Theology for Elephants: A Metaphor for Multifaith Engagement

The metaphor of the rider and the elephant has been used in social psychology and neuroscience to illustrate how the mind works in regards to behavior. On the one hand there is the rider of the elephant, representing the conscious and rational part of our cognition, and on the other hand there is the elephant, representing the subconscious and emotional aspects. Many times it is the elephant that leads the way rather than the rider. Much of the work among Christians in multifaith has been directed at the rider. This podcast discusses the metaphor and asks how might we pay greater attention to the significance of the elephant underlying outgroup bias in multifaith contexts. (This podcast includes clips from sources used in keeping with Fair Use for educational purposes, including The Brain with David Eagleman from PBS, as well as the film The Sultan and the Saint, used with permission by Unity Productions Foundation. To use this film in interfaith dialogue free of charge, visit www.sultanandthesaintfilm.com/encounters/.)

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