For the first time, more than 70 Christian houses of worship nationwide will open their doors to their Jewish and Muslim colleagues and the public to partake in Faith Shared: Uniting in Prayer and Understanding, an interfaith effort to promote respect for all religions. Gaddy, president of the 185,000-member Interfaith Alliance since 1997, will give a sermon as a part of the National Cathedral service Sunday at 11:15 a.m. -- a service he largely helped organize. The service, a partnership with Human Rights First, based in Washington, is expected to attract more than 1,000 people.

Describe the service.

Me, Imam Magid [Islamic Society of North America president], and Rabbi Amy Schwartzman will each read from our respective scriptures -- the Gospels, Quran, the Torah -- and make a few comments on the passages read. I'll do a sermon. It's a faith-shared service, and all of the liturgy will be influenced by all three traditions.

What's your sermon about?

This is a moment for religion to step forward and demonstrate its power to be healing and not to be used as a force for division. I'll talk about how people misuse scriptures by cherry-picking, while if you read all of the scriptures of that religion, that's not what it's about at all.

As president of the alliance, you've seen a lot of interfaith exchange. How does this event compare?

There is a rising tide of Islamophobia in our nation. We have had some people in the Christian community say some very vitriolic things. That's not who all Christians are. There are many of us who want to understand each other's scriptures, not burn them. It's time for both our nation and the world to know that these extremists are not speaking for the mainstream of Christianity.

What will Sunday accomplish?

Once we have personal interaction with each other, then we are no longer different to each other, but rather people of the same family wanting a better world.

- Natalie Plumb