You are invited to attend worship regularly this fall for our new series, Bridging Our Divides: Why Liberals and Conservatives Need Each Other. To accompany this worship series, the Center for Faith Studies will be sponsoring an all church read from a book suggested by clergy from Temple Israel. The book is: The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Dr. Jonathan Haidt.*
Countryside warmly welcomes and embraces a diverse group of people, representing a wide variety of political beliefs and personalities, educational and religious backgrounds, and social and economic circumstances yet we sometimes step on each other’s toes, or mistakenly believe that everyone thinks or believes the same way. This series will draw inspiration from the Bible. Each week, we’ll engage biblical stories and teachings, and lift up observations made by Dr. Haidt, illustrating ways in which political and religious “liberals,” “conservatives,” and those who relate to neither label can, and should, benefit from listening to each other and acting with mutual respect.
If you are someone who is as weary of the political and religious infighting as I am, this series should offer a breath of fresh air, allowing you to stand more strongly against the cultural tide to stand on a foundation of hope.
- The Book The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt is a companion to this sermon series. For times sake, you can skip the first 97 pages and jump right in.