Building bridges for faith groups

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This article was published 11/06/2020 (2122 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FORMER University of Winnipeg theology Prof. James Christie has been named the inaugural ambassador at large for the Canadian Multifaith Federation.

Christie, 69, served for 15 years at the university as dean of theology, dean of the Global College, and director of the Ridd Institute for Religion and Global Policy.

In his new volunteer role with the Toronto-based federation, Canada’s oldest multifaith organization, Christie will work at establishing a national interfaith network, promote increased interfaith collaboration in Canada, and help faith groups address issues raised by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

Christie also wants to “get religion on the radar of the federal and provincial governments.”

Too often, governments think religious groups are only about worshipping on weekends, he said. In reality, “they are involved in a wide range of work and ministries geared towards helping their communities.”

This includes programs such as food banks, helping homeless people and other essential community services, he said.

For Christie, his new appointment is the culmination of a life spent in ecumenical and interfaith work.

“I feel like my career has prepared me for this opportunity,” he said, noting his involvement in ecumenical relations while a minister for 25 years with the United Church of Canada, his doctoral thesis on the implications of Christian and Jewish dialogue, his academic speciality of ecumenism and dialogue theology at the U of W, and being a lead organizer of the 2010 G8 world religious leaders summit in Winnipeg.

Of his new role, Christie is excited for a chance “to build it from the ground up,” as he works to strengthen bridges between faith groups in Canada.

The appointment comes at an interesting time during the pandemic.

“The virus has affected everyone, regardless of religion,” Christie said. “It’s an opportunity for people of diverse faiths to get to know each other and work together.”

Faith groups, he believes, can use the pandemic as a way to help people avoid becoming more isolated, nationalistic and tribal.

“It can give us a new way of seeing the world, that we are all in this together on this fragile planet, that we need each other and the grace of God,” he said. “We’re all one human community. We need to recognize that and move in that direction.”

For Belle Jarniewski, president of the Manitoba Multifaith Council, Christie’s appointment is welcome news.

“James is wonderfully suited to this new role thanks to his many years of experience and accomplishments in promoting interreligious dialogue and whole world ecumenism locally, domestically, and internationally,” she said.

She credits Christie for widening the focus of the Manitoba Multifaith Council from bilateral Christian-Jewish dialogue to multilateral and multifaith dialogue, and for helping to promote the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for the advancement of interreligious understanding in the province.

In addition to his role as ambassador, Christie is chairman of Project Ploughshares, the peace research institute of the Canadian Council of Churches; a member of the executive committee of the G20 Interfaith Association Advisory Board; and a member of the board of experts of the International Religious Liberties Association.

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