Seeing the Unseen: A bishop and gun safety activist offers a way forward from opposing viewpoints.

Spirituality Conference with the Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith

February 18, 2023
9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. in Child Hall

Have you ever walked away from a conversation because of the partisan politics it evoked and later regretted it? Have you ever wondered how you might find someone who could broaden your understanding about an issue without judging you for not agreeing with them? Have you ever thought there was a better way to frame an issue than the positions being defended by our political parties?

Bishop Mark Beckwith says that it doesn’t have to be this way. He urges us to find the courage to look directly at those whose views and experiences are different from our own so that we might see the goodness that is inherent in all things. “We are trained to think,” Beckwith says, “yet the cultural emphasis on thinking has not been applied to our ability to see . . . We are not as well trained in seeing the world’s fullness―pain and joy, compassion and cruelty. We regularly receive glimpses of pain and joy, but they are often presented in such a way as to reinforce our thinking.”

Bishop Beckwith, who formerly served as the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark (NJ), developed strategies for learning how to see in this way while working with religious and other leaders to address a number of politically charged issues. He is the co-founder of Faith Leaders for Ending Gun Violence, a national ecumenical group of diverse religious leaders; has been part of the leadership team for Braver Angels, a national movement that seeks to depolarize America; and is the author of Seeing the Unseen: Beyond Prejudices, Paradigms and Party Lines (Morehouse Publishing, 2022).

REGISTER

Tickets:

Regular Price: $80
Sliding Scale 1: $60
Sliding Scale 2: $40
Sliding Scale 3: $20

Lunch is included!

Livestream Price: $20

The Livestream link will be provided via email a few days before the conference. The Conference will take place in Child Hall at the Cathedral of St. Philip.

To pay by check, please mail your check (noted “Spirituality”), phone number, and email address to:

The Cathedral of St. Philip
Attn: Jeannie Mahood
2744 Peachtree Road, NW
Atlanta, GA 30305