One should not make the error of confusing sociological pluralism with a theological one. The sort of pluralism that we advocate (and the one to which Eboo Patel refers) is not the pluralism that Christians and other deeply religious persons fear: that sugary, feel-good message that blurs theological boundaries and endorses an “all roads lead to heaven” ethos. Rather, sociological pluralism—the pluralism of the Interfaith movement—promotes the idea that the 6.7 billion people on our planet can be allowed to maintain their respective religious convictions while living peacefully and cooperatively with one another, despite the fact that many of these convictions fundamentally disagree on a theological level.
The authors and creators of this blog have adopted a model for religious pluralism that is taught by the Interfaith Youth Core, which defines pluralism as
“a state in which we respect one anothers’ religious identity, develop mutually enriching relationships with each other and work together to make this world a better place” (http://www.ifyc.org/about_movement).
So no, you don’t have to be any less of a Christian to participate in interfaith work, though there are understandable reasons why one would express apprehension at the idea of interacting so closely with those of other traditions. History does not show us much success in this endeavor. Yet we believe that a world absent religious strife is possible, and that many of the complications encountered by the devout Christian engaging in interfaith work come from certain current models of evangelism. Thus, Faith Line Protestants seeks to address these issues and present ways of reconciling the approaches to the Christian faith with the context of interfaith relationships.