On September 18, Ismail Royer, Director of RFI’s Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team, joined Rev. Dr. Greg Seltz, Executive Director of the Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty, and Kevin Singer, President of Neighborly Faith, for a conversation about religion freedom. Some 200 students, faculty, and community members attended this event, which was hosted on the campus of Concordia University (Nebraska), an institution affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

As a student newspaper described it, “The conversation was not a debate on religious differences but an opportunity to examine what religious freedom means from two points of view and to recognize Christianity and Islam’s similar foundations.” One point of emphasis for Royer, which the article also highlighted, relates to a shared commitment among Christians and Muslims to key virtues that promote human flourishing. “It is in the interest of Muslims,” Royer stated, “that the Christian virtues survive and revive in America.” This theme is not new for Royer. He leads RFI’s Virtues Project, which can be summarized as follows:

Without ignoring or trivializing theological differences between Jews, Christians, and Muslims, the project seeks to foster a shared sense of purpose among scholars, faith leaders, and the broader public to restore an understanding of, and commitment to, the classical virtues that these monotheistic traditions have discovered and professed through the ages.

Watch the full event video: