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August 2009 In the months after the Sept. 11 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., three women began working on a children’s book that could explain to young people the connections between their religious traditions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
In the process, they engaged each other in surprising and enlightening discoveries of what they each believed and how their faith traditions shaped those beliefs. The result was a fascinating book for adults called The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver and Priscilla Warner.
I’d like to invite you to think about being part of a group this fall at Memorial that will read this book and explore how your understanding of Christianity fits into the triad of religions that are known as the Abrahamic faiths, since they all honor Abraham as a common ancestor.
A small group of Memorial members are reading and discussing the book over the summer. It’s sort of like a test drive of what we will do this fall. They are finding the book fascinating and provocative. You can learn more about it at The Faith Club web site.
We will organize this much like we did last fall’s discussions of Marcus Borg’s The Heart of Christianity. We will have multiple groups that will meet at different times with different leaders. Each group will set its own pace through the book.
One of the added features this year will be some opportunities to hear speakers present material relevant to the book. I will be inviting representatives of Judaism and Islam to come to Memorial to make presentations about their faiths at some point later in the fall. I will also have material I will be bringing back from my trip this month to Israel and Palestine – the place where all three faiths converge.
And you may want to get this date on your calendar now: On Wednesday evening, Oct. 21, Jim Wallis will be giving a major lecture on the University of Wisconsin campus titled "An Evangelical Christian Looks at Jews and Muslims." Jim is the editor of Sojourners magazine, a leading voice for a progressive faith voice in the public arena.
All of this fits in with what seems to be a growing interest among members in our congregation in learning about other faiths. Those who have been on these explorations find that the journey creates a wonderful opportunity to clarify in their own minds what they believe, even as they gain an appreciation for the beliefs of others.
The scheduling and sign ups will happen in early September. For now, I’d just ask that you think about including this in your planning for the fall. | Three groups will discuss The Faith ClubChoose the one that works best for you.
There will be five sessions for each group.
Please
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to have him include your name in the group you would like to be part of. He will contact the leader. Please also indicate if you would like us to order a book for you at $15 a copy. Tuesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Starting Oct. 6 and occurring every other Tuesday until Dec. 1. Lisa Rutherford will lead this group. Wednesdays from to 8:30 p.m.
Starting Oct. 14 and occurring every other Wednesday until Dec. 9. Cheryl Porior-Mayhew will lead this group. Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Starting Oct. 11 and occurring on Oct. 18, Nov. 1, Nov. 8, Nov. 22 and Dec. 6. Mary Upshaw will lead this group. |
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