Welcome From the Pastor

Zoom Discovery Class

Dr. Leslie Kaiura will begin a Zoom Discovery Hour Class on February 14. You may call or email the church office or Dr. Kaiura to sign up for the class. Here is what Dr. Kaiura says about the class:

In my last book study group, on Barbara Taylor Brown's Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others, we explored experiences and lessons from other faiths that can challenge and expand our understanding of our own Christian beliefs. This spring, we will focus in on one faith tradition as we read Paul F. Knitter's book Without Buddha I Could not be a Christian. Like many of us, as an adult Paul Knitter struggled with Christian concepts that he was taught in his youth; for instance, if God is a "totally Other," transcendent being "out there" somewhere, how is God also present with us and in us?

Knitter found solutions to some of his spiritual dilemmas in a surprising place for a Catholic theologian: Buddhism. In his book, he leads us on a journey of "passing over" to Buddhist thought and then "passing back" to see how these ideas illuminate aspects of our own faith. This book study will especially appeal to those of us who want to live a life of faith but who sometimes have difficulty with the traditional language and concepts used to talk about God. Join us as we explore topics like the nature of God, the role of Jesus, prayer, and life after death to see how Buddhist perspectives can inspire us to a more person-centered and social engaged understanding of Christianity.