(NAPSA)—One nameechoes. “Abraham.” Best-selling author Bruce Feiler began to hear that name after watching the Twin Towers fall from his homeon 9-11. This spring, the world still hears that name swirling around the conversations about whether Jews, Christians and Muslims can get along in an ageof religious terrorism, conflict in the Middle East, and war. Looking for hope in a time of strife, Feiler, author of the hugely popular Walking the Bible: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths, embarked on anotherpersonal journey searching for the shared ancestor of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. “Was Abraham just a source of war?” he writes at the start of his new book, Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths, “Or could he be a possible vessel for reconciliation?” His attempt to answer that question is a fascinating, at times frightening, but ultimately deeply inspiring look at the man who defines faith for half the world. Feiler’s book has also played a pivotal role in advancing interfaith relations. Abraham was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine, became a runaway New York Times bestseller, and has sparked thousands of grassroots conversations around the country. From an eye-opening tour through the Church of the Holy Sepulcher with the bishop of Jerusalem to a provocative meeting with the imam of El-Aksa mosque(his first-ever interview with a Western reporter) Feiler explores how eachreligion reinterpreted Abraham overtime. He endshis book with an emotional, terrifying journey to Abraham’s burial place in war-ravaged Hebron where he reads the story of Abraham’s two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, who have been estranged since childhood, yet who cometogether to bury their father. An uplifting journey searches for the man who is found at the heart of three great faiths. “Abraham achieves in death what he could never achieve in life: a moment of reconciliation between his two sons, a side-byside flicker of possibility where they are not rivals, warriors, Jews, Christians, or Muslims. They are brothers. They are mourners. They are us.” Bruce Feiler’s Abraham is that rare book that is both timely and timeless—and that forever changes not just how we look at the world, but also how we act in it. Feiler initiated a series of Abraham Salons in which people around the country invite a dozen or so people into their home, house of worship, or bookstore and have first-step interfaith conversation. Over 3,000 people, in nearly every state in the country, have reached out to join this effort. For more information, and to receive your free packet, you can visit www.brucefeiler.com. Abraham provides a road map for how we got here. As Feiler shows, perhaps he can provide a road map for where we go from here.
