Is 'Tolerance' a Dirty Word?

In Beyond Tolerance, a former New York Times religion reporter argues for deeper interfaith understanding (review, p. 49).

Can you explain what you mean by the title Beyond Tolerance?

I am critical of the way the word “tolerance” is used. It's an extremely elastic word that can signify almost anything short of committing violence. I don't think you learn anything about other people, or other religions, unless you move to a position beyond tolerance. Moving beyond tolerance, and toward what I call engagement, is an excellent way of confronting stereotypes.

Did you have to confront some of your own religious stereotypes as you researched the book?

I think that's inevitable. But for me, that's a process that precedes the writing of this book and in some ways inspired it. I wrote about religion for 15 or 16 years as a newspaper reporter, the last eight of those for the New York Times. This meant traveling all over the United States and occasionally abroad, interacting with a broad variety of individuals and faiths, and learning about divisions within those faiths. Whatever negative stereotypes I carried with me were continually challenged by the people I met.

What kinds of people are profiled in the book?

I look at people who are trying to dismantle stereotypes and educate others about their religious faith, bringing up the idea of religious differences in a peaceful yet very serious way. The people who wound up in the book are the ones who are in it for the long haul, and are particularly passionate about it. Christy Brown is one of those. She has been the primary mover behind the Festival of Faiths in Louisville, Ky., which is dedicated to public education about religious differences in an increasingly diverse city. I'm also impressed by the president of the Hindu temple in Flushing, Queens, who so firmly believes in just talking about what Hinduism is and welcoming non-Hindus to the temple. She illustrates the principle of hospitality.

This is a cheesy question, but do you think your illustrious Niebuhr ancestors would be proud of this book?

My grandfather [H. Richard] and great-uncle [Reinhold] were clearly identified as Christian theologians, but they understood that Americans live in a very pluralistic society. I hope they would see me as necessarily addressing that pluralism and arguing for the importance of recognizing religion as a primary value in people's lives. It's possible to be firmly within a religious tradition and active in it, yet open to the beliefs and values of others.