Moving from Mere Light

Dear Friends

It has been a great joy to spend this phase of online communications and relationships with you here on Mere Light.

To my surprise, Google tells me that Mere Light had

 25757 pageviews - 748 posts


For the sake of greater ease of posting and fewer logins and contortions, I am moving future content to my Tumblog, Frank Kaufmann

I hope you will follow me there

Also, I've a few other places where I publish my blog style content.  These include

My page on interfaith

My Twitter feed

and 

News from the Inter Religious Federation for World Peace 

My published articles and commentary will continue to appear in the newspapers and on line media as usual. News of new articles will always be announced at least in the Tumblog. So you can't get to all articles from there.

Thank you all again for your loving support.  See you in my new media

Love

Frank K

Teaching Interfaith Relations

Teaching Interfaith Relations to Doctor of Miistry (D.Min) Students

I just returned from a one week teaching intensive for doctor of ministry students at the Unification Theological Seminary at its beautiful campus on the Hudson River near Kingston.

Scene from my window

The environment was idyllic covered in the deep snows of our season in this beautiful part of the world.

The course is designed to support adult students who cannot interrupt life and work while pursuing their degree. The teaching intensive week means that all class time is covered in just five days. Instead of meeting the usual 3 hours a week, the professor and the students manage a full forty hours of lectures in just 5 days.

The 15 week course then includes several weeks of “pre-intensive” consultation and preparation, as well as post-intensive work needed to complete course requirements for evaluation (in this case a final thesis).

The course is entitled: Contemporary Issues and Needs in Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations. The purpose of the course is for students:

1. To establish the foundation for clear leadership in the fields of interfaith, conflict resolution, and peace activism.
2. To become agents capable of effecting enduring, positive change through applying proven dynamics for peace and reconciliation.
3. To be able to critically assess and review interfaith and ecumenical initiatives, make effective recommendations for improvement, and be able to engage and work collaboratively with “fellow-traveler” groups.

The lecture schedule for each day was:

Monday: Introduction, overview, intensive week schedule, and course design

Tuesday: The elements of society and their structure and dynamics

Wednesday: The elements of religious life and belief

Thursday: The elements, dynamics, schedules, and varieties of conflict resolution and reconciliation

Friday: Religion in transition, the future of religion and spirituality in technological age

The students were engaged and responsive.

I will try to organize the lecture content and present it systematically in appropriate places on line.

Thank you for your support

America in 2014

What's next for America in 2014: Obamacare, Middle East, NSA and more

communities.washingtontimes.com

America is in a state of internal conflict caused by many factors. If this persists, our country will decline precipitously.1

Recent Travels

I just got back from Korea

While there I delivered a scholarly paper at the invitation of an Asan University, and then spent a day in meetings in Seorak

I did manage a bit of time with friends up the mountains

Just before that I was in Luxembourg and Slovakia (mostly for meetings and teaching)

 

Now I'm back preparing for the holidays, and trying to keep our projects moving forward

.

On the Geneva, Iran Nuclear Accord

Give the Geneva Iran nuclear accord a chance

communities.washingtontimes.com

Despite the doubt and skepticism, there is strong reason to give the nuclear deal with Iran a chance.

Values in Knowledge Foundation and Inter Religious Federation for World Peace, Efforts in November, 2013

During the early weeks of November 2013, IRFWP director Frank Kaufmann spent time in Europe pursuing projects and relationships to advance the work of the Federation


Jean Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg



Alain Nacache, Chief Rabbi of Luxembourg

Here is a synopsis of the journey

Article on American Jihadi Omar Hammami

Is Omar Hammami, American Born Jihadi Dead?

communities.washingtontimes.com

J.M. Berger corresponded with American jihadi-terrorist, Hammami, for over a year growing fond of him and trying to save him from himself.