Jack Gordon: Deepening Our Shared Spiritual Identity

Baha’is believe in the oneness of humanity—that we all come from the same source.

That primary Baha’i principle comes directly from Baha’u’llah, the prophet and founder of the Baha’i Faith, who:

… taught the Oneness of humanity; that is to say, all the children of men are under the mercy of the Great God. They are the sons of one God; they are trained by God. He has placed the crown of humanity on the head of every one of the servants of God. Therefore all nations and peoples must consider themselves brethren. They are all descendants from Adam. They are the branches, leaves, flowers and fruits of One Tree. They are pearls from one shell. – Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 28.

Jack Gordon, a coalition builder and a dismantler of entrenched divisions, works as an award-winning filmmaker and podcast host. He has developed a career of service-oriented work which simultaneously celebrates cultural differences and the unifying reality of our shared spiritual identity. A Baha’i of Jewish heritage, Jack facilitates meaningful conversations between religious communities as a mechanism for building trust and understanding along the path towards the realization of the oneness of humankind, the core principle of the Baha’i Faith. In his film work, Jack has traveled around the world to document the creative ways marginalized communities respond to and ultimately transcend persistent challenges. A devoted husband married to an African American woman, and the father of a bi-cultural daughter, Jack exemplifies, in his life and his work, a commitment to the reality of unity in diversity.

In this episode of America’s Most Challenging Issue, we sit down with Jack Gordon to discuss his life’s work; his understanding of the peculiar nature of white privilege, and the importance of consciously choosing to be in unfamiliar spaces in order to deepen our understanding of our common humanity. 

Listen to Jack Gordon’s podcast Interfaith-ish on Soundcloud now.