Why was the rabbi at an altar and under a cross? Who was the pastor alongside the Torah in the Temple?
They weren’t lost.
Rabbi Adam Morris of Temple Micah and the Rev. David Bahr of Park Hill Congregational Church set out last week, congregations in tow, to explore each other’s faiths.
After attending each other’s services and talking religion over three days, they discovered a “fundamental” truth:
Members of these liberal Christian and Jewish communities said they feel more at home with each other than with the fundamentalists of their own religions.
Morris and Bahr, pastor at Park Hill for only six months, launched what they call “Down the Hall Dialogues” to examine religious stereotypes and perceptions.
While the two congregations have shared a building at 2600 Leyden St. for 30 years, the two leaders thought it was time to deepen the relationship.
The idea behind the dialogues was to find out everything members always wanted to know about Christians and Jews but were afraid to ask.
The men exchanged views during a Saturday worship service at Temple Micah and a Sunday service at Park Hill.
“That was very good,” 84-year-old Erich Callmann of Temple Micah said afterward. “There are differences between Christians and Jews, but the point is, you grew out of us. We all have to live together, whether we like it or not.”
Bahr, whose church is part of the United Church of Christ, said few Christian denominations even accept his ordination as valid because he is openly gay.
“We, as liberal Jews, are a different religion from Orthodox Jews,” Morris said.
Besides sharing a less literal take on the Bible than fundamentalists, the two congregations share liberal views on church roles for gays and women.
James Ryan, head of the Colorado Council of Churches, said such enduring interfaith partnerships are valuable but uncommon. “These wonderful relationships are not everyday occurrences,” Ryan said.
Electa Draper: 303-954-1276 or edraper@denverpost.com
