Weaving a New American Narrative, With Threads of Spirituality

By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware | Word In Black Overview: Jointly produced by the Aspen Institute and the Baha’i Faith’s U.S. branch, “Religious Perspectives on the Narratives of America: The Search for Just, Honest, Inclusive and Forward-Looking Tellings” outlines a new vision for a pluralistic nation. (WIB) – With the country so politically divided these days, it’s hard to find consensus on anything. So it seems counterintuitive to decide that a book of essays centered on religion — one of the most contentious subjects in American life — could help unify the nation.  Yet that’s exactly the premise of a new book of essays in which practitioners and experts in some of the world’s most popular theologies use their faith as the fabric for a new American story: one that is diverse, tolerant and inclusive. And that story includes spirituality that extends beyond Christianity and Judaism. The book, “Religious Perspectives on the Narratives of America: The Search for Just, Honest, Inclusive and Forward-Looking Tellings,” is a collection of 11 essays from scholars, writers, clerics, and thinkers steeped in or practicing different faiths. It was jointly commissioned by the Aspen Institute’s Religion and Society Program’s Racial Justice and Religion Collective and...