STORIES INSIDE eMinistry offers phone classes - p. 12 Spokane has urban missionary - p. 7 Project counters gangs’ appeal - p. 9 Hillyard churches September 2007
[email protected] Volume 24, Number 7 www.thefigtree.org collaborate - p. 8 (509) 535-1813 • 323-4037 Monthly newspaper covering faith in action throughout the Inland Northwest Inter-religious dialogue can quell conflicts By Mary Stamp University. While here, he helps With part of his life in each support his diocese and family. tradition, Father Patrick Baraza, Most of his family became a Kenyan priest serving in the Christian, he said, not because he Diocese of Spokane, sees African “converted” them, but because of traditional religions strengthening what they saw in him. community, Christianity bringing He had preached at a Mass hope and Islam being practical. before an interview with The Fig He believes each faith has Tree. His sermon was about Na- positive contributions to make in thanael asking Philip if anything the African context, but he sees good could come out of Nazareth. that often the imported faiths— Philip said, “Come and see how Christianity and Islam—have he prays, come and see how he not respected African traditional loves.” (John 1:45-51) religions. They have brought “To African traditional reli- Arabization, Americanization and gions, which worship one God Europeanization that deny respect and have no concept of future, to African traditional religions. Christianity brings a sense of Because those faiths also have future and hope, hope for life brought to Africa their internal today,” he said. “Africans who divisions and their hostilities to have nothing to eat go to a Chris- each other, Father Patrick consid- tian crusade where they dance ers inter-religious dialogue crucial and praise.