Rev. Dr. Jenny Shultz-Thomas – Yeazel Speaker Series

“Religious Literacy and the Courage to Belong: Bridge Building in a Polarized Public Square.”

Description:
In a time when sacred texts and religious language are increasingly invoked in political and public life, religious literacy has become essential for sustaining honest dialogue and authentic belonging across difference. Drawing from her formation as a theologian, pastor, and interfaith leader, Rev. Dr. Jenny Shultz-Thomas explores how the disciplined interpretation of sacred texts can either reinforce systems of exclusion or foster bridge-building, moral courage, and civic responsibility. Through historical examples, contemporary case studies, and her leadership within the Tri-Faith Initiative, she demonstrates how religious literacy equips individuals and communities to engage religious difference with intellectual rigor, humility, and hope.

Bio:
Rev. Dr. Jenny Shultz-Thomas Senior Minister, Countryside Community Church
Tri-Faith Commons, Omaha, Nebraska

Rev. Dr. Jenny Shultz-Thomas is Senior Minister of Countryside Community Church, located on the Tri-Faith Commons, one of the nation’s leading interfaith initiatives bringing Jewish, Christian, and Muslim
communities into sustained relationship. A graduate of Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, her work focuses on religious literacy, public theology, and the role of faith in shaping civic life and bridge-building across difference. She is a theologian, teacher, and public leader committed to equipping communities to engage religious diversity with intellectual depth, moral courage, and compassion.