Romney Fund Sponsors May Weekend of Rumi, Gooch and Raushenbush

Friday, May 12 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 14 at 11 a.m.

Thanks to funding from the Romney Legacy, we are hosting a very special weekend featuring the author of a new work about the Sufi mystic, Rumi.  Praised by scholars Karen Armstrong, Reza Aslan, and Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the recently-published Rumi’s Secret: The Life of the Sufi Poet of Love, will be presented by author Brad Gooch in a program co-sponsored with Elliot Bay Books on Friday, May 12, at 7 p.m.  Following the presentation, Imam Jamal Rahman will offer a response. 
 
Brad is also the husband of Paul Raushenbush, the great grandson of the Baptist theologian and social justice advocate, Walter Rauschenbusch, a leading exponent of the Social Gospel Movement at the turn of the century.  Paul was on the pastoral staff at Seattle First Baptist and is an author and speaker who has worked at Riverside Church, Princeton, and as the religion editor for the Huffington Post.  Paul will be preaching at the 11 a.m. service on May 14.  Please plan to join us for this fascinating and inspiring weekend.  No tickets are required for Friday night but books will be available for sale.

Praise for Rumi's Secret

“Extraordinary… Brad Gooch’s fine, searching biography, “Rumi’s Secret,” will fascinate his subject’s many admirers. We will never fully know Rumi, but thanks to Mr. Gooch, we know him better.” — Wall Street Journal

"An excellent and accessible introduction to the profound and generous mystical vision of Rumi that will give Western readers a much needed insight into the true spirituality of Islam. ” — Karen Armstrong, author of A History of God

“The poetic words of Rumi have long been an inspiration, though few know much about his life. Brad Gooch has undertaken a meticulously researched labor of love to place Rumi back into his tumultuous time and place in the medieval Islamic world, marking his journey from mystical poet to Sufi saint, and articulating his “religion for lovers” with an interfaith message that speaks across the centuries. Rumi’s life in this telling is as compelling as his poetry. Rumi’s Secret is a beautiful and relevant book.” — Reza Aslan, author of No God but God and Zealot

Paul Raushenbush and Brad Gooch with their son.

This event is made possible by the Romney Endowment Fund, which honors Rev. Dr. Rodney R. Romney, a long-time pastor at Seattle First Baptist. The endowment aims to continue the work and ministry of Rod, who was known as a peacemaker and contemplative who reached out to those who society often ignored.