GWU Professor Participates in Caravan to Promote Interfaith Dialogue

On the tenth anniversary of Sept. 11, a team of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish clergy called Clergy Beyond Borders (CBB) embarked on a national tour to promote interfaith dialogue and resist religious extremism in the United States. Dr. Michael Kuchinsky, a professor of political science at Gardner-Webb University and a member of CBB’s Board of Advisors, accompanied the caravan to “give witness,” he said, to the power and importance of interfaith tolerance in his own life. The tour made stops in 18 different cities around the country, and Kuchinksy joined the tour for several of those stops.

“We discussed how interfaith dialogue can happen, but the presentations themselves were conversations, so we were modeling how interfaith dialogue is done,” Kuchinsky said. “There have been too many examples of intolerance and violence against people of other faiths, especially as the memory of Sept. 11 began to wane. I think this is an important witness. It is, perhaps, not the most popular. But it needs to be made.”

Gardner-Webb University celebrates its Christian, Baptist-related identity, even while it respects the dignity and value of every person, regardless of ethnicity, gender, religious commitment, national origin, or disability. We are unashamedly Christian, and as part of our commitment to serve God and humanity in the love of Christ, we support interfaith initiatives that seek to promote grace, peace, and mutual understanding while addressing the needs of the community.

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