What does graduate training in religious studies bring to community-based interfaith dialogue work?

This panel presents four different perspectives from engaged scholars of religion whose collective experiences in the USA and beyond demonstrate how graduates in religious studies can contribute to improved interreligious/interfaith relations in various professional contexts. Their roles span from full-time paid work in religious and municipal organizations as well as a variety of NGOs, to part-time consultancies and numerous volunteer opportunities, mostly based locally. In all cases, the knowledge gained from the academic study of religion allow for these practitioners to play vital leadership roles in contributing to the quality of interreligious/interfaith engagement. In a time of increased polarization, these organizers and facilitators offer a constructive path forward for dialogical religious engagement.