wfn.org | HUSTON SMITH TO PREVIEW DECEMBER PARLIAMENT OF WORLD'S RELIGIONS

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@wfn.org>]

Aug. 5, 1999
Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions
Mim Neal, 312 629 2990, mimneal@cpwr.org
John Dart, 818 363 3984, jdartnews@aol.com
http://www.cpwr.org

Comparative religions scholar Huston Smith, will preview his
participation in a global interfaith gathering Dec. 1-8 in South Africa,
during a regional conference Saturday, Aug. 7, in Oakland, Calif.
Prof. Smith, author of "The World Religions," will moderate several
discussions with Native Americans at the Parliament of the World's
Religions in Cape Town, an extraordinary, millennium-eve interfaith event.
One member of the December panel on religious freedom and Native
Americans, Cheyenne leader Suzan Shown Harjo, will be interviewed Aug. 7 by
Smith, during the day-long preparatory conference at Oakland's Lake Merritt
United Methodist Church.
The Oakland meeting is one of a series of conferences designed by
the Chicago-based Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions (CPWR)
to introduce the Cape Town gathering to potential participants.
In December, hundreds of the world's religious and spiritual
leaders will mingle with as many as 6,000 scholars, social activists, youth
and interested laity in a unique encounter that has occurred only twice
before. The 1893 Parliament in Chicago was the first dialogue between
Eastern and Western religions. A century later, the second Parliament, in
Chicago, challenged 8,000 participants to address the world's critical
issues. The success of the 1993 Parliament prompted CPWR's commitment to
staging a Parliament somewhere in the world every five years beginning in
1999.
"South Africa was selected for 1999 because its historic struggle
to end apartheid underscores the Parliament's focus on applying faith
convictions to social realities," said Jim Kenney, director of CPWR's
International Interreligious Initiative.
The Parliament's working document, "A Call to Our Guiding
Institutions," invites the institutions of religion, government, commerce,
education, media, science, and others, to reassess and redefine their roles
in seeking "a just, peaceful and sustainable future."
Young adults will have a major role at both the December Parliament
and the Oakland conference. In Cape Town, they participate in their own
symposia then create a major plenary session. In Oakland, they will gather
Friday, August 6, to formulate a Saturday presentation.
On Saturday, CPWR's Kenney will review the Cape Town program and elicit
"Gifts of Service to the World," creative millennial projects for the
planetary community.
CPWR will hold additional preparatory conferences in September, in
Louisville, Ky.; New York City; and Vancouver, British Columbia.
************************************************
Ms. Mim Neal
Public Relations Manager
Mr. John Dart
Media Consultant - CPWR / California
Tel. / Fax: 818-363-3984
E-mail: mailto:jdartnews@aol.com
CPWR Tel.: 312-629-2990
Fax: 312-629-2991 / 3552 / 1287
Direct Line for Mim Neal: 312-629-1120
Web site: http://www.cpwr.org
parliament General Info: mailto:99info@cpwr.org