannot help but be worried about the future of the Church and the ecumenical movement. Here is what I am deeply concerned about—our Christian faith has so much depended on our institutional memories and traditions, which keeps our way of thinking in this pandemic confined within those parameters.

When was the last time you remember Christianity portrayed as if it were alive? I personally believe that it was when the ecumenical movement was vibrant and leading. It was the time when we thought we could be one Church of God together beyond our denominational lines and institutional boundaries.

We are standing at the crossroads as one Christian community, not as a single denomination. The fate of Christianity will be decided in response to this pandemic. With COVID-19, if we ask only how we can be a church of one particular tradition, and if we focus only on reestablishing our own traditional way of faith and life, then we may not have another chance to be one Church of Christ soon. Consequently, we may disappear one by one.

Let’s go back to Mars. What would we do in terms of religious life on Mars? Would that radical difference of lifestyle challenge us, Christians, to be one Church together? I understand there will always be skepticism about being one church, even on Mars. Personally, however, I believe there is a way for us to bring visible unity of the Church while maintaining our diversity of traditions.

To be one Church, we do not need to immigrate to Mars. We can be in unity here and now. So here is the irony for the Church at this time. We have an opportunity to serve every follower of Christ in the way Jesus has asked us to serve one another. Of course, it requires each of us and each faith tradition to make tremendous sacrifice. But is it what Jesus asks us to do?

As our people face death from this disease, what do we discuss as a church now?

The Rev. Paul S. Tché, President of the Christian Unity and Interfaith Ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Untied States and Canada.

Michael Fromm, Jewish Council for Public Affairs Chair
David Bernstein, Jewish Council for Public Affairs President and CEO

Dear President Bernstein and Chairman Fromm:

The Consultative Panel on Lutheran-Jewish Relations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America joins you in your concern for Chinese Americans and Chinese communities, as expressed in your letter to those communities on 21 February 2020.

At our recent meeting, we took note of your expression of compassion and solidarity with great appreciation and respect. We affirm and admire your pledge to take positive steps to support and protect a community that has been singled out for discrimination and attack. Whether born of fear, ignorance, or bigotry, the calumny and actual harm that the Chinese American community has suffered is morally reprehensible. The same is true for those of other communities who are assumed to be Chinese. Any sense of isolation that might be compounded by our silence only adds to the pain and offense.

In our 1994 Declaration to the Jewish Community, we said that “we recognize in anti-Semitism a contradiction and an affront to the Gospel” and we pledged “this church to oppose the deadly working of such bigotry, both within our own circles and in the society around us.” In that spirit we join you in embracing this moment as one that calls for our vigorous public response on behalf of our neighbors. Leaders across the ELCA are seeking concrete and authentic ways to join your courageous voices and undertake similar acts of solidarity, as part of our church’s commitment to condemn white supremacy and racist rhetoric and actions.

The pandemic has precluded our gathering together in our overlapping seasons of Passover and Easter and for shared observances of Yom haShoa. We are all the more eager, therefore, to join you in expressing our encouragement for all Asian Americans, including those who are members of our own religious communities. Thank you for your leadership and partnership in this witness.

In partnership,

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Members of the ELCA Consultative Panel on Lutheran-Jewish Relations
The Rev. Dr. Darrell Jodock, chair
The Rev. Ward Cornett III
Dr. Esther Menn
The Rev. Dr. Peter A Pettit
The Rev. Peg Schultz-Akerson

Ms. Kathryn May Lohre
Assistant to the Presiding Bishop and Executive, Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

The Rev. Dr. Carmelo Santos
Director, Theological Diversity & Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Engagement
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Ms. Kristen Opalinski
Manager, Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America