Seeing a Friend in the Stranger and the Stranger in the Friend: The Practice of Christian Hospitality through Interreligious Dialogue and Solidarity

This article explores James Fredericks's arguments for the importance of interreligious friendship not just for comparative theology but for the continued religious division we find today. Through friendship, one is able to come closer to the other who is different from oneself, which can lead to the development of solidarity with the other. At the same time, the "otherness" of the friend is maintained, allowing one to truly learn not simply from the similarity with the other, but more importantly through the differences.