“This nation admits its errors, as painful as they may be.” — Sen. Dianne Feinstein, April 3, 2014.
On June 24, noted theologian David P. Gushee will speak at Raleigh’s Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, presenting his thoughts on “Coming to Terms with Torture: Truth, Accountability, and Reconciliation.”
Dr. Gushee is the Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics and the Director of the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer University. He served on a blue-ribbon Task Force on Detainee Treatment convened by the bipartisan Constitution Project. That task force issued a 600-page report in April 2013, which called upon Americans of all political ideologies to recognize that the U.S. has engaged in systematic torture, and that its use was ordered by our highest officials. For years, Dr. Gushee has provided a strong Christian perspective on torture. He was also the principal drafter of the Evangelical Declaration against Torture in 2007. You will not want to miss his expert voice on this matter.
Last summer, we asked your help in convincing Senator Richard Burr to support release of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence’s report on U.S. treatment of detainees in the post-9/11 period. In a historic move, the SSCI voted on April 3 of this year to make that report public, and Sen. Burr joined the majority. Now, at the highest levels of government, a struggle has ensued over how much of the disturbing truth will actually be revealed, and when.
June is Torture Awareness Month, and this event will highlight the actions we can take to become a more transparent and accountable nation. Mark your calendars, and we will see you at 7 p.m. on June 24. Pullen is located at 1801 Hillsborough Street.
This event is brought to you by The Constitution Project, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, North Carolina Stop Torture Now, and the Council.
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