Spirituality for a Busy World Series
Life is busy and getting busier. Spirituality for Busy World is designed for busy people like you. During the year we offer four, short, two-hour programs on current spiritual topics. The format is contemplative and casual. Each presenter in his or her own style will cover a current topic with a combination of education and time for reflection. You are encouraged to bring a journal. Other items needed to participate in the program will be provided for you.
September 11, 2018 | Racism and Our Move Toward Healing | Rev. Dr. Clay Brantley
10 a.m. to Noon at Midway Hills
Racism is the original sin the US has never confessed. The effects of this unconfessed sin we continue to see in our society today and in our spiritual life. What is the faithful way forward? How does healing come to those living in a racist society? Can we move too quickly to forgiveness and not do the work racism is calling us into? Can we lament? Can we cry out in anger to God? Can we have justice? The Rev. Dr. Clay Brantley will lead a conversation about racism and our move toward healing. Clay participated with Faith Forward Dallas in a Civil Rights Pilgrimage in April 2018, traveling to Jackson, then Memphis for the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination, then onto Birmingham, Montgomery, Selma, and Atlanta. Having grown up in south Louisiana, Clay long ago discovered his own racism and knew he need to make this journey as part of his own healing. You are invited into a deep look at racism within and around, how it effects our lives and society, and how our conversations about racism can open doors to healing and justice.
Bio – Clay Brantley has been a Presbyterian minister for over 32 years. He is a graduate of Texas A&M, Austin Seminary (M.Div. and D.Min.), and SMU Perkins School of Theology (M.T.S.) Clay has served churches in Malvern, Arkansas; Sherman, McKinney, Garland, Whitesboro, and Denton, Texas. Three years ago Clay left parish ministry to follow the call of Christ into a more mystical journey. He has contemplated and meditated, attended Jesuit 8 day silent retreats, encountered Wild Mustangs, worked on the U.S./Mexico border, traveled to Lebanon and Syria and Cuba, spoken at youth conferences and summer camps, participated in mission trips, and become an active part of the Retreat House in Richardson, Texas. Clay is married to Crysta and they have a son Drew who is 24 and a daughter Michaela who is 21.