The Boniuk Center Newsletter September 2009
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Greetings!
As we embark on a pivotal year of strategic planning, it is helpful to reflect on our past achievements. Last year the Boniuk Center partnered with Interfaith Ministries to produce the third annual Greater Houston Amazing Faiths Project, which included Dinner Dialogues, the World Religions Lecture Series, Faith Tours (of worship sites and community centers) and the Youth Project. The national Amazing Faiths Project was expanded to include video materials for cities interested in producing their own Dinner Dialogues. The Bridge Builders lecture series presented discussions of hate speech, free speech and peacemaking. The Center's bi-monthly radio program continued to bring fascinating perspectives on religious tolerance to a Greater Houston audience. Fulbright scholar Moussa Khedimellah lectured on Islam, and our Public Scholar fellows taught both adults and adolescents about world religions and peaceful coexistence. More religious tolerance pins were mailed around the world than ever before. Our 2008-09 programming season culminated with a performance of the musical, The Gold, which explored a boxer's journey through religious hatred from the Holocaust through the 1972 Munich Olympics. These programs reached over 15,000 individuals, helping to create conditions conducive to peaceful co-existence between people of different faiths locally, nationally, and around the world. We hope you join us for the exciting 2009-10 programming season.
To learn more about our 2008-09 programs, see the Annual Report.
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"Is Tolerance Enough?"
Reflections on the International Summer School on Religion and Public Life
by Betsy Gerdeman
Betsy Gerdeman, Senior Vice President of Development for
KLRU TV and former Vice President for Community Engagement at Interfaith
Ministries of Greater Houston, was chosen as the 2009 Boniuk Center Fellow to the International Summer School on Religion and
Public Life held in Birmingham, England. Read her reflection entitled "Is Tolerance Enough?" here.
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Rice University Families Weekend-World Religions Infosession
Friday, September 25, 2009
2:00-3:00 PM
Herring Hall, Room 126, Rice University
Join The Boniuk Center on the Rice University campus during Families Weekend for "Ten Religions Around the World", a student led table conversation on global religion. You can join the discussion at any point and learn about the major world religions while interacting with Rice Students. Learn more about this event and check out the entire Families Weekend schedule here.
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An Evening with Karen Armstrong-Discount Tickets Available
October 8, 2009
7:30 PM
Wortham Theater, 500 Texas St, Houston, TX
 Special Discount tickets will be available for this event to
Boniuk Center colleagues and friends when you use the promotional code: armstrongselect. You will receive 15% off of your tickets except for patron level tickets which are $74. Purchase tickets now.Karen Armstrong, the British author of numerous works on comparative religion will promote her latest book, The Case for God. She is "arguably the most lucid, wide ranging, and consistently
interesting religion writer today," according to Salon.com. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, Ms. Armstrong has been in demand
as an authority on Islam and religious compassion. She has addressed
members of the U.S. Congress, the United Nations, and the World Economic
Forum in Davos. The Boniuk Center is partnering with The Progressive Forum Houston to host Ms. Armstrong at the Wortham Center with an introduction from Dr. Jill Carroll. There will be a book signing following the talk. Please come out and join us for this special evening.
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World Religions Series
Amazing Faiths Project
The Boniuk Center is partnering with Interfaith Ministries to bring the World Religions Series to the public. There will be a total of ten World Religions courses taught by The Boniuk Center scholars and members of our Speakers Bureau. The classes will take place on Tuesdays at 7:00 PM in the Houston area. Dates, topics and locations are as follows: The following classes will be held at the Eastside Main Center (Islamic Society of Greater Houston) Nov. 17-Islam Dec. 1-Hinduism Jan. 14-Catholicism Jan 19-Baha'i Jan. 26-Sikhism The following classes will be held at Congregation Beth IsraelFeb. 9-Judaism Feb. 16-African American Religions Feb. 23-Zoroastrianism March 9-Orthodox Christianity March 23-Buddhism Learn more and register for courses here.
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Tolerance Lapel Pins
 Hundreds of these stylish pins go out every month from the Center's offices to people all over the world. They are a free and easy way to keep the goals of tolerance, respect and compassion front and center in daily life.
The tolerance lapel
pins are a great gift to share with friends or family members and are
still absolutely free. Send in your request for one today!
To get your free lapel pin, simply give us your full name and postal mail address by filling out the request form here.
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