Our Mission

· Building a network of educators who address the needs of religiously diverse societies with models of peaceful coexistence.

· Providing professional development opportunities for teachers and community organizers in schools, universities, and beyond the classroom.

In 2001, a group of organizations convened a conference to explore the emerging field of interfaith education. Out of this event, the Planning Committee for the Consultation on Interfaith Education was formed. This Planning Committee is comprised of  Auburn Seminary, ARIL/CrossCurrents, CLAL—the National Jewish Center for Leadership and Learning, the Loretto Community, the International Mahavir Jain Mission, the Interfaith Community, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the Muslim Women’s Institute for Research and Development, and the Temple of Understanding.  

The result of our initial collaboration was a conference series entitled “The Consultation on Interfaith Education” – the first being held in March 2003 in New York. This Consultation assembled an international body of representatives from the educational, religious, social service and diplomatic fields in order to exchange ideas, practices, information, and resources.  It comprised a pioneering effort to navigate the complex landscape of interfaith education, identifying both its problematic and promising features, with the goal of reaching new horizons in practical problem solving, peacemaking, and tolerance through education. 

In November 2003 the CIE sponsored a consultation at the American Academy of Religion's Annual Meeting in Atlanta which brought the nascent field of interfaith education to the attention of the community of scholars of religion who teach in America's colleges and universities.

These consultations have revealed that, while many interfaith organizations that work with interfaith education exist, the organizational and pedagogical support structures that would connect them as a field and lend coherence and momentum for growth are lacking. In response, our collective organizations are currently engaged in a multi-year project to provide integrated support structures and services to develop the field of interfaith education. We have formed a working group and, over the course of the next three years, our working group seeks to organize:

§         regional, national, and international conferences

§         several ongoing informational medium– including a Website and database, an on-line peer-review journal, instructional videos and CD-ROMs, and resource publications – to share pedagogical approaches, best practice models, curricula, and research on interfaith education

§         interfaith training institutes for seminary faculty, students, and administrators, as well as interfaith practitioners, educators, and religious leaders

 Our first international event was the Symposium on Interfaith Education at the Parliament of the World’s Religions that was held in Barcelona, July 8 – 11, 2004. This symposium represented an important step in the broader project of nurturing a nascent field. Our Symposium on Interfaith Education was the product of a collaborative process involving all the members of the Planning Committee for the Consultation on Interfaith Education.

The Consultation for Interfaith Education  invites organizations that are involved in the field of interfaith education to join the CIE and seeks membership applications from religious and inter-religious, sectarian and non-sectarian organizations that are interested in becoming part of our network.  New members are welcome and every application will be considered by the CIE planning committee. To apply, click here.