THE APPROACH

•The late Krister Stendahl, emeritus Lutheran Bishop of Stockholm and professor emeritus of Harvard Divinity School, established three rules for religious understanding: 

1) When you are trying to understand another religion, you should ask the adherents of that religion and not its enemies; 

(2) don't compare your best to their worst; and 

(3) leave room for "holy envy" by finding elements in other faiths to emulate. These principles foster relationships between religions that build trust and lay the groundwork for charitable efforts.