We are delighted to welcome our long time friend and interfaith ally Reza Aslan to the All Saints' pulpit. Here's what NPR's "Fresh Air" had to say about Reza Aslan and his new book: Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth:
Writer and scholar Reza Aslan was 15 years old when he found Jesus. His secular Muslim family had fled to the U.S. from Iran, and Aslan's conversion was, in a sense, an adolescent's attempt to fit into American life and culture. "My parents were certainly surprised," Aslan tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross.
As Aslan got older, he began his studies in the history of Christianity, and he started to lose faith. He came to the realization that Jesus of Nazareth was quite different from the Messiah he'd been introduced to at church. "I became very angry," he says. "I became resentful. I turned away from Christianity. I began to really reject the concept of Christ."
But Aslan continued his Christian scholarship, and he found that he was increasingly interested in Jesus as a historical figure. The result is his new book, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth — a historical look at Jesus in the context of his time and Jewish religion, and against the backdrop of the Roman Empire.
Reza Aslan will preach on Sunday, July 21 at 9:00 and 11:15 a.m.
He will also speak about his book during the Adult Ed Hour (10:15 -11:00) in the Forum.
Books will be available for sale
and for signing in the Forum and on the lawn after the 11:15 service.
Can’t join us in person? Watch the video streaming live here from the 11:15 service
Reza Aslan in the news...
-- NPR, July 15, Interview: Christ in Context: 'Zealot' Explores the Life of Jesus
-- Washington Post, July 15, Excerpt: WhatCan We Know About Jesus
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Publishers Weekly Picks, July 15, Booksfor week of July 15
