Encounter doesn't dilute your faith. It deepens it.In an era when conversation across religious difference is increasingly seen as betrayal, most people have quietly accepted one of two stories: that religious diversity inevitably breeds conflict, or that genuine engagement requires abandoning what you most deeply believe. Javier A. Viera thinks both stories are wrong—and he has the evidence to prove it.
The World We Might Become: Interreligious Paths to Mutual Flourishing draws on extensive research in adult education and interfaith leadership to show how authentic encounter across religious boundaries can deepen rather than dilute personal faith. Viera, a seminary president and scholar, grounds his argument in neuropsychology, adult learning theory, and conflict resolution—and then makes it vivid through extraordinary stories: a woman who grew up in the KKK and became an antiracist organizer, a rabbi who built bridges after being held hostage, and others who discovered that the encounter they feared most became the one that clarified who they were.
For seminary students, clergy, religious educators, and community organizers navigating a fractured public square,
The World We Might Become offers more than a case for interfaith dialogue. It offers a practical roadmap: how to build relationships, clarify identity, and take collaborative action on the challenges—loneliness, extremism, civic breakdown—that no community can address alone.
