Special Events Series, October 23 and November 20 at 6:00pm in the Sanctuary:
Central’s On the Wisdom Path: perspectives, narratives, and conversations “Dobbs” Series, October 23 and November 20 at 6:00pm in the Sanctuary: Reproductive freedom and justice in the context of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. This series brings a sequence of guest speakers on constitutional law and Christian ethics in the context of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Sunday, October 23, 6:00pm in the Sanctuary, The Reverend Katey Zeh, Baptist minister and CEO of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, joins us in person in the Sanctuary to discuss her book, “A Complicated Choice: Making Space for Grief and Healing in the Pro-Choice Movement”.
As a seminary professor, I find especially interesting the way that Zeh educates the reader on the historical links between white supremacy and Christian nationalism that persist in legislative policies, legal practices, and theological teachings. Chapter 5, “For the Dignity of Young People,” is a prime example of the ways these factors collude to deny pregnant teens’ control of their reproductive lives while also restricting access to resources, education, and support. Each story is told in a way that illustrates how the storyteller and the reader’s experience “is intertwined within a larger human story of reproductive injustice and oppression.” Zeh lifts up biblical narratives to debunk a “theology of shame and silence” in favor of a compassionate God who is always with us. The theological vision Zeh casts is one that welcomes “disenfranchised grief” and pushes against the “invalidation of loss” that many of the storytellers name.
From a book review by Kate Ott, Ph.D., in Conscience Magazine, Aug 10, 2022
Reverend Zeh will also join us at worship and provide a brief, introductory message for her evening presentation and join our social hour for a post-worship reception with the congregation
.
