There’s a value at the heart of progressive religious practice that I deeply value, and that’s the conviction that what a belief or practice does is far more important than what it is.

I remember one of the first times I was confronted with this conviction

I hate, I despise your religious festivals. Your assemblies are a stench to me. -Amos

I spend a good portion of my life at the intersection of Christianity and Islam —as a pastor, as an academic, as someone who has given years to the conviction that these two traditions have more to say to each other than the world often allows them to. That work has taken me deep into questions about what it means to see the full humanity of people whose faith, culture, and story differ from your own. It has made me a better Christian. And it has made me a fierce advocate for organizations like Bright Stars of Bethlehem.