2018 — The inspiration
Our story begins when a group of Christians were deeply moved by the book Beyond Resistance: The Institutional Church Meets the Postmodern World by John Dorhauer, pastor and president of the United Church of Christ in the United States (2015). They began looking for kindred spirits of other faiths “outside of organized religion” — and found them.
January 2019 — The first meeting
About 30 Christian and Muslim participants met for the first time. The idea of Beyond was born.
April and October 2020 — The circle expands
By April, Jewish, Christian and Muslim people were part of Beyond; Buddhist participants joined in October. Beyond became a shared space across these faith traditions.
December 2020 — The association
The association “Beyond. The European Network for Religious Progressives” was founded.
February 2021 — European and local work
We began building a European network alongside local work — strengthening the Europe that reflects our shared values.
12 July 2023 — A multireligious peace celebration
Beyond created the opening multireligious peace celebration for the Dialogue Tent of Religions on the Main riverbank in Frankfurt. Watch the multireligious peace celebration on YouTube.