Introduction
In an increasingly pluralistic nation, sustained cooperation across difference is essential. In 2020, the Democracy Fund supported a report I [Wear] co-authored (along with Professor Amy Black) on “Christianity, Pluralism and Public Life in the United States.” That report was based on more than fifty interviews with a diverse array of Christian leaders across the country, and it explored many of the ways Christians encounter, navigate, and in some ways represent and embody themselves, pluralism in America. We found that Christianity has many resources not just to stave off antagonistic division, but to support community, service and understanding between diverse people. We argued that those resources should be recognized and welcomed.
In this report for Interfaith America, the focus is more particular: evangelicals and interfaith engagement. This report draws on three listening sessions: one with students affiliated with the Anselm House at the University of Minnesota; a listening session with members of a Southern Baptist Church in Texas; and a listening session with evangelical pastors and leaders.
- Michael and Melissa Wear
