The need for respect, however, does not mean a need for trepidation. The fear of offending someone's dearest beliefs should not be so great that there is a timid educational environment, with little real discussion. The ability to foster true interfaith dialogue, rather than interfaith silence, is one of the challenges of all religious practitioners today. That is why I know I will benefit from the atmosphere at Harvard. Harvard's level of intellectualism and its demand that its divinity students question how feminism, sexual difference, and race must be addressed in the context of religious life today will teach me how to engage in true dialogue with others. Even if I do not always agree with everyone in the classroom, at least I will learn how such disagreement can inform my own views. To enter into a multi-faith classroom demands a willingness to change, even if one emerges with one's own belief system relatively...
Because of the changes our society is undergoing, a minister cannot live in a world with only one or two perspectives: even within his or her own church there is likely to be regular church-goers and those who only come on holidays; members who are recent immigrants and those who have lived in America for generations. A congregation may be composed of conservatives and liberals, adolescents and the aged. All of these various groups will bring their own 'spin' to their own faith, even if all of the congregants are a part of the same tradition. Learning how to communicate and collaborate without forcing members of the group into silence, and bringing all voices to the surface, is a skill I hope to learn at HDS and to bring to my future faith and practice.
