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Fall
 
2009 Volume 92 Number 2
 WHOareourNEIGHBORS?
Movingfrom Interfaith DialoguetoInterfaith Engagementin a World ofFaith 
 
 W
HO ARE OUR NEIGHBORS
?For a number of years my colleague,Dr. Katie Day, The Charles A. ScheirenProfessor, Church and Society, and Directorof the Metropolitan/Urban Concentration, hasbeen researching the changing scene of congre-gations on historic Germantown Avenue. Itmay not be surprising that on a five-milestretch of this famous road along which TheLutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia(LTSP) sits, there are over eighty congrega-tions. It may, however, be surprising to you thatin addition to Jewish synagogues there are nowthree Islamic mosques on the avenue.As some of you may know, our dear Dr. John Kaufmann has been in the hospital recently. We pray that God will soon restore him to all the important things he does for LTSP ashe approaches his ninetieth year. He told me in a recent visit that theHari Krishna temple has occupied the old Mt. Airy Hotel on AllensLane across from the seminary for over forty years. That is almost half of his wonderful life of service to the church. We celebrate Dr.Kaufmann in an article on page 6. We have become a nation of many cultures and religions. When Igrew up, we thought we were doing something for harmony in thecommunity when we attended an ecumenical Thanksgiving service.Each year in Germantown there is now an interfaith Thanksgiving service. Who are your neighbors? Do you have the confidence andthe resources to profess your faith in Christ in the changing pluralisticcontext? At LTSP, our curriculum and programs are increasinglyaimed at preparing leaders who can lead communities of faith who will be confident in our increasingly complex contexts. Centered inChrist, it is important that our leaders are not only comfortable inecumenical settings, but now increasingly in interfaith relationships.Our leaders must cross these boundaries to help insure God’s peace inour neighborhoods. Too often we have seen tensions flash up aroundthe world because religious communities live along side each otherbut in parallel universes.In addition to Dr. Day, my colleagues like Dean Rajashekar, Dr. Jon Pahl, Dr. Kiran Sebastian, Dr. Wil Gafney, and Dr. DavidGrafton, among others, are working hard to prepare future leaders tobe competent leaders in the world that God isrenewing with each passing day. They areequipping leaders of our congregations andinstitutions with a theology that can witness publicly in a world of many new neighbors.Our seminary has long been a leader among seminaries in ecumenical preparation for lead-ers. There are usually twenty-six or more dif-ferent denominations represented in our stu-dent body, and in addition to knowing theirown traditions, we require our graduates todemonstrate competence in ecumenical rela-tions. You cannot know your own tradition well if you do not understand how it differsand relates to other traditions. Competence ininterfaith dialogue will be necessary in the future. This will be vital sothat our gift of faith will be the source of God’s grace and peace in our world and not as a destructive force it has sometimes become in themodern world.Not long ago in our assigned texts for the season of Pentecost weheard in Mark 7: 24-30, Jesus’ encounter with the Syrophoenician woman, a Gentile and a Greek. As a result of her appeal for herdaughter, Jesus broke through the boundaries between Jew andGentile and responded to her as a neighbor. It was not an easy conver-sation at first, but ended in healing for the woman’s daughter, and welearn something from the story about God’s will for us to be healing and reconciling forces with our neighbors near and far.In a world riddled with ethnic and religious tensions fromIsrael/Palestine to the Balkans, Iraq, India, and Pakistan, to name afew, we are called to speak a word about Jesus Christ that contributesto the healing and the welfare of the nations. At LTSP we have takenup this challenge, and we pray God’s blessing and your support.In Christ,Philip D.W. Krey
 President 
Message from the president 
ONTHE COVER:
The Rev. Khader Khalilia and his uncle,The Rev. Khader El-Yateem on the steps of Salam Arabic Church (ELCA), Brooklyn, NY, the for-mer Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church, serving in the middle of a com-munity where neighbors constantly change. Story on page 14.
 
contents 
Page 8Page 14Page 25
EDITOR/DESIGN
Merri L. Brown
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
 John Kahler
WRITERS
 John KahlerMark A. Staples
PHOTOGRAPHY
 John Kahler Jim RoeseMark A. Staples
EDITORIAL BOARD
Merri L. BrownLois La CroixLouise Johnson John KahlerPhilip D.W. KreyAdam Marles J. Paul Rajashekar
CORRESPONDENCE
 PS,
The Lutheran Theological Seminaryat Philadelphia,7301 Germantown Avenue,Philadelphia, PA 19119Telephone: 215.248.6311 or1.800.286.4616Email:communications@Ltsp.eduVisit us online: www.Ltsp.edu
 PS 
is a publication of The LutheranTheological Seminary at Philadelphia, andis distributed without charge to alumni/ae,faculty, staff,andfriendsoftheseminary.
© Copyright 2009The Lutheran Theological Seminaryat PhiladelphiaVolume 92 Number 2
The LutheranTheological Seminaryat Philadelphia, a school of theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Amer-ica, is committed to preparing or-dained and lay ministers of theWordas leaders for the mission of theChurch in the world.
FEATURES
FALL 2009
 Who Are Our Neighbors?
..............................................................
8
Moving from interfaith dialogue to interfaith engagement ina world of faith.
“Jesus Walks With Us ...”
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14
...throughaBrooklyninterfaithministryledbyLTSPeducatedPalestinianpastors.
Alumnus Romeo Dabee
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19
A new ministry at a Long Island church with a global vision.
Emmett Nixon’s Campus Lesson
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25
“You show people love and respect by the way you cook forthem.”
DEPARTMENTS
Message from the President
....................
Inside front coverOfferings
....................................................................................................
2Alumni News
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21
 Alumni Spring Convocation 2010 
Faculty/Staff News and Notes
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23
 Faculty/Staff Activities
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 23 Passages
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 27  In Memoriam
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 28
Around Admissions
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29From the Foundation
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30
PS
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uploaded a new revision for this document (#2)

11 / 09 / 2009

uploaded a new revision for this document (#1)

11 / 09 / 2009
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