Three remarkable events over the next three months:
Healing the Heart of Democracy
Noted writer, teacher and activist Parker Palmer and one of the definitive voices of the heartland and progressive spirituality, singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer, will be presenting a evening of song and spoken word on “Healing the Heart of Democracy: A Gathering of Spirits for the Common Good” through a a three-stage journey of hope celebrating ‘we the People’, exploring the power of ‘The Broken-Open Heart’, and inviting reflection on ‘How The Shall We Live.’ This evening with these two Quakers will be on Saturday, September 29 at the Crimi Auditorium in the Institute for Collaboration at Aurora University (407 S. Calumet Ave., Aurora, Illinois). The event is free. However, reservations are required as seating is limited. To register, please visit auartsandideas.com, email artsanddideas@aurora.edu or call 630-844-4924.
Quaker Earthcare Witness
The Quaker Earthcare Witness October Gathering and Steering Committee meeting will be held at the Cenacle in Chicago, October 4-7, 2012. The theme, for this year, will again be Food and Biodiversity and will be commemorating 25 years of bringing earthcare concerns to Friends. In addition to ILYM’s Noel Pavlovic and Jim Kessler, farmer and environmental educator from Iowa Friends United Meeting, speaking Friday and Saturday evening on food and biodiversity, Jose Aguto, FCNL Legislative Secretary for Sustainable Energy and Environment, will address the challenges of FCNL in working on the environment today; a panel of QEW members will address special aspects of food and biodiversity. We will celebrate with stories from our 25-year history, and we will be planning for our future work: what will our priorities be and how will we work with Quaker organizations and others who share our concerns? Please consider joining the committee for the entire three-day gathering. Bring your stories, your passions and your ideas. Registration is due by September 7. If you have questions or want to register for the Gathering either full-time, for a day or two, or as a commuter, please contact treadway@ilstu.edu or call 309-454-1328.
The Holy War Conference
How do religious traditions link God and war? How have these linkages been misconstrued or exploited? Is religious violence distinct or do appeals to religious justification for violence serve as an excuse or smokescreen? The UIC Holy War conference will examine iterations of religious violence across temporalities and space. Conference presenters will speak to the internal categorizations of war and violence and their relations to imperial, national, and religious political forms. While individual papers will address specific religious traditions, the panels and conference as a whole is comparative and will bring out specificities and similarities among conceptions of holy war. The Keynote Address will be at 5pm on November 15 and is titled “Revelation and Militancy in the Traditions of Abraham” to be presented by Michael Sells, John Henry Barrows Professor of Islamic History and Literature, University of Chicago, and member of 57th Street Meeting. This conference is free and open to the public: November 15-16 at the University of Illinois at Chicago Institute for the Humanities (701 South Morgan Street, lower level Stevenson Hall); more information. Preregistration is not necessary, but is appreciated so attendance can be calculated. Click here to register.