And now an interfaith seminary

A southern California seminary will soon start training not only Christian pastors but also Jewish rabbis and Muslim imams.

The venerable Claremont School of Theology, which has taught Methodist ministers and theologians for more than a century, will try an unorthodox approach this fall: cross-training the nation’s future Muslim, Christian and Jewish religious leaders in classrooms scattered around Southern California as they work toward their respective degrees. . .  .

Conceived in 2006, the University Project will allow seminary students at Claremont to cross-enroll in programs that train future Muslim and Jewish religious leaders while working toward their own degrees in Christian theology. Claremont already has chaplaincy programs for Muslims and Jews who ultimately work as counselors in institutional settings, but they do not have rabbinical and imam certification programs. Course topics will include inter-religious conflict resolution, scripture and ethics.

The exchange also will work in the other direction. Starting this year, rabbinical students enrolled at the Academy of Jewish Religion CA will be able to study at Claremont. And by next year, the project will include an Islamic program that aims to create a standard for training American imams by working with the Los Angeles-based Islamic Center of Southern California. Classes at the Islamic institute will be taught by Claremont professors and will be open to seminarians and rabbinical students.

The collaborative effort among the seminary, Jewish academy and Islamic center is believed to be the first to integrate the three studies. Other Christian institutions, such as Connecticut’s Hartford Seminary, offer an imam training program but do not incorporate rabbinical students.

via Theology school integrates studies of different faiths – USATODAY.com.