Guest speaker joins St. Paul's conversation series March 20, 21
Dr. Peter Rollins, philosopher and theologian, will lecture on Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21, in the St. Paul United Church of Christ of Barrington Community Conversations series.
Rollins is a provocative writer, philosopher, storyteller and public speaker, who has gained an international reputation for overturning traditional notions of religion and forming 'churches' that preach the Good News that we can't be satisfied, that life is difficult and that we don't know the secret.
Over the two days Rollins will be taking us on a journey that involves radically rethinking the very heart of Christianity. Drawing on the metaphor of haunted houses, he will look at faith as a way of wrestling with individual and communal ghosts. A wrestling that asks us to overturn traditional thinking, embrace our world, and face our trauma. A wrestling that is no doubt painful, yet leads to the discovery of a life before death.
At 7 p.m. on Friday, March 20, Rollins presents, "The Three-Fingered Gesture: Uncovering the Error That Speaks a Truth." Join as Rollins offers an unorthodox and subversive reading of the phrase "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." Before delving into what this confrontation with the truth might demand of us, Rollins will invite us to reflect on how we often conspire with sacred and secular systems to carefully avoid this truth. The conversation begins at St. Paul and continues over food and drink at Chessie's Restaurant. Food and drink not included in the $20 registration fee.
From 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, March 21, Rollins presents, "Finding Salvation in the Other." In contrast to those opting for religion over spirituality, or vice versa, Rollins will outline a radically materialist faith, one that is utterly immersed in the material world. Looking at what Bonhoeffer called "Religionless Christianity," he will draw out how Christianity is a commitment to the earth, a commitment that reveals to us the full-blooded meaning of salvation. Registration is $20 and includes lunch.
Tickets cost $20 for each event or $35 for both, including lunch. Register at stpauluccbarrington.org/peterrollins.html, (847) 381-0460 or stpauluccchurch@yahoo.com.
Friday and Saturday talks are located at St. Paul United Church of Christ, 401 E. Main St., Barrington. Free parking is available in the church's parking lot. St. Paul UCC is located adjacent to the Barrington Metra train station.
St. Paul UCC strives to be a progressive beacon of Christian theology in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago. St. Paul enjoys a diverse congregation from all walks of life and many different church backgrounds. St. Paul believes God is still speaking and, in the words of Gracie Allen, to "Never place a period, where God has placed a comma."
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