As the new year approaches, Interfaith America Magazine takes a look at the stories that resonated with readers throughout 2025. This year brought stories that we hope will give interfaith leaders encouragement to continue the work of inspiring, equipping, and connecting people, and this mission is what IA and countless people across the U.S. will continue in 2026.
As we look back at 2025, enjoy these interfaith stories of our religiously diverse country that showcase how cooperation across difference is happening every day.
Light and Growth: The Blessings of Imbolc, Brigid’s Day, and Candlemas by Rachel Crowe
In February, Interfaith America reached out to five leaders in their communities – Kate Murphy, Stephen Buzard, Vivienne Sayers O’Callaghan, Anne Coyne, and Bex Blackburn – for insight into how these sacred days are celebrated and practiced through tradition, ritual, and art.
What It Feels Like to Be a University President Right Now: Fear and Hope by Mary Dana Hinton
President of Hollins University Mary Dana Hinton writes, “In moments like these, we must remind ourselves of the durability of both hope and education. I turn to history as a hopeful reminder that education has persevered through much, from political turbulence to economic downturn.”
The US is Enduring a Constitutional Stress Test. Will We Break? by Adam Nicholas Phillips
Interfaith America CEO Adam Nicholas Phillips reflects on the U.S. Constitutional rights: “We can be a country that remembers its founding promise — that liberty and justice are not rewards for good behavior or popular opinions, but rights guaranteed to all.”
Why We Need Faith Inclusion in the Workplace by Sumreen Ahmad
In May, Sumreen Ahmad, Managing Director of Talent and Organization at Accenture and board member at IA, gave a speech at the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation’s Dare to Overcome conference about the work of religious and worldview diversity in the workplace, saying, “Pluralism is not about erasing difference. It’s about navigating it — with respect, dignity, and grace. It’s about understanding that our faith is not just personal, it’s powerful. Not just a source of solace, but a source of leadership.”
How to Build Democracy Coalitions to Meet this Moment by Chris Crawford
IA Senior Director of Civic Strategies Chris Crawford finds common ground and common action with people of other faiths, finding inspiration in one of Pope Leo XIV’s first speeches where the Pope said, “Now is the time for dialogue and building bridges.”
What Happened After the Election? How Campuses Are Bridging Divides by Rachel Crowe
Interfaith America connected with four Strengthening the Campus Community grant recipients whose communities mobilized in pursuit of the common good after a particularly contentious election season. Miami University of Ohio, University of St. Thomas, Trevecca Nazarene University, and Hendrix College reflected on the ways their neighbors demonstrated the values of an interfaith America.
Weekend Rewind: What Happened at the 2025 Interfaith Leadership Summit by Rachel Crowe
In August, IA hosted the biggest Summit in its history, bringing together more than 700 college students, higher education professionals, emerging leaders, healthcare experts, workplace innovators, and bridgebuilders for a weekend of connection. The event’s theme, The Chords of Democracy, offered a musical metaphor for thinking about the work of building pluralism.
What Kind of Worlds Will We Create with Our Words? Reflections on Charlie Kirk by Todd Green
IA Senior Director of Campus Partnerships Todd Green is inspired by Abraham Joshua Heschel’s quote, “Words create worlds.” Charlie Kirk’s death “redoubles my commitment to a world that takes the differences we don’t like and sees them as opportunities for bridgebuilding, for connecting more deeply with the humanity of those whose religious or political commitments diverge from ours.”
Living Out Religious Liberty and Pluralism After the LDS Church Attack by Scott Rasmussen
Scott Rasmussen, IA’s Director of Democracy Initiatives, writes, “The American democratic experiment has shown us – and Sunday’s attack in Michigan made it clear again – Constitutional frameworks and legal protections are necessary but not sufficient for fully realizing the core freedoms for all Americans. Ultimately, those freedoms are realized in how we treat and engage with each other.”
Quiz: What Was Religion Like in Early America? by Gracie Webb
Ken Burns’ documentary “The American Revolution” explores the country’s founding struggle in time for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. That document provides the philosophical foundations for religious liberty and a pluralistic society. Take the quiz to see how much you know about religious life in early America.
This Thanksgiving, You Should Absolutely Talk About Politics: Trump and Mamdani Just Showed Us How by Adam Nicholas Phillips
Adam Nicholas Phillips draws lessons from the White House visit between President Trump and New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani: “Imagine that: two men divided by generation, race, religion, ideology, party, and instinct choosing cooperation over combat.”
