Jerry DeWitt, an atheist preacher (and good friend of Camels With Hammers), is going to meet with Mark Sandlin, a progressive Presbyterian minister, to have a conversation about how we can find common ground for the sake of making common cause for our common values. The talk is going to be at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland on January 11 from 1-4pm. This talk is the first in Be Secular’s exciting new “Conversations Series”.

Mark Sandlin created “Until All Can Wed” that takes a tangible stand for LGBTQ people religiously:

We challenge our fellow clergy to take a stand with us and our LGBTQ brothers and sisters. Alone we can make a statement; together we can make a difference. To be clear, our commitment is to no longer sign marriage certificates until we can sign marriage certificates for any two people who wish to marry regardless of gender. We will still participate in weddings, because we can do that for all people already. “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” -Elie Wiesel

Below is information about the event (with more here). At the bottom of the post are the three parts of my interview with Jerry from last summer about what it means to be an “atheist preacher”:

“Common Ground Activism” – An atheist and a minister discuss interfaith partnerships hosted by Johns Hopkins University. January 11, 2014 1-4PM Join us for an afternoon of discussion, laughs, insight and progress with progressive Presbyterian Minister, Huffington Post blogger, and co-founder of The Christian Left, Mark Sandlin, and former Pentecostal Minster turned secular humanist and atheist, Jerry DeWitt. Mark and Jerry will discuss issues ranging from progress in the fight for LGBT equality, women’s reproductive rights, the separation of church and state, creationism in schools and more. Mark Sandlin currently serves as the minister at Vandalia Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, NC. He received his M. Div. from Wake Forest University’s School of Divinity and has undergraduate degrees in Business Administration and English with a minor in Computer Science. He is an ordained minister in the PC(USA), a self-described

progressive and the Co-Founder of The Christian Left and the popular blog The God Article. Jerry DeWitt is an American author and public speaker, and a prominent member of the American atheism movement. He is a former pastor of two Pentecostal churches, who publicly deconverted to atheism in 2011. Jerry recently became the Vice President of Dogma Debate LLC, host of the popular radio show Dogama Debate with David Smalley. Following the 90 minute discussion and a question and answer session, there will be a book signing and meet and greet. There will be a VIP social with a cash bar following the event for those who purchase Gold and Silver tickets. Gold tickets will include seating in the front two rows, a signed copy of Jerry’s book “Hope After Faith”, a Be Secular T-Shirt and access to the VIP social after the books signing. Silver tickets will include better seating in the third or forth row and access to the VIP social after the books signing. General Admission tickets will be able to attend the book signing following the event as well as have general seating.

Here is my interview with Jerry from the summer:







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