Beyond Tolerance

Elie Wiesel

Gustav Niebuhr's remarkable and absorbing Beyond Tolerance comes at a time when religious fanaticism, with its perversion and violence, has emerged as a threat to civilization. Anyone involved or at least interested in dialogue among individuals, communities, and nations, will benefit from its wisdom and humanity.

Publishers Weekly

Niebuhr, the former religion reporter for the New York Times, is now a professor at Syracuse University. This makes his book immensely valuable: he has the careful scholarship of an academic, but the communication expertise of a journalist skilled at getting to the personal heart of a story. Not long after 9/11, Niebuhr set out to find and tell the largely untold stories of those who are involved in interreligious dialogue: why do they do it? what do they gain from it? what do they risk? True dialogue, as the title claims, means moving "beyond tolerance," approaching other religious traditions with a desire to learn and, perhaps more important, to make friends. Niebuhr tells memorable stories of people reaching across religious lines, from a group of Cape Cod Congregationalists who gave a Jewish community a historic building, some land and some money to create a synagogue to the energetic individuals who founded Louisville's famous Festival of Faiths. Niebuhr beautifully honors the commitment and care shown by those working on the front lines of interreligious understanding. (Aug. 4)

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Library Journal

Hard times make hard religions. In this post-9/11 era, we witness an America drawing lines between the religious "us" and the religious "them" and are inundated with news reports of increased bigotry and intolerance. But there is hope, Niebuhr (religion, Syracuse Univ.), a former religion reporter for the New York Times, here writes. In this wide-ranging account of his personal journey through the religious landscape of America, Niebuhr compellingly argues that hard times can also be fertile ground for people of faith to increase their tolerance for others espousing contradictory/conflicting religious beliefs as well as to go "beyond tolerance"-i.e., to transcend these differences and, together with people of other faiths, embrace the major themes advocated by all religions: compassion, love, justice, and freedom. Niebuhr brings his reporter's eye for detail to this work, which he populates with people and organizations who strive to find religious meaning in our diverse lives. This is no dry, academic exposition. Written for a general audience, it is also valuable for scholars wishing to see an America many might have thought was calcifying into an insular continent, worshipping hard gods or God. Recommended for public and theological libraries.
—Glenn Masuchika

Kirkus Reviews

Niebuhr (Religion/Syracuse Univ.) briefly explores interfaith relations in the United States and finds the glass half full. Grandson of Christ and Culture author H. Richard Niebuhr and great-nephew of famed theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, the author covered religion for the New York Times for several years and is well acquainted with his subject. In post-9/11 America it is easy to find examples of religious tension and even violence, Niebuhr acknowledges. However, he argues that an undercurrent of interfaith cooperation is growing, while largely unnoticed. This trend, he demonstrates, is nothing new. Pointing to such early examples as George Washington's letter to Touro Synagogue in 1790, the author explains that the need to survive has caused Americans of varying religious traditions to tolerate each other, though certainly better at some times than at others. For today, Niebuhr argues, society must find a way to move beyond "tolerance," which implies a certain degree of inequality and unwilling coexistence. Instead, he argues on behalf of dialogue, an exercise that "provide[s] the glue that nourishes social relationships." Though dialogue in which ideas and points of view are shared is a good thing, the author is particularly enthusiastic about dialogue that leads to concrete action. He points to Eboo Patel's Interfaith Youth Core as an example of an organization that brings people of different religions together to interact and take part in social action. He also describes the Festival of Faiths in Louisville, Ky., an event that invites people to experience the arts, culture and lifestyles of a world of religions. However, the city's Southern Baptist seminary does not participate in thefestival, and Niebuhr's discussion with the seminary's president about the reasons for its absence makes it clear that not everyone is ready for interfaith dialogue. A worthwhile call to action for those determined to reach out to other religions.