Author who examines faith topics to talk in Little Rock

Grounded: Finding God in the World — A Spiritual Revolution by Diana Butler Bass
Grounded: Finding God in the World — A Spiritual Revolution by Diana Butler Bass

Best-selling author and religion scholar Diana Butler Bass will be the featured speaker during the annual Cotham Lectures on Sunday and Monday at Westover Hills Presbyterian Church, 6400 Richard B. Hardie Drive, Little Rock.

Bass will preach during the 10:25 a.m. worship service Sunday, as well as at 7 p.m. Sunday and Monday in the sanctuary. During the lecture series, Bass will talk about finding God. It's the theme of her latest book, Grounded: Finding God in the World -- A Spiritual Revolution, in which she asks the question "Where Is God?"

In the book, Bass writes that although polls have shown an increasing number of "nones" -- those who say they are not affiliated with any religion or denomination -- she believes those who do claim a religious connection are more deeply engaged in their faith than ever. She says they are finding new ways to encounter God, including through nature, their families and communities.

Bass also writes that people are encountering God in more personal ways because of changing views about the nature of God. Rather than some distant deity set apart in a heavenly realm, she believes God is close and attainable.

The Rev. Frank LeBlanc, pastor of Westover Hills, said this view is one where God is "woven into our day-to-day experience" and, as Bass writes, can be found in things as basic as soil, air, water, neighborhood and community.

"Seeing God woven into our lives as opposed to distant and detached from us is not a brand new idea," he said. "It's one that has been running alongside the more popular accepted understanding of God, but I think today, particularly in our time, that this kind of understanding of God is one that is emerging."

LeBlanc said this more personal view of God resonates with those who see their relationship with God as being "spiritual" instead of "religious."

He said the church can be a place to explore that spirituality.

Bass has written nine books, among them Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening and Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church Is Transforming the Faith. She is a frequent conference speaker, teacher and preacher and her writing is featured in national and religious media outlets, including Sojourners magazine and Christian Century.

Bass also has taught at several colleges and universities, including Rhodes College in Memphis, Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Va., and the University of California at Santa Barbara, as well as at Westmont College, also in Santa Barbara. She has a doctorate in religious studies from Duke University in Durham, N.C.

The church's Cotham Lectures, which began in 1968, are supported by an endowment established by Ralph and Mary Frances Cotham in memory of their son, Edward Ralph Cotham V.

The public is welcome to attend the free events. Information is available by calling (501) 663-6383.

Religion on 05/21/2016

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