ICJS Executive Director and Roman Catholic Scholar Heather Miller Rubens, Ph.D., is shaping conversations at the intersection of faith, scholarship, and public life—both internationally and here at home.
This summer, Rubens delivered a keynote lecture at the International Network for Interreligious Research and Education (INIRE) conference in Berlin, Germany. Her address, “God-seeking & Neighbor-seeking: Teleological Tensions in Interreligious Encounters,” gave language to a dynamic many interfaith practitioners experience but rarely name.
In her lecture, Rubens drew a distinction between two impulses that animate interreligious work. “God-seekers” enter dialogue hoping for spiritual insight, wisdom, or a deeper encounter with the Divine. “Neighbor-seekers” come looking to strengthen relationships across religious and cultural boundaries, often motivated by social justice and community flourishing. Rubens believes that being clear about which impulse motivates participants can help people better understand one another and prevent frustration or misunderstanding.
There can be an overlap between the two stances, says Rubens. “Sometimes I’m in a God-Seeking space and sometimes I’m in a Neighbor-Seeking space. Both orientations are welcome at ICJS. Indeed, I’m not arguing that one is better than the other, but I’m just trying to name that they have different aims and different outcomes.”
The keynote resonated deeply. One graduate student attending the conference remarked that it was the first time she truly understood what “interfaith” could mean, and that there are different models of engagement—each with its own purpose and value.
Rubens’ reflections were also shaped by the conference setting in Berlin, a city marked by painful histories of division and oppression but also by courageous efforts to confront that past. The intergenerational nature of the gathering—with students, academics, and practitioners learning side by side—underscored the urgency of equipping future leaders with clarity and imagination for building inclusive communities.
Rubens intends to move her theory into practice at ICJS. “It was clarifying for me to be able to work on this idea, present it to an audience, and then use this framing here at ICJS in our programming this year,” she said.
This summer, Rubens is also writing the introduction to a forthcoming volume based on the 2023 Silber-Obrecht Lecture with Fr. Frank Clooney, S.J.
8/21/25