Rumi Forum had its monthly circle on February 22, 2024 to study Abrahamic scriptures on the topic of “Revelation” with our study leader, Rev. Rebecca Messman, from Burke Presbyterian Church.

Scriptural Reasoning (SR) allows Christians, Jews, and Muslims to study each other’s sacred texts. SR participants meet monthly to read short passages on a topic from their respective scriptures. Facilitated by a study leader, each session is an opportunity to listen and share various perspectives. SR sessions help participants reflect on a curious list of topics within the Abrahamic tradition. The result is often a deeper understanding of others and one’s scriptures and the development of strong bonds across faith communities.

Scriptural Reasoning: Introduction Islamic Scripture: Quran

Jewish Scripture: Hebrew Bible Christian Scripture: New Testament

This Month`s Study Leader

Rev. Rebecca Messman is the Senior Pastor of Burke Presbyterian Church in Burke, Virginia. She has been actively engaged in community organizing in Fairfax County and the state of Virginia for more than 15 years, working on affordable housing, behavioral health, and after-school programs. She is a frequent writer and speaker, writing articles for Christian Century and the Presbyterian Outlook magazine. She created a multi-faith, multi-race clergy association that toured the state of Virginia by bus, examining places of racial pain in the Commonwealth and interviewing Civil Rights leaders whose stories had not been told before. This effort became a documentary on PBS.

Before serving at Burke Presbyterian, Pastor Messman served at Trinity Presbyterian in Herndon and helped found a ministry with Spanish-speaking day laborers called Lunch for the Soul. She graduated from Princeton Seminary and the University of Virginia. She lives in Arlington with her husband and two children.