Welcoming Rabbi Anson Laytner:
New Luce Interreligious Initiative Program Manager

 Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry (STM) welcomes Rabbi Anson Laytner as the new Luce Interreligious Initiative Program Manager. 

Previous to this position, Rabbi Laytner served as executive director for Multifaith Works, a Seattle non-profit agency committed to serving those with the AIDS / HIV virus. Rabbi Laytner is a deeply respected religious voice in the region. For years, he has taught Judaic studies for Seattle University as an adjunct faculty member and has served as a panelist on several of Seattle University STM’s public theology lectures over the past decade. 
 
 Laytner has been deeply involved in interreligious dialogue efforts in the Seattle area and Puget Sound region for more than twenty years, including serving as a consultant to Seattle University STM when the School began deepening its response to the world’s growing religious pluralism in degree program curricula and public educational efforts. 
 
 In this role as Seattle University STM's Luce Interreligious Initiative Program Manager, Laytner will coordinate the School’s Faith & Values in the Public Square Lecture Series, staff School efforts through Interfaith Harmony Week, and will join the team in fostering the School’s interreligious relationships and opportunities for engagement.  Rabbi Laytner’s main focus includes providing research assistance to the School’s faculty as they deepen their own curricular and pedagogical resources for preparing students for the religious diversity that is changing the demands of those doing ministry in the church and the world.
 
 Rabbi Laytner is the author of the cult classic “Arguing with God” (Jason Aronson, 1998) and, with Dan Bridge, of “The Animals’ Lawsuit Against Humanity” (Fons Vitae, 2005).  He has authored over sixty articles on subjects ranging from Jewish theology to the Chinese Jews.  His work-in-progress is a study of god-concepts and the meaning of suffering entitled “I Know There Is A God; I Just Don’t Know What S/He Does”.
 
 Rabbi Laytner has a BA, summa cum laude, from York University in Toronto, a Masters of Hebrew Letters (MHL) and rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College, a Masters in Not-for-Profit Leadership (MNPL) from Seattle University, and an honorary Doctorate in Divinity from Hebrew Union College.