Bossman: Why Charleston’s Interreligious Harmony Month matters

This month’s Charleston’s annual Interfaith Harmony Month is more than a civic tradition—it is a moral statement about who we aspire to be as a community.

South Carolina first recognized Interfaith Harmony Month in 2011 under S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley, with Gov. Henry McMaster continuing the observance through 2026. Charleston joined the movement in 2019 when Mayor John Tecklenburg issued the city’s first proclamation. This year marks Charleston’s seventh observance, sponsored by the Charleston Interreligious Council (CIC), a group whose quiet, persistent work has become one of the city’s most important moral anchors.

The 2026 theme, Peace in Action, captures something urgently needed in today’s fractured world: not just goodwill, but practiced, embodied peace. The opening event at Unity of Charleston on Jan. 4 invited participants to take a pledge—an affirmation that peace is not an abstraction but a discipline requiring personal and communal commitment.

Alesia Flores, vice president of the Charleston Interfaith Council and committee chair for Religious Harmony Month, explained, “The Peace in Action Pledge draws from the spiritual ideals and sacred texts of diverse faith traditions. It stands for a show of solidarity and affirms the ‘truth’ that we are united by our shared desire for peace among all of humanity.”

This theme echoes the spirit of “Track Two diplomacy,” a concept introduced by U.S. diplomat Joseph V. Montville. Track Two diplomacy recognizes that while governments negotiate treaties, ordinary people—religious leaders, community members, neighbors—build the relationships that make peace sustainable. It does not replace official diplomacy; it strengthens it by cultivating trust where politics alone cannot.

Throughout January, Charleston’s interfaith community will put this philosophy into practice in the days ahead:

Jan. 18: A sacred space tour at Holy Ascension Orthodox Church.
Jan. 19: A unified presence at the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade on January 19
Jan. 25: A 5 p.m. gathering led by the Rev. Ed Kosak exploring the roots of polarization in both religion and politics. Hindu Temple, 1740 Jervey Ave.

Each event is a reminder that peace is not merely proclaimed; it is enacted through shared experiences, shared questions and shared hopes.

A highlight of the month will be the Jan. 27 clergy luncheon with Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili, metropolitan bishop of Tbilisi of the Evangelical Baptist Church of the country of Georgia at Charleston’s Central Mosque, followed in the evening by a public gathering at Temple Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim. Songulashvili’s presence is significant. In response to rising Islamophobia, antisemitism and xenophobia in his home country of Georgia, he created the Peace Project, which brought a mosque, synagogue, and church together under one roof. The resulting Peace Cathedral stands as a living symbol of religious hospitality and moral courage.

Songulashvili’s ethics are unapologetically prophetic. He stands with religious minorities, LGBTQ+ communities, democratic movements and victims of religious extremism. His work embodies what Interfaith Harmony Month seeks to cultivate: a faith that protects the vulnerable rather than weaponizing religion against them.

We live in a moment when religion is too often manipulated to divide, intimidate, or dehumanize. Around the world—and at times in our own nation—faith is used as a tool of exclusion rather than a source of compassion.

Charleston’s Interfaith Harmony Month offers a counter-witness. It insists that:

People matter more than ideologies
Understanding is stronger than suspicion
Harmony is more powerful than conflict
Mutual respect is the antidote to demonization

In a city shaped by histories of suffering and resilience, this month-long observance is not symbolic. It is a necessary practice of civic healing.

Charleston’s commitment to interfaith harmony reminds us that peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of connection. It is built one relationship at a time—through shared meals, shared prayers, shared stories, and shared courage.

And in a world hungry for hope, that work matters more than ever.

David Bossman of Charleston is professor emeritus of Jewish Christian Studies at Seton Hall University.