CLAREMONT, CALIF. — Eventually, the borders of the 16-acre California campus of Claremont Lincoln University will be marked by the architectural features of the world's religions, with a cross next to a minaret next to a Buddhist pagoda. At the heart of campus, students of all faiths will gather in one space for prayer and meditation. Like everything about the newly established university, the vision is ecumenical and ambitious. Claremont Lincoln, a graduate institution whose first students started classes in September, is a collaboration between a United Methodist seminary and a Jewish academy and describes itself as "the world's first interreligious university." Although it will not ordain students, the university aims to educate future Christian, Jewish and Muslim clergy members and other religious leaders side-by-side. Demographically speaking, it's a smart bet. At mainline Protestant seminaries like the Claremont School of Theology, which led the effort to establish Claremont Lincoln, enrollment is dropping, and seeking out students of other faiths could boost enrollment and revenue. As the United States becomes more religiously diverse, with more interfaith marriages and families, the demand for ministers and religious counselors who are comfortable in that atmosphere is "off the charts, no question," says Philip Clayton, Claremont Lincoln's provost. But Claremont Lincoln, a consortium that includes the Claremont School of Theology; the Academy for Jewish Religion, California; and the Islamic Center of Southern California, sees its mission in grander terms: If religious divisions contribute to global problems, maybe clergy who studied together can solve them. "Drawing on the wealth of interreligious partnerships is one of the most crucial things that we need to learn for the coming decades," Clayton says.      Read more