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Grace Found In Suffering
A Conversation with Makoto Fujimura, Artist
October 24th, 2010
One of the hardest things about life is making sense out of suffering. How do you interpret the present hardship and suffering in your life? Is it a sign of failure? Or, might suffering be understood as the soul calling you to find deeper meaning and answers in your life? Might suffering actually be a means to transformation?
Our guest is Makoto Fujimura. Mako is an Artist, Writer, and Theologian. Above all else, Mako is a remarkable interpreter of the human experience who uses art to mediate the conversation between life, faith, meaning and God.
Please join us as we explore the meaning of suffering and the power of grace, as well as the creative process that leads to healing and transformation.
Encountering Islam
A conversation about the relationship between Islam and Christianity with
The Rev. William L. Sachs, Ph.D.
M. Imad Damaj, Ph.D.
Ahmed Al-Mukhaini, Member of Omani Parliament
November 11th, 2010
Hear candid perspective from an American Muslim, an Arab Muslim, an American Christian.
St. Paul Baptist Church Mass Choir
December 12th, 2010
Faith Forum Will Raise The Roof! We will have a special gospel celebration when more than 100 voices of the St. Paul Baptist Church Mass Choir visit All Saints' Hall. Music will rattle the rafters as the mass choir helps us celebrate the birth of Christ in word and song. This will be a celebration of thanksgiving for the relationship that we've shared for many years with St. Paul Baptist Church.
The Faith Of Our Founding Fathers
A Conversation with Randall Balmer, Author
February 20th, 2011
What do we really know of our nation's founding fathers and their faith? On Presidents Day weekend, we welcome Randall, Balmer, author of "God in the White House," an editor for "Christianity Today," and an Episcopal priest. Randall will share perspectives about the role of religion in public life.
The Souls of Students
A Conversation with Chancellor Holden Thorp of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
February 27th, 2011
The college years are a time filled with opportunity and temptation. What is really happening on campus these days? How do we best prepare our kids for this experience? How do we support them in the brave new world of self-discovery when they are miles away from home? What is the proper role of the parent? What is the role of the University in caring, encouraging, and shaping our kids during this intense time of discovery? What role can faith play in grounding our children in the ways and love of God?
We welcome Chancellor Holden Thorp of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to help us explore these questions. Holden attended Chapel Hill as an undergraduate student. He later became a chemistry professor, a planetarium director, an inventor and entrepreneur, as well as a Dean. He is also husband to Patty and the father of two children. Above all else, Holden is a man of compassion and deep faith.
Please join us for a conversation with Chancellor Thorp. I expect this to be an enlightening and encouraging discussion for parents and grandparents as well as high school students.
Who is Jesus to You?
A Conversation with Dr. Stephen Prothero, Professor of Religion at Boston University
April 3rd, 2011
We welcome Stephen Prothero, Professor of Religion at Boston University. We will discuss his book "The American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon." We will explore ways that Jesus has been portrayed in world history and popular culture and then consider the question; have all of these images in art, music, and trinkets in bookstores helped us to understand Jesus better? Or, has the cultural overexposure of Jesus robbed us of who He really is?
Dr. Prothero is a nationally recognized historian, professor, and author of numerous books, most recently, "God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World - and Why Their Differences Matter" and "Religious Literacy: What Americans Need to Know." He has commented on religion on dozens of National Public Radio programs, and on television on CNN, NBC, MSNBC, FOX, and PBS. He was also a guest on "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart, and "The Oprah Winfrey Show." A regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, he has also written for the New York Times, Slate, Salon, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the Boston Globe. In 2010 he was invited to speak about religious literacy at the White House. Prothero received his BA from Yale in American Studies and his PhD in the Study of Religion from Harvard.
Getting To Know Jesus
A Conversation with J. Pittman McGehee, Episcopal Priest
April 10th, 2011
We will continue our conversation about Jesus with J. Pittman McGehee, Episcopal priest and a private-practice psychologist in Houston, Texas. We will turn to questions about how Jesus understood himself.
What did He understand was His calling?
What was His spirituality and prayer life?
What did He say about the meaning of suffering?
What did He see as the purpose of life?
What insights can we take from His way of life that might help us understand how to live more deeply with God and find meaning in our lives?
J. Pittman McGehee received his Master of Divinity degree from Virginia Theological Seminary. He received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest. Formerly the Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Houston, he is currently a Diplomate Jungian analyst and the director of the Institute for the Advancement of Psychology and Spirituality. He is the author of several books including "The Invisible Church: Finding Spirituality Where You Are", and "Raising Lazarus: The Science of Healing the Soul".
A Child's Potential: What We Can Do To Make A Difference
A Conversation with Tom Luce
May 15th, 2011
Tom Luce is a pioneer in education. He has served on the boards or as guest lecturer at a number of schools of higher education, including the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, and Southern Methodist University. An attorney by training, Tom was appointed by President Bush as the Assistant Secretary for Education. For the past 30 years, he has traveled extensively around the United States and throughout the world studying the challenges that face our schools.
In 2007, in response to what he views as the one of the most significant challenges facing America, global competitiveness, Tom founded the National Math and Science Initiative. Funded by such organizations as Exxon Mobil, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, IBM, and Perot Systems, the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) was launched to reverse the recent decline in U.S. students' math and science educational achievement. In a few short years, the Initiate revolutionized teacher training and has tripled math and science scores, and doubled reading scores in schools using its program. In a recent study, NMSI schools showed a 97.7 percent increase in AP exams passed in math, science and English, which is over seven times the national average. There was a 154.6 percent increase in AP exams passed in math, science and English by African-American and Hispanic students. In a time when America is talking about what is wrong with our education system, Tom has a hopeful vision.
Tom Luce has written such books as, "Now or Never - How We Can Save Our Public Schools", which defines his educational philosophy and outlines his preliminary plan for educational reform that calls for broader support for public education. His second book, "Do What Works", was published in December 2004 and received numerous positive reviews.
Please join us for an important conversation about the future of education and the role we as Christians need to play in giving children in Charlotte - in places like Rama Road Elementary School - hope and a future.
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