Because We’re Lutheran: Interfaith work, why it’s important and how it shapes students

Coming from different backgrounds — one Muslim and one Lutheran — Aziza and Kara both speak to how interfaith work has given them tools for personal growth and how the Lutheran tradition has helped inform the work they do.

Kara shares some of the ways in which PLU as a Lutheran institution provided her with an environment where she could both practice her faith in community with others while having the ability to learn from and with those who don’t necessarily share the same background as her. Receiving a liberal arts education at a Lutheran institution that values critical questioning has helped her to expand her understanding of herself and the world around her.

Aziza speaks to the importance of interfaith work on campus as a way to advocate not only for students but also for faculty and staff. She shares that interfaith work has given her the ability to practice critical pedagogy and take steps towards changing the campus culture in a way that gives everyone the ability to show up as their full selves — whether it’s within or outside the classroom.

Join in on a conversation about what it means to explore the depth of one’s values and how those values show up in the ways we live our lives and interact with others.