Pastor Don Mackenzie, Rabbi Ted Falcon and Imam Jamal Rahman -- known as the Interfaith Amigos --are co-authors of “Getting to the Heart of Interfaith:The Eye-Opening, Hope-Filled Friendship of a Pastor, a Rabbi & a Sheikh.” Known for their unique blend of spiritual wisdom and humor, they openly address the usual taboos of interfaith dialogue — the “awkward” parts of each tradition — in order to create a more authentic conversation -- a conversation about the real issues that make interfaith dialogue and cooperation difficult.
They are frequent speakers on the topics of religion and interfaith dialogue on national and international levels. Mackenzie is former minister and former head of staff at University Congregational United Church of Christ in Seattle. Falcon, founder of Makom Ohr Shalom in Los Angeles and co-founder of Bet Alef Meditative Synagogue in Seattle, is coauthor of Judaism For Dummies. Rahman, a Muslim Sufi minister at Interfaith Community Church and adjunct faculty at Seattle University, is author of The Fragrance of Faith:The Enlightened Heart of Islam. The Interfaith Amigos are also co-authors of a previous book, “Religion Gone Astray: What We Found at the Heart of Interfaith.” We revisit our conversation from January.