Quick.

What does the word ‘interfaith’ mean?

To a Texas Baptist mega-church it means cancelling a Thanksgiving dinner because Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Christians, athiests - people who planned to celebrate an interfaith Thanksgiving meal on their property.  
The interfaith Thankgiving meal has been held around Austin for 23 years.   Hyde Park Baptist Church of the Southern Baptist Convention originally accepted the booking of the event in July.
A synagogue opened it’s doors instead, this is the first year the event has been hosted by the Austin Muslim community. 

Smith said that although the temple served as the location for the service, it was Central Texas Muslimaat that ran the show Sunday. Austin’s Muslim community lacks a space big enough to hold the worshippers. Simone Talma Flowers, Austin Interreligious Ministries’ interim director, said Muslims have always been involved with the service but were most heavily engaged this year.

“There are a lot of stereotypes about how far apart Muslims and Jews are, and I don’t think it’s true,” Smith said. “This shows that Muslims and Jews can work together.”

The event featured a Jewish shofar — a trumpet typically made of a ram’s horn — a Muslim song calling for prayer and Christian bell music. Religious leaders from several faiths and denominations, including Methodists, Bahais and Buddhists, took part. At sundown, the Maghrib, the fourth of five daily Muslim prayers, was also held there.

This gentleman is proud of this church for ‘taking a stand.’ This gentleman isn’t.

interfaith: adjective: of, operating, or occurring between persons belonging to different religions: an interfaith service.

Hyde Park Baptist Church