Who is My Neighbor?

At the conclusion of my blog post which asked, What Constitutes Sacred Space at Ground Zero?, I encouraged religious leaders to help put into practice Archbishop Timothy Dolan's plea, "What we do not need are protests, but promoters of dialogue." In reflecting on the need to tone down the rhetoric, the parable of the Good Samaritan keeps echoing in my heart (See Luke 10:25-37). If we truly love God with all our heart and all our soul and all our strength, and all our mind, and, "Love your neighbor as yourself," then who is our neighbor? And what does it mean for us to be followers of Christ in an increasingly pluralistic society?

I decided to sit down and chat with Mark Van Steenwyk editor of JesusRadicals.com and a member of the Missio Dei Community in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to explore what it means to live out the gospel neighbor to neighbor. Here is the podcast of our conversation together.

Becky Garrison explores her first visit to Missio Dei in her book Jesus Died for This?: A Satirist's Search for the Risen Christ. Follow Becky's travels on twitter @Jesusdied4this.