“I hoped our shared faith would provide enough common ground. I was a bit naive.

“As our last meeting of an inter-congregational experiment in dialogue was drawing to a close, I felt pleased. The atmosphere was warm and congenial. We’d talked about important subjects and about our most deeply held values in a way that seemed promising for further conversation. The experiment had been conceived as an exercise in listening between members of my very liberal congregation, First Congregational United Church of Christ in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and those of an evangelical congregation in the same town, and we had done just what we hoped.

“Then came the written evaluations and several private follow-up conversations. The experiment was not as rosy as I had perceived it.”

Read this Christian Century article about an experiment involving First Congregational United Church of Christ in Albuquerque.