Scholar-Activist Encounter: Rabia Harris & Sarah Henkel

September 23, 2021, 7:30pm Eastern Time

How do activism and scholarship contribute to our understanding of Scripture in the world today?

In this session, Muslim scholar and writer Rabia Terri Harris will dialogue with Christian pastor and activist Sarah Henkel about the parallels between the Quran and the Bible, and what these overlapping and diverging stories have to teach those who strive to cultivate justice and peace. Rabia and Sarah both are members of the multifaith Community of Living Traditions (a co-sponsor of this series), and their discussion will draw from and mine the wisdom that has been generated through the day-to-day discussions held in community for over a decade.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Please note: This event takes place on the fourth Thursday instead of our normal Third Thursday gathering time out of respect for Yom Kippur.

Rabia Terri Harris, the child of a Jewish father and a Christian mother, is a U.S.-based speaker, writer, activist, and chaplain. She received forty years of Islamic spiritual education through apprenticeship in the Halveti-Jerrahi Tariqa, a traditional Turkish Sufi order. In 1994, Rabia launched the Muslim Peace Fellowship for the theory and practice of Islamic nonviolence. In 2009 she was chosen founding president of the Association of Muslim Chaplains. That same year she became one of the four co-founders of the Community of Living Traditions, a continuing multireligious learning experiment in peace, justice, and care of the earth. Rabia holds a BA in Religion from Princeton University, an MA in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures from Columbia University, and a Graduate Certificate in Islamic Chaplaincy from Hartford Seminary. Rabia serves as editor of Fellowship, the magazine of the Fellowship of Reconciliation.

Rev. Sarah Henkel is Parish Associate at White Plains Presbyterian Church. She recently moved to Middletown, NY to join the Freedom Farm Community, a farm-based intentional community dedicated to sharing food, connecting to God’s creation, and freeing our communities from all forms of oppression. Sarah is on the board of directors of Proyecto Faro, a Rockland County grassroots immigrant rights organization and involved in their food access initiatives. She is a member of the Community of Living Traditions, a multifaith community through which she continues to learn of the deep resonances between faith traditions.

The Center and Library for the Bible and Social Justice invites you to join us for an interactive dialogue exploring the interfaces between scholarship and activism. How do these ways of being contribute to our understanding of Scripture in the world today? Let’s come together to learn from each other. Most events take place on the third Thursday of the month at 4:30pm Pacific Time / 7:30pm Eastern Time. We do not meet every month, and occasionally meet on a different night.

See the full schedule of the Scholar-Activist Encounter series. For questions, email info@clbsj.org.

This series is co-sponsored by the Community of Living Traditions.