The Interface Between Buddhism and Christianity

On Sunday mornings (9:15-10:15 am) in February and March, Rev. Michael R. Malley is offering an eight- week course entitled The Interface between Buddhism and Christianity. Michael is in the final stages of his new book Are You a Buddhist Christian? Double Belonging in the 21st Century. This eight-week course, like Michael’s book, is aimed at those who are interested in the potential for dialogue and interplay between Buddhism and Christianity. Pew Research shows that one third of mainline Christians now hold multi-religious perspectives, inclusive of Far Eastern thought. The pluralism around us is increasingly reflected in a “pluralism within” many of us.
The eight weeks of The Interface between Buddhism and Christianity will mirror the eight sections of Michael’s book. Participants will be exposed to a wide variety of teachers ranging from Julian of Norwich & Thomas Traherne to D.T. Suzuki & Martin Luther King, Jr. to Alice Walker, Wendell Berry, Thich Nhat Hanh, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Rev. Howard Thurman, & the Dalai Lama. We will explore tensions between the two traditions while also celebrating the super-additive beneficial effects of bringing Buddhism and Christianity together in dialogue. We will look at forerunners on the Buddhist-Christian path, the variety of Buddhisms and range of Christianities that provide rich resources for students of double belonging, and the relationship between the unfathomable mystery of G-d and the deep presence of mindfulness at the heart of these two religious traditions. This interplay of traditions also calls for an engaged Buddhism and an engaged Christianity focused on issues of peace and social justice. Finally, we will address the combined power of Buddhism and Christianity as inspirational resources in the work of healing our planet, healing our Earthen family, and healing ourselves.