Public Lectures - What's Coming
Diana Butler Bass, March 15 at 7 p.m.
Diana Butler Bass, author of Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening
Thursday, March 15th at 7:00pm in Kempton Hall.
The data is clear: religious affiliation is plummeting across the breadth of Christian denominations. And yet interest in "spirituality" is on the rise. So what is behind the sea change in American religion?
Diana Butler Bass—who has spent her career teaching the history, culture, and politics of religion, and engaging church communities across the nation—brings forth her deep knowledge of the latest national studies and polls, along with her own groundbreaking analysis, as she seeks to fully comprehend the decline in Christian attendance and affiliation that started decades ago—and has increased exponentially in recent years.
Some contend that we're undergoing yet another evangelical revival; others suggest that Christian belief and practice is eroding entirely as traditional forms of faith are replaced by new ethical, and areligious, choices. But Bass argues compellingly that we are, instead, at a critical stage in a completely new spiritual awakening, a vast interreligious progression toward individual and cultural transformation, and a wholly new kind of postreligious faith.
Offering direction and hope to individuals and churches, Christianity After Religion is Bass's call to approach faith with a newfound freedom that is both life-giving and service driven. And it is a hope-filled plea to see and participate in creating a fresh, vital, contemporary way of faith that stays true to the real message of Jesus.
Robert V. Taylor, April 13 at 7 p.m.
Robert V. Taylor, author of A New Way To Be Human: 7 Spiritual Pathways to Becoming Fully Alive
Friday, April 13th at 7:00pm – Kempton Hall, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.
Born and raised in South Africa, Robert Taylor saw firsthand the difference that could be made when oppressed people are given the freedom to discover their voices, trust their imaginations, and find the courage to be who they are. These experiences deeply empowered him, transforming his life.
As a young adult, Robert worked tirelessly to end apartheid. In 1980 his mentor, Archbishop Desmond Tutu sent Robert to the United States to avoid imprisonment for his anti-apartheid activity.
He graduated from Rhodes University, South Africa, and completed graduate work at Union Theological Seminary, New York, eventually becoming the highest-ranking openly gay clergy person in the Episcopal church at the time.
Robert lives by his own belief that goodness and kindness are p
ossible each day as we show up for life. He continues to explore integrating personal spirituality and values-driven strategies with the question of how we each leave a footprint of compassion in the world—both at home, and in the corporate marketplace.
His book, A New Way to Be Human: 7 Spiritual Pathways to Becoming Fully Alive (New Page Books, April 2012) offers a path to an integrated life of purpose.
Join The Center for Spiritual Development at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in welcoming Robert V. Taylor to Portland. The event is free and open to the public, and copies of Robert’s book will be available through the Trinity Cathedral Bookstore.
SUMMER SEMINAR 2012
Living Together: Relationships and Vows in Community
June 11-13, 2012
with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
Hosted by Trinity’s Center for Spiritual Development, Summer Seminar is an opportunity to delve deeply into some of the most pressing questions facing people of faith in the 21st Century. This summer we’re delighted to host Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, best-selling author of The Wisdom of Stability: Rooting Faith in a Modern Culture and co-author with Shane Claiborne of Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. Jonathan is director of the School for Conversion, a non-profit organization that seeks to foster community and form people in the way of Jesus. He joins local writers and leaders in exploring how we can draw from the wisdom of ancient traditions in sustaining the promises we make – marital, baptismal, and familial – and ordering the lives we build together. Watch the Center website for registration information.