Abraham's Table

As the war between Israel and Gaza grinds on, the suffering and costs of war seem unbearable. Rabbi Case, Imam Shaheed, and Rev. Skidmore talk about what "Peace" really means in each of our faiths and what God's Peace requires of the faithful. How can we become agents for God's peace in the world?

Rabbi Case, Imam Shaheed, and Rev. Skidmore talk about the October 7, 2023 attack of Hamas on Israel and the resulting war. Rather than focus on where we disagree with each other (and we do), we identify and focus on areas where we can agree. Even in the midst of war, we are called to live as faithful Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

Rev. Ellen F. Skidmore reflects on the absence of food laws in the Christian tradition and compares and contrasts Christian practices around food with what we learned about food practices in the Jewish and Muslim faiths.

Imam Shaheed teaches us about the rules and practices governing foods that are both Halal (lawful or permitted) and haram (unlawful and unpermitted) for faithful Muslims. We learn that there are many parallels between Jewish and Muslim practices.

In most every religion, food and faith are connected. Join us as we learn more from Rabbi Case about food and faith in the Jewish tradition. What does "kosher" mean? Why is it important? What sorts of foods show up in the celebrations of Jewish high holy days? And how might a non-Jewish host welcome their Jewish friends to share a meal?

How can we, individually and as a nation, move forward when it comes to the legacy of slavery and other types of trauma that are part of our national psyche? Compassion is key. Listening to another's story is important. Listen in as Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Case, and Rev. Skidmore discuss this high stakes and all important topic.

Juneteenth was declared a national holiday in 2021. How might this observance serve both the black and the white communities in America as an opportunity for education, discussion, and healing of the wounds that still affect our national life?

Following our conversations about the right use and interpretation of our Scriptures, Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Case, and Rev. Fowler Skidmore discuss the difference between true prophets and false prophets. How is a prophet defined in Judaism, Christianity and Islam? And how are the faithful to tell the difference between someone who speaks for God and someone who will lead us astray? How can we tell the difference between a true message from God and a false interpretation?

Rabbi Case, Rev. Skidmore and Imam Shaheed continue their discussion of Scriptures that have been used to justify and support violence. And in this episode we turn our attention to the Christian Scriptures. How are Christians to hear and to interpret passages that have historically been used to justify slavery, violence against the vulnerable, hate and bigotry? What are our interpretive principles and how are these passages rightly understood or applied to the life of the faithful? Join us at Abraham's Table.

We continue our conversation about Scriptures that have been used to justify hate, terror and murder. In this episode, we focus on Jewish Scriptures. Rabbi Case walks us through many difficult passages, giving us much food for thought on how to read Scripture.

The use of Scriptures - Jewish, Christian, and Muslim - to justify violence, hate, or war is deeply troubling to the three of us. Today, beginning with our national experience of 9/11, we begin a conversation about what our Scriptures actually say and how those passages are rightly understood and applied to the life of faith. In this episode we hear from Imam Shaheed about how he interprets portions of the Quran that are sometimes used to justify violence.

In our nation there are deep divisions about the meaning of justice and equality. The three of us agree that our definitions of these terms must be rooted in our love for God, self, and neighbor.  But, what constitutes justice? In what sense is it true that "all men are created equal" as our Declaration of Independence proclaims?  what do justice and equality look like from an Islamic, Jewish, or Christian perspective?

When we get to know those from other faith communities, our world view widens. But it can be difficult to know how to live out of and honor our own faith tradition, experience, and language without assuming that the way we pray or speak is the only language that God will recognize as faithful. In humility (before God and others), Rabbi Case, Imam Shaheed, and Rev. Fowler Skidmore reflect and talk about interfaith prayer and conversation.

As we look both backwards and forwards at the history and possibilities of our nation, how do we view the life, work, and preaching of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr? Was he a prophet? How do his sermons sound when Jewish or Muslim ears are listening?  Should, or how should, Dr. King's life and work affect our own faith perspectives and lives?

The cultural and economic celebration of Christmas now consumes the better part of three months of the year. Reverend Skidmore reflects on what it means to be Christian in a culture that has embraced, or engulfed, the religious observance of Advent and Christmas. And Imam Shaheed and Rabbi Case reflect on what it is like to live in this culture as those who do not celebrate the Christian season of Christmas.

Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Case, and Rev. Skidmore continue their conversation about the symbols of our faiths: how they divide, unite, and distinguish the faithful. We continue the conversation about the role and function of faithful dress, and we talk a bit about the cross as a symbol in the Christian faith.

We recognize that as our nation becomes more diverse in both race and faith, that symbols of our three faiths have been both a source of division and a reminder of our diversity. How we respond to the cross, or someone in a hijab or other head covering, reveals a lot about our own experience and knowledge. Join us as we talk about the call to modesty that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share, and about how reverence for God is lived out in the dress and lives of the faithful.

What does it look like to live as a citizen of America as a good Jew, a good Christian, and a good Muslim? What do our faiths have to say about allegiance to the United States of America? Is there a conflict between faith and citizenship? As we continue our conversations about faith and nation, we invite you to join us around Abraham's Table.

In the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, tensions in the Middle East, and in light of the rise of Christian nationalism in our own country, Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Case, and Rev. Skidmore discuss the relationship between religion and nation. From Constantine, to Israel, to the Islamic Caliphate, faith struggles to define the relationship between faith and political power in ways that are faithful and life giving.

Having begun the conversation about racism, Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Case, and Rev. Skidmore continue to talk about their own experiences of racism. How have we experienced racism ourselves? What does racism look like, feel like, and sound like in our own experience?  And what good does it do to remember our individual and collective experiences of bias? Does the past impact us today? And what can we do about a past that we cannot change?  How can Islam, Judaism, and Christianity be a part of the solution for racism, rather than part of the problem?  

The very word provokes very strong reactions in our nation and in our faith communities. Racism. How do we define it? What is our experience of it? What must Jews, Christians, and Muslims do to become a part of the solution instead of a part of the problem?  

In response to a listener question about why bad things happen to good people, Imam Omar Shaheed, Rabbi Jonathan Case, and Rev. Ellen Fowler Skidmore take on this big and eternal question, looking at this very real question from three different faith perspectives. 

Today's conversation takes us into a consideration of Heaven and Hell. How do Jews, Muslims, and Christians talk about Heaven and Hell? Who goes where, and how is that decided? And do all three faiths believe in an eternal life after this one?  There is so much to talk about, and so much to learn.

Competition is much more familiar than collaboration in our American culture. And competition between religions feels like a given. Or is it? How are Jews, Muslims, and Christians to relate to other faiths? Is there such a thing as righteous competition? Do our three faiths encourage and pursue others as converts to our faith? If so, what is required to convert from one faith to Judaism, Christianity, or Islam?

Questions that emerged from our earlier discussion about Satan, or Shaitan, show up in this next conversation about human nature. Is human nature good or evil? How do Judaism, Christianity, and Islam talk about sin or separation from God, and how do our faiths think and teach about redemption or reconciliation with God and each other?

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all speak of a evil figure called Satan, Shaitan, or the Devil. But we believe only in one God who is good and who created the universe and called it good. We know that evil, suffering, and injustice are real.  How do our faiths talk about this evil figure and evil in God's good world? And how does what we believe inform and shape how we live as God's people in God's world.  Welcome to Abraham's Table.

Imam Omar Shaheed, Rabbi Jonathan Case, and Rev. Ellen Fowler Skidmore invited their congregations to come together in person, on May 11, 2022, to record a live podcast, addressing questions and issues that arise out of honest interfaith conversations.  We begin with the question, "What happens to non-_________ (Jews, Muslims, Christians) in the eyes of God?"  Be aware, there are two brief interruptions in the recording. We apologize in advance for this inconvenience, but trust that you will still find the conversation to be rich and helpful in our quest to model respectful and honest interfaith dialogue.  Welcome to Abraham's Table!

When we talk about what our Scriptures teach us about God's creation of the universe and human kind, we learn that while there are differences in our faiths, there is much that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share that guides how we live our daily lives.

The Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Scriptures: Where did they come from?  How are they to be understood and used in the life of the faithful?

Sharing own immigration stories, as different as they are, helps us identify what the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths teach about welcoming the stranger and honoring the other. We have a great deal in common as children of Abraham.

Rev. Ellen Fowler Skidmore teaches us more about the shape and practices of a Christian life that loves and honors God. Worship (corporate and private), study, and giving are markers of a life that loves God, self, and neighbor.

Rabbi Jonathan Case teaches us more about the shape of a faithful Jewish life.  We learn more about the daily rhythms and practices as well as the annual celebrations and seasons that give Jewish life shape.

Imam Omar Shaheed teaches us about the spiritual practices that mark a faithful Muslim life. We explore the disciplines and meaning of Ramadan and how that observance shapes every day Muslim life.

What do Judaism, Christianity, and Islam teach about the shape of a faithful life? What are the spiritual practices taught by our respective faiths? How is a Muslim, Jew, or Christian to live on a daily basis? Join us as we share our experiences and the teachings of our faiths about the spiritual disciplines that feed and shape our lives.

Imam Omar Shaheed, Rabbi Jonathan Case, and Rev. Ellen Fowler Skidmore talk about our nation's crisis of mental health. How do people of faith respond to those suffering from anxiety, anger, PTSD, or mental illness? What resources do our faiths - Muslim, Jewish and Christian - have to share in this time of crisis?

Imam Omar Shaheed, Rabbi Jonathan Case, and Rev. Ellen Fowler Skidmore share our experience with people in economic crisis. What do our religious traditions say about poverty, and how are we to live in a world where there are so many who are in need of the basics required for life and dignity?

In this first episode of the podcast, Abraham's Table, Imam Omar Shaheed, Rabbi Jonathan Case, and Rev. Ellen Fowler Skidmore introduce themselves and share why they think that interfaith dialogue is essential.