reconciling Encounters
Healing religious rifts over sexual orientation
Reconciling Encounters
Reconciling Encounters offers dialogue workshops that help faith communities, leaders, students, and families constructively, critically and compassionately discuss the Biblical, theological, moral, and social controversies of sexual orientation in order to promote understanding and healing among people with diverse beliefs. These workshops allow groups to identify the complexity of the issue, promote understanding among those with different beliefs, and facilitate the healing of ecumenical, familial, and social rifts that exist between people with diverse views.
As a speaker and facilitator, Cindy Akana draws from her theological and mediation training along with professional experiences to lead educational and community-nurturing dialogue workshops over the controversies of sexual orientation. She also shares humorous and insightful stories from her life journey as the wife/ex-wife of a gay pastor, her ministry to gays and lesbians working to reconcile their faith and sexual orientation, and her open and affirming faith journey as a straight woman. Cindy shares her stories to model honest dialogue and introduce new thoughts for discussion.
The overall purpose of human communication is-- or should be--reconciliation. It should ultimately serve to lower or remove the walls and barriers of misunder-standing that unduly separate us human beings from one another.
~ M. Scott Peck
Reconciling Encounters helps groups peacefully discuss the Biblical, theological, moral and social issues of sexual orientation to promote understanding, cultivate compassion, and heal religious and relational rifts between folks with diverse beliefs.
