Adult Education

Summer Book Group, Week 4

Our 12-week Summer Book Group continues!

Join us on Zoom for an hour of discussion and fellowship. We’ve got three selections lined up, with Tuesday evening Zooms from now through Aug. 25 (except for June 30). See the curriculum below. There is no reading assignment for the first Tuesday of the month. Feel free to drop in as many nights as you like, but you do need to register to receive the URL or call-in information.

Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
Led by Tim Palmer Curl
June 2, 9, 16 & 23
I had first selected F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. But at this moment in our history, that selection didn’t feel right. So we are switching to another classic American novel, also set in the 1920s, but one that speaks directly to our enduring legacy of racial inequality. This one also is available online for free.

The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog, by Adam Gidwitz
Led by Jaime Staehle
July 7, 14, 21 & 28
The Inquisitor’s Tale is a young adult novel, an exciting and hilarious adventure told in the style of the Canterbury Tales. We will follow Jeanne, Jacob and William as they traverse medieval France on a quest that will have them asking “Who is God?” and “Why is this dragon farting?”

The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For and Believe, by Richard Rohr
Led by Morgan Valencia King
Aug. 4, 11, 18 & 25
I should admit up front that I haven’t yet read this book. But look at that title! It’s quite literally promising us the (theological) world. I don’t see any way that one book about Jesus could offer that much. But if there’s even a small chance this book can help us connect with God in a new way this summer, I think it’s more than worth it.