Priest Paul Cudby builds bridges between Christians and Pagans

SHEFFIELD, England — The process of interfaith engagement between the Pagan and the Christian communities in Britain is relatively recent, but is already quite firmly established. Christians have been welcomed into the Druidic orders for some time; there have been at least two members of OBOD who have also been ordained Christian ministers. And, initiatives, such as the joint Pagan/Christian weekend meeting at the Ammerdown Centre – a Christian retreat centre – have proven successful. This is a result of outreach on both sides, and several Christian priests have been at the forefront of contacting Pagans with a view to understanding rather than conversion. One of the central features of this work has been a mutual interest in Forest Church: a means by which Christians engage with the presence of their god within creation by conducting their worship outside through meditation, silences, prayer walks and rituals.

Toronto set to host 2018 Parliament of the World’s Religions

TORONTO – The organizing committee for the Parliament of the World’s Religions held a press conference at Toronto city hall Tuesday, and made the announcement that the 2018 gathering will be held at Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Nov. 1-7, 2018. The seven-day event is expected to draw more than 10,000 people, and offer more than 500 programs, workshops, and dialogues. In addition to this, there will be exhibitions of dance, photography, music, art, and various related events presented by representatives of religious communities and cultural institutions from around the world. Toronto is the largest city in Canada, and the seventh largest in North America.

Column: Come Gather ‘Round People

I have trouble watching Cabaret, the 1966 musical that choreographer Bob Fosse would direct in an Academy Award-winning film 1972. It’s a scary work of art.  Cabaret is set in the Berlin of the Weimar Republic in 1931, a city and time at the height of a joie d’vivre during a wave of liberal attitudes; resplendent with what we might think of as libertine or even Pagan approach to life and sex. The film opens with the catchy song Wilkommen by the carnivalesque master of ceremonies singing:
Willkommen! Bienvenue! Welcome!