The Madrid Interfaith Conference convened by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and the World Muslim League ended today.  The final declaration of the three day event called for the United Nations to play a role, saying they hope to follow up “recommendations in enhancing dialogue among the followers of religions, civilizations and cultures through conducting a special U.N. session on dialogue.”

From the sound of the article in the International Herald Tribune, the real accomplishment of the meeting was that it happened at all.

“There have been interfaith conferences before but never by the king of Saudi Arabia,” said Rosen, who is head of inter-religious relations at the American Jewish Committee and former chief rabbi of Ireland.

“It’s never had the World Muslim League before. It represents the conservative heartland of the most rigid Islamic world view. This is an incredible advancement,” he told The Associated Press…

Dr. William Baker, president of the U.S. group Christians and Muslims for Peace, concurred that the real significance of the meeting was that “it originated in the heart of Islam.”

In this talk from 1998, Rev. Billy Graham marvels at technology’s power to improve lives and change the world — but says the end of evil, suffering and death will come only after the world accepts Christ.

The Madrid Interfaith Conference kicks off tomorrow.  Organize by the Muslim World League and brain child of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, the conference will host approximately 200 religious leaders and thinkers from 54 countries.  The goal of the conference is to promote dialogue between the world’s religions.  While many are skeptical of the effort, others are withholding judgment until it is over.

I will report on any outcomes of the meeting made public in the next days.

Healthy Liberal Christianity at Park Church )  Using “the depth and breadth of her historical, theological, and psychological understanding”, she explored the theme of “What is Religion?”

Summaries of all five talks are available at The Chautauqua Daily’s website.

Here is a brief look at what you will find:

June 25 paper (first lecture) – Karen discusses the distinction between faith and belief.

Today we are obsessed by orthodoxy, focusing on thinking the right things, especially in the Christian world.  We think that revelation came down from heaven cast in stone.  We think the ways we experience religion now are the same as we always did.  It would seem that revelation should give us certitude but this has never been the case, Armstrong said.

June 26 paper (second lecture) – Karen speaks about silence, the limitations and difficulty of God-talk, the purpose of ritual and the rise of atheism.

“Our theology should reduce us to [a] kind of silent core.” ”Religious language should always point beyond the self into a silence that is productive with awe.”

June 27 paper (third lecture) – Karen focused on Jewish and Christian mysteries.

“It’s difficult for us to shed our yearning for certainty in the religion because we’re very  opinionated in this society…We’re encourage to have strong opinions and to voice them. Ideas are fine but we also need a sense of unknowing and humility, specially when we come to speak about God”, she said.

June 28-29 paper (fourth lecture) – Karen examines the interactions between different faiths and the role of compassion.

The thing that was common in all of the monotheistic traditions was that the antidote to violence was compassion.

June 30 paper (fifth lecture) Karen delved deeper into her thoughts on compassion.

“You must take your benevolence where there’s no hope of any return,” she said.  We have a choice: do we go with the God of revelation who is often seen with a sword in hand or with Jesus on the Mount who says love one another?

Karen’s wish got a mention this weekend in an article on Tony Blair’s Faith Foundation. Check it out!