The Gospel According to Everyone
How come in church we only ever hear the gospels of four men in Palestine 2,000 years ago? What about the gospels of the people sitting right next to us: the woman who gave up her child for adoption,...
Speaker(s): Martin WroeRelationships, power action: the practice of the common good
Maurice Glasman outlines the basic practices of community organising, particularly the centrality of one-to-one conversation and the primacy of building relationships. And then asks you to work...
Don’t blame the bankers. Why the financial crisis was your fault and its your job to sort out the mess
In the aftermath of the financial crisis everyone has been quick to cast the first stone at the bankers. But in the end we have to take responsibility too because we failed to be stewards of our own...
Faith and the Benefit of the Doubt
Churches tend not to do doubt very well. Some make certainty – blessed assurance – their hallmark. Others nurture doubt so much that they cease to be sure of anything. There's a balance to...
Speaker(s): Mark VernonThe Art of Curating Worship: What lies beneath
This talk explores what it means to curate corporate public worship, what a curator needs to be and do, and some of the new vocabulary and language that needs to be developed for good curating. Mark...
The Art of Curating Worship: What happens next
A session exploring the work of several well-established worship curators working in the fields of community, transitional and guerilla worship. Mark Pierson is the founding pastor of Cityside...
Power in the People
Few of us realise how powerful we can be in changing public policy and accelerating the end of extreme poverty. In this session the director of Christian Aid describes the changing face of poverty...
Speaker(s): Loretta MinghellaChristianity & Contemporary Politics: Beyond the Big Society
What do the Franciscans, Calvin and ancient Roman Law have to do with contemporary social policy? Luke Bretherton explores how the churches can look beyond arguments about the good society or the Big...
Speaker(s): Luke BrethertonHIV and new ideas of family and belonging
An examinination of the impact of HIV – physical, psychological and social – on individuals, families and communities. Though thousands die every day and those living with HIV face great stigma...
Paradise lost, Paradise restored? Why the conservation movement has it all wrong
From planting trees to breeding programmes for endangered animals, humans have been interfering with nature, but are these approaches really helpful? A challenging exploration of the conservation...
Whose home is it anyway? Tribalism versus diversity
The tribe is not a uniquely human characteristic, but is an important aspect of many species of animal on the planet. Yet diversity is also an essential aspect of life. How can these two apparently...
Difficult Discussions: Building peace in diverse communities
Diversity and peacebuilding are often celebrated as goals in their own right. What happens, though, when celebration isn't enough? When it prevents us from grappling with deeper, unsettling...
Finding Hope for Peace Amid the Palestinian Israeli Conflict
Jonathan Herbert spent three months living in the Palestinian village of Jayous and experienced at first hand the cruelty and injustice of the Israeli occupation. In this session he will tell of how,...
Parish as Abbey: Third space and spiritual place for mission
“Third place perichoresis” describes an approach to engaging mission that involves the re:imagining of old church buildings into fresh, open, public spaces. Karen Ward talks about how the love...
Esther in Exile: Lessons for Leadership
Exile is not only a geographical place; it can also be a state of mind, heart and spirit. This can be debilitating. Kate Coleman considers how Esther's story of exile provides keys to greater...