News & Events Archive

Sunday, October 23, 2011 – 7:00 PM

Reverend Michael Piazza, presenting “Straight Talk From a Gay Man: Why We Should ALL Be Interested in LGBT Equality,” has been named one of the most influential people in the gay and lesbian movement.    Having served as pastor of the liberal and inclusive Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, Texas, for over 20 years, Reverend Piazza led his congregation to be uncompromisingly devoted to reaching out to lesbian or gay persons who have been excluded by their churches of origin.     Throughout his career, he has supported and equipped progressive people of faith to be champions for peace and justice in our conflicted world.  Reverend Piazza joins us at the Center for Faith Studies to shed light on the vast scope of LGBT issues in our community, and how those issues not only lie at the intersection of faith and justice, but also have profound practical and societal effects on all of us, whether gay or straight.

Check out the Piazza Flyer for more information.

This event is co-sponsored by PFLAG

Author and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English at Indiana University, Scott Russell Sanders is the author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including Hunting for Hope and, most recently, A Private History of Awe and A Conservationist Manifesto.  His Earth Works: Selected Essays is forthcoming in 2012.  Dr. Sanders will present “The Way of Imagination”where he seeks to articulate the link between the shaping force we perceive in nature and the shaping force that gives rise to art, inventions, utopias, ethical ideals, stories, and other human creations.  How do we nurture imagination in ourselves, our children, and our communities?  How might we use this power to envision and create a way of life more in harmony with nature, a way of life less damaging to Earth and less costly to future generations?  What does the power of imagination suggest about the role humans might play in the cosmos?

Suggested donation for tickets is $10.  Advance tickets are available in person in the main offices or in the foyer on Sunday mornings.  Tickets are also available by mail with a self-addressed, stamped envelope and a check made out to Countryside Community Church, 8787 Pacific St., Omaha, NE  68114.Students are free with ID. Checkout our Sanders Flyer for more information.

Then and Now: Civil Liberties and Interfaith Relations Ten Years after 9/11

Sunday September 11, 2011 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. at Witherspoon Concert Hall in Joslyn Art Museum, join with fellow community members on the tenth of anniversary of September 11th to remember this tragic event and to reflect on its impact on religious and ethnic relations in our community and country. Esteemed civil rights attorney and writer Sahar Aziz will share her insights on the delicate balance between national security and civil liberties in our post-9/11 America and will offer thoughts on what the next ten years may hold.

Center for Faith Studies Lecture Series 2011-2012

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