Utopias Unlimited
Paradise is not monopolised by believers. Secular culture, with increasing skill and determination, offers fulfilment courtesy of the Big Society, a federal UK, the American Dream and My Everything....
Speaker(s): John BellWhy Forgiveness is Impossible: Musings from a Christian Theologian
How do we love someone at work who seems hell-bent on sabotaging a successful career? And how do religious people resolve differences when interpretation seems to lead to righteous indignation rather...
Readings from the Book of Exile
An hour of poetry exploring the territory of truth – the territory of hope – the territory of humour – the territory of sharing – the territory of exile. Expect poems that rhyme and stories...
The Tragedy of the Prodigal Son: Pirates, rebellion and the fight for the commons
The story of the prodigal son has been commonly narrated as a story of beautiful redemption, but what if the son's failure to escape his father's empire was read as a tragedy? Drawing on Star...
Speaker(s): Kester BrewinFor now we see in a mirror, dimly……
Talk of other faiths by Christians often ends up in arguments about who gets into heaven! In two talks Ray will explore a different route to paradise – how opening ourselves to the treasures and...
How to be a Bad Christian – and a Better Human Being
What if I'm happier in a pub than a church? What if I struggle with creeds and doctrines but still want to follow Jesus? What does Christianity look like as a spiritual practice instead of a belief...
Speaker(s): Dave TomlinsonI believe in life after hacking
Ruth Gledhill, the Times religion correspondent since 1989, talks about how religious reporting has developed, technological changes, the hacking controversy, and how it has felt to be a woman and a...
Saving Paradise: Earth
How can our eucharistic practices affirm the blessings of heavenly food, blessed, broken, and shared with humanity in humility, when the very soil of earth is so depleted, poisoned, and owned by so...
The Next Factor
After the long party of the Olympics and the Jubilee, is there a massive hangover to come? We're living through huge changes to our collective culture, character, spirituality and ways of life, but...
Speaker(s): Cole MoretonBlessed are the Peacemakers: Gospel Nonviolence as the Way to Save Paradise
John Dear reflects on the warmaking which is destroying the world, and the creative nonviolence which offers a way out. He considers Jesus' nonviolence which is at the heart of Christianity, and...
Chasing St Francis of Assisi
St Francis of Assisi is arguably the most well-known and beloved saint in history. How might this “fool for God” help us understand what it means to advance the love of God into the world today?...
Death of Christendom
Western Christians are finding themselves in a post-Christendom era facing challenging questions around rising secularism, religious freedom and minority rights. Bad-tempered exchanges in the courts...
Speaker(s): Giles FraserEnding poverty: the power in your hands!
Shocked by the statistics? Disturbed by the images? Frustrated that poverty is not yet history? Christian Aid believes that the invitation to be part of ending poverty takes us to the heart of our...
20% Wealth Tax – No need to cut public services
A one-off 20% wealth tax on the mega rich would raise £800 billion – enough to clear most of the national debt or pay off the government deficit four times over. With this tax, there would be no...
School of Life: What kind of parent do you want to be?
Speaker(s): Judy Reith