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Abstract
In the growing body of literature in adult education on learning through and from cross-cultural encounters, very little empirical scholarship examining the effects and process of interfaith dialogue as an intentional learning experience exists. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore a community-based interfaith dialogue program between Jewish, Christian, and Muslim adults. The study examined both the process and results of participation on long-term members in order to understand if and how perspective transformation of alternative faiths occurs through interfaith dialogue. The researcher sought to develop an in-depth and detailed view of what occurs during the dialogue sessions of a specific interfaith dialogue group. Data was collected using interviews, observations, document analysis and focus groups. Findings include: 1) participant learning experiences in the instrumental, communicative, relational, personal, and transformative realms; 2) major values facilitators attend to during monthly dialogue meetings as well as how they take up various roles to guide the discussion; 3) facilitator preparation of dialogue meetings; 4) conversational resources used to navigate moments of disagreement during dialogue; and 5) the process of transformative learning for long-time participants of the group. Implications included present the studys contribution to the practice of interfaith dialogue as well as research on interfaith dialogue, transformative learning theory, and Bubers dialogue theory.