The Village Square

Old joke, new conversation.

June 25th, 2009

From the Tallahassee Democrat:

“A rabbi, a priest, and an imam walked into a bar…”

Tallahassee is rewriting the old joke on July 14th by inviting a rabbi, priest, pastor and imam to “walk into a bipartisan forum, eat dinner, and then have a civil conversation despite differences in their faiths.”

The Village Square, a local nonprofit dedicated to improving the civility of the political dialog, completes this year’s “Dinner at the Square” series “Faith, Politics & Neighbors” with a discussion across diverse religious traditions.

“A Rabbi, A Priest, A Pastor & An Imam” offers insight into the unique experiences of Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities, including the African American faith experience.

Panelists include Rabbi Moshe Elbaz, Ph.D. of Temple Israel Valdosta, the Reverend Dr. Julius McAllister of Bethel AME Church, Dr. Necati Aydin of Florida State University and Father Lin Walton of St. John’s Episcopal Church.

The Village Square’s year-long conversation on faith and the partisan divide has yielded a draft of facts and guiding principles around which people of widely differing faith perspectives might be able to come together. This draft will be used as a springboard for discussion for the evening.

The event will be from 5:30 to 7:30 PM on Tuesday, July 14 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 211 North Monroe. Following dinner, participants may choose to join a continuing discussion with panelists from 7:30 to 8:30.

The theme of the dinner is a “Post-Partisan Picnic.” Find speaker bios and a menu online at www.tothevillagesquare.org. This summer dinner is considered “Bumper Sticker Tuesday.”

Tickets are $25 pre-purchased through Sunday July 12, $35 after and at the door. A limited number of scholarship tickets are available. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling 264-8785.

Entry Filed under: Religion and politics