Multireligious Life and Learning
Dear Friend of Starr King,
"Cultivating multi-religious life and learning" is one
of our educational goals at Starr King School for the Ministry. In a world where religious bigotry fuels
conflict, the importance of this goal is obvious. Less apparent, however, is the joy that engaging deeply with religious
diversity brings. Take a glance at the pictures below and you can see the joy. The photos show Geshe Lobsang Khenrab on the day he came to work with
Starr King students in our "Educating to Counter Oppressions" (ECO) Seminar (see course description). Special thanks to Susan Shannon, ECO TA,
who arranged his visit. A
distinguished Tibetan Buddhist scholar, Geshe Lobsang Khenrab is in the San Francisco
Bay Area preparing the way for the visit of the Dalai Lama next week (view poster announcing Geshe Khenrab's visit to SKSM). We are honored that Dr. Dorsey Blake, dean of
Starr King's faculty, will be one of the religious leaders joining the Dalai
Lama in his public appearances (see Dr. Dorsey Blake to appear with Dalai Lama).
|
In our new book, A
House for Hope: The Promise of Progressive Religion for the 21st
Century (article - A House for Hope #1 Bestseller at UU GA), John Buehrens writes that the mission of progressive religion is "bringing
all the strength of our diverse cultures, languages, and creeds together to
serve justice." I write,
"We need an ecumenics of beauty. ..
The mission of progressive faith is to embrace the beauty of diversity and the
diversity of beauty; to resist the crucifying powers by ministries of
solidarity; to love one another and this earth as paradise, here and now."
At Starr King School for the Ministry, we are educating
future Unitarian Universalist ministers and progressive leaders for society who
will embody the joy and importance of creative interchange among people of
diverse faiths. This commitment is
integral to our identity as a Unitarian Universalist theological school, and it
widens our welcome to students and teachers from a broad-range of religious
expressions and practices. Today our
core and adjunct faculty includes Unitarian Universalists, Muslims, Jews,
Buddhists, Christians, Pagans, Religious Humanists, Hindus, practitioners of
Native American Spirituality, and wonderful combinations of the above. |
We thank the Henry Luce Foundation for providing significant
funding which has enabled Starr King to develop its multi-religious approach,
and we celebrate the leadership of our Provost, Dr. Ibrahim Farajaje, whose
educational imagination and scholarly expertise in interaction among global
religious traditions has placed Starr King at the forefront of theological
schools that are pioneering
multi-religious theological education.
Our on-line courses and certificate programs in Unitarian Universalist Studies and Multi-Religious Studies are open to non-degree
students. Check out what is
coming up for the spring semester, and consider studying with us!
|
|
|
|
In grace and gratitude,
Rebecca Parker
President and Professor of Theology
Your comments and questions are always welcome.
Email me at: rparker@sksm.edu.
Early registration for Spring 2011 courses is open from Nov. 8 - 19, 2010.
Your gifts and support are needed. Donate now through our secure sever or send your donation by check to:
Starr King School for the Ministry
2441 Le Conte Ave.,
Berkeley, CA 94709-1209
Attn: Donor Relations
Educating
Unitarian Universalist ministers and
progressive religious leaders for society since 1904.
|
Ven. Geshe Lobsang Khenrab visit to SKSM, September 2010
 
|
(Photos courtesy of Susan Shannon)
|
|
|
|
