Richard Rose is Professor of Religion and Philosophy at the University of La Verne. Dr. Rose is an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. His current research examines global issues related to Interfaith dialogue and Religious Pluralism.  Dr. Rose sees his life’s work as continuing the Process of Building the Beloved Community. That work is done primarily through the Ecumenical Center for Black Church Studies (ECBCS) Program at La Verne. The Purpose of ECBCS is to provide accredited in-service learning to persons of whatever ethnic background who serve the African-American community. During the Covid-19 Pandemic, ECBCS established the Jr. Order of Melchizedek (JOM) Rites of Passage Program for youth in the community. JOM is a community-based program designed to improve the well-being of grade school students through value-based decision making. Dr. Rose is the author of An Interreligious Approach to a Social Ethic for Christian Audiences (2017) and 7 Meditations on the Lord’s Prayer (2016), both published by Christian World Imprints, New Delhi, India. He serves as a Co-Chair of the Southern CA Committee for a Parliament of the World’s Religion, as a Trustee of the Bethany Theological Seminary and a Board Member of the John Cobb Institute.