Faith in Diversity Newsletter - 5.9.25 - A Year of Faith in Diversity

It is hard to believe I have been writing for a full year of Faith in Diversity. (And hard to believe our baby boy is also about to turn 1!) In this week’s edition, I will share what I am planning for the future of this newsletter and reflect on a year of writing. I recognize that a number of you who signed up for a year are coming up for renewal and others who subscribed monthly may be wondering what is next. I would love for you to continue your readership but wanted to make sure you knew what you were investing in. My direction will be a little different than before in the months to come.   

What’s Next

The next newsletter, for paid subscribers, will seem like it has a very specific audience and it does. For months, my daughter, her boyfriend, and their friends have been requesting a topic I once made a joke about: The Religious Implications of Dating my Daughter. It turns out these good-humored teens really want to know what I have to say. After ensuring their consent, not wanting to induce any embarrassment, I am finally ready to deliver this manifesto. Will it involve the new Pope being from Chicago, Kierkegaardian Existentialism, and the Sikh principle of Seva? All this and more. 

On May 23, with a free newsletter, I will begin a new series on the History of the UNF Interfaith Center. This is a topic I have written about previously but this will be a more comprehensive view, as I finish a project for Interfaith America. I wanted to preserve the memory of this campus-changing and life-changing decade-and-a-half long project, incorporating the voices of staff and students who built bridges together and cultivated a community of collective liberation. This series will continue through the end of June. 

In July, August, and probably continuing into September, I will write a series which is intended as the draft for a book project I have had in mind for a while: “Neighbor Faith: Theology for a Diverse World”. Some of this material will be familiar, but will be presented chapter by chapter, covering the intersection of Christian theology with different aspects of human diversity. Though this will be less Interfaith oriented, I will be writing it with an Interfaith audience in mind. One of my central questions is: how can Christian theology be a gift to diverse people, rather than a threat? 

Thanks for continuing to walk with me on this journey!

Calendar:
May 16 - The Religious Implications of Dating My Daughter 
May 23 (Free) and 30, June 6 (Free), 13, 20 -  A History of the UNF Interfaith Center  
July 6 (Free), 13, 20, 27, August 8 (Free), 15, 22 - Neighbor Faith: Theology for a Diverse World

A Year Ago

When I began writing this newsletter in May 2024, I put on a strong face. This was a professional project and I wanted to provide you with incisive and digestible commentary on the intersections of religion and diversity. Of course, I did vulnerably share some of my story with you, especially of losing my job at the UNF Interfaith Center. I also realize I left some threads hanging and did not share the whole story. 

The truth is, a year ago, I was deeply depressed. My heart was shattered for the people of Palestine, and still is. But then, I felt trapped in a job where to sympathize with the people of Gaza was a field too far. I was called a terrorist sympathizer by a major donor. I failed to influence another to make any mention of the suffering of the Palestinian people in a major speech at a dinner celebrating Humanitarian values. I knew I had to say more and do more for Palestine, and to do so would bring threats to my job and organization. I loved my co-workers but came to realize their work was not mine. I watched as friends and students put their safety on the line for Gaza only to be arrested on campus at University of North Florida and felt ashamed.

It was a blow after a year of being embattled for working in DEI at a public university in Florida. I spent almost all of 2023 fighting for the dignity of our students and our work. Despite realizing that was a losing battle, I thought I had an off ramp to work for a community organization in the Fall, OneJax. Then the horrific attacks of October 7 in Israel were followed by Israel’s onslaught in Gaza, reckless from day one, stated with genocidal intent from day one, and carried out now with going on two years of bombing a caged people, tearing children’s bodies to pieces.

I began my work at OneJax as the slaughter began and continued, unabated, and I observed around me the silence or even cheering for this decimation. I knew almost immediately my prospects were doomed in this role. I was working from home, and I would sit, catatonic, at my work table, sometimes collapsing and resting my chest on the surface. I had fought for a place in my state, found an escape route, and this is where I found myself. What choice did I have? My family needed income and health insurance. But I had no sense of calling in that work anymore and my conscience was bleeding.

After several months, I began to plot my second escape. It was hard in the midst of depression and financially uncertain given the looming arrival of our baby son. My wife was incredibly supportive but when I finally decided I had to resign and try to find other work, I did not know if it would make sense to her. I prepared a plan and Faith in Diversity was a part of it. Maybe some people would like to read my writing and be interested in my commentary enough to subscribe. 

She believed in me and so did you, and I will always be grateful. 

So I’ve written for a year on faith and diversity, religion and human rights, topics of import and my silly little movie and TV reviews. I’ve tried to do some reporting but always keeping a perspective on human rights and care for the creatures and the earth as a centering commitment. You have shared connections and disagreements with me through the year, and I appreciate it all. Early on in this project, I shared my guiding philosophy: our hope is finding each other. I still hold on to that even if I don’t always believe it. Call it faith!

Paid subscribers can visit this newsletter on the website to add comments! I am always interested to hear what you think and discuss further.

For any feedback, reach out to me by email at: faithindiversityproject@gmail.com

Thank you for subscribing and see you next time! ~ Matt