Abrahamic worshippers in Berlin have united to create a “churmosquagogue,” a building that will include three places of worship, all under the same roof, for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

Harriet Sherwood’s article on the Guardian sheds light on the “House of One,” the name given to Berlin’s new interfaith structure. Designed by architect Kuehn Malvezzi, the House of One is expected to take approximately four years to build. May 27th, 2021 is the planned date for laying the foundational stone of the monumental building.

The term “churmosquagogue” is a hybrid term that captures the unity between the church, mosque, and synagogue that will reside in the House of One. Each of these places of Abrahamic worship will be linked to a central meeting space.

Critics of the House of One have raised their concern that the structure is “mixing religions” and creating a “new religion.” Roland Stolte, a Christian theologian involved in the interfaith project, maintained that the Abrahamic religions could co-exist “while each retaining their own identity.”

In a previous post, I shared the words of Bishop Markus Dröge, an ambassador of the House of One project, who told Evangelical Focus: “We want to show that faith doesn’t divide Jews, Christians, and Muslims, but instead reconciles them.” Bishop Dröge added: “[Jews, Christians, and Muslims] all believe in the same God, one God. We need to leave our differences on the table and try to find what we have in common. That’s how we can learn from each other.”

I raised the following points in the aforementioned post:

Personally, I love the idea of creating shared spaces that physically link Jews, Christians, and Muslims populations together as a singular community.

The close proximity of the three places of worship is crucial in developing authentic relationships based on humanity, knowledge, and peace building.

The House of One will be a literal example of peaceful coexistence in a world that is in dire need of it.

What are your thoughts on the House of One and similar projects like the Tri-Faith Initiative in Omaha?