Christian de la Huerta to Speak Wednesday
Best-selling author Christian de la Huerta, whose “Coming Out Spiritually” was named one of the Top 10 religion books of 1999 by Publishers Weekly magazine, will speak at Penn State Behrend on Wednesday,
Oct. 5.
A light reception will be held at 6 p.m. in the living room of the Smith Chapel, followed by de la Huerta’s lecture at 7 p.m. Both are free and open to the public.
De la Huerta’s presentation, “Beyond Belief: The Importance of Religious Diversity in Today’s World,” examines the cost of spiritual arrogance and self-righteousness in a post-9/11 climate. “One-sided beliefs are no longer sustainable in a multicultural, multifaith world filled with weapons of mass destruction, bioterrorism, and other horrors,” de la Huerta says. “If we are to survive as a species, we must now learn to respect religious diversity. What is needed is deep acceptance and mutual respect for different belief systems, and that only comes about as a result of self-inquiry, an open mind and heart, and the willingness to question our beliefs.”
De la Huerta was raised Catholic in communist Cuba and holds a psychology degree from Tulane University. He is founder of San Francisco’s Q-Spirit, an organization that fosters spiritual leadership, service, and community enrichment opportunities for gay or transgendered men and women.
“Beyond Belief” is sponsored by Penn State Behrend’s Protestant Campus Ministry. For more information, phone 898-7139 or visit pennstatebehrend.psu.edu/pcm.