PRESS RELEASE:
All are invited to join an interfaith dialogue about the climate crisis and peace at the Interfaith Peace Conference, Nov. 10-13 at Lake Junaluska. The conference features Jewish, Christian and Muslim speakers who will discuss the greatest threat to peace: climate change.
“Climate change, global warming, ecosystem collapse – all these signal an economy and a culture in existential crisis,” said Dr. Norman Wirzba, one of the speakers. “To find a way forward we are going to need the help of all people and all faiths to rethink the most basic of questions: how can people live well in a world that honors the health of land and water and all the creatures they support?”
The keynote speakers include:
Dr. Norman Wirzba, professor of Theology, Ecology and Agrarian studies at Duke Divinity School. Wirzba has taught a new generation to tackle issues of religion and environment, while working to equip rural churches with the tools needed to be more responsible members of creation. Wirzba is the author of “The Paradise of God: Renewing Religion in an Ecological Age,” “From Nature to Creation: A Christian Vision for Understanding and Loving Our World,” and “Making Peace with the Land: God’s Call to Reconcile with Creation.”
Jacqueline Patterson, director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program. The program began because the NAACP believes environmental issues, including climate change, have a greater impact on communities of color across the U.S. and internationally.
Bishop Ciriaco Francisco, currently serving in the Philippines, where he was appointed just one year before the devastating Typhoon Haiyan hit the country. He has experienced the effects of climate change firsthand and will join the leadership at the Interfaith Peace Conference to put global environmental issues into perspective for the local community.
Rabbi David Seidenberg, author of “Kabbalah and Ecology: God’s Image in the More-Than-Human World,” creator of Neohasid.org, and former contributor to The Huffington Post. Seidenberg works to teach people to understand the connections between Jewish spirituality and ecology and has also worked as an activist and community organizer.
Rabia Terri Harris, founder of the Muslim Peace Fellowship, the first organization specifically dedicated to authentically Islamic active non-violence. Her years of experience as a peacemaker will inform a lively and engaging conversation around climate change.
The Interfaith Peace Conference will feature workshops, panel discussions and a concert by four-time Grammy Award winner, David Holt and the Lightning Bolts. The aim of the conference is to work in partnership with Christians, Jews, Muslims, and members of other religious traditions to advance the work of reconciliation and peace.
Meal and lodging packages are available at Lake Junaluska. For more information, visit lakejunaluska.com/ peace or call 800-222-4930. Registration is open to the public, and there is a special program rate for students.
Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center is a place of Christian hospitality where lives are transformed through the renewal of soul, mind and body. To find out more about programs, conferences and other activities at Lake Junaluska, visit lakejunaluska.com or call 800-222-4930.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.