While the words to the popular Christian campfire jingle “Father Abraham” may indeed be trite, their message is a crucial one: there is no one son of Abraham, something subscribers to the three Abrahamic faiths—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—tend to forget. Rather than embracing a common heritage, the orthodox use doctrinal and ideological differences as license to exclude and stereotype.

In response to rampantly skewed attitudes and general misconceptions among the three religions, on Mar. 28, Andrews University hosted “Our Father Abraham,” a symposium spotlighting Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations with the aim of replacing narrow-mindedness with mutual respect and open dialogue.

Jointly sponsored by the International Religious Liberty Association, the Seminary, and Shabbat Shalom, “Our Father Abraham” commenced with a morning presentation by professor of Rabbinic Literature at the Schechter Institute, Mordechai Arad, who stressed the historical commonalities among the three religions. This theme of mutual heritage was echoed by the day’s speakers, including Jacques B. Doukhan. Professor and director of the Institute of Jewish-Christian Studies at the Seminary, Doukhan’s chapel message, “Whose Son Are You?” posited that “brotherhood is a sign of sonhood.” Coordinator of the Kroc Institute’s Program in Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding (PRCP) at the University of Notre Dame, Rashied Omar, along with president of the Islamic Education and Resources Network (ILearn), Soraya M. Orady, both advised proponents of all three faiths to obliterate stereotypes by jointly tackling issues of social injustice independent of any doctrinal or ideological agenda.

Other symposium speakers included Jon Paulien, professor of New Testament interpretation at the Seminary; professor, lecturer, and contemporary ethics Ph.D. student, Abigail Doukhan; Øystein S. LaBianca, professor and director of the Institute of Archaeology at Andrews University; and John Graz, director of the General Conference’s Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department. The symposium ended with a panel interview and roundtable discussion.

Elizabeth Lechleitner, University Relations student news writer