Sunday 21 August 2011

Greenbelt 2011: talks I hope to catch ...

Faultlines and phantasies by Rob Bell
The past year has had its fill of environmental disasters and human tragedies. So how do Christians respond to these events? By saying they are God’s punishment on disobedient people or evidence of the fall? Or are there other ways of dealing with how bad things do happen to good people?

Do angels have wings and other impossible questions by Paula Gooder
Bookshops have ranks of books on angels and their influence, but when was the last time you heard Christians talking about them? Aren't angels a central part of Christian faith? So what does the Bible say about them, and do they have wings, white dresses and blond hair?

An evening with Adrian Plass
Adrian Plass is diseased with flippancy. Just as well, some would say. For more than 25 years his benevolently subversive humour has been clearing away the kind of religious rubbish that continually obscures the truth about Jesus. Join him tonight for lots of laughs, a tear or two, and possibly even a bit of a think.

the good news is better than that by Rob bell
Everybody has a story, a narrative we tell ourselves about who we are and what we are doing here. The interesting part is when you are confronted with a different story, one that not only insists that it's better than yours, but that it's true, too.

At ‘home’ with ourselves? Overcoming the seven deadly sins of women in leadership by Kate Coleman
For the first time in modern history, God is placing women in positions of influence and leadership in every sphere. There are, however, significant issues that impact on and hinder women in unique ways. This workshop considers the seven deadly sins of women in leadership - what they look like and how to overcome them, liberating us to be more fully at ‘home’ with ourselves.

pure undiluted slog by Rob Bell
Whether you write or sing or play or give speeches or create in any way, for many the creative process has a way of bringing joy one moment and madness the next. So how do we tilt it in the joy direction? 

missional spirituality by Karen ward and mark Pierson
A conversation about the characteristics inherent in the spirituality of pioneering and about spiritual practices helpful for sustaining pioneers as they endeavor to create and curate new forms of church and mission. The workshop will also include the experience of engaging a pioneer spiritual practice or exercise.

writing workshop by Kathy Watson
Using group work and oral storytelling, this session offers an opportunity to create an adventure about finding our way home.

Parish as Abbey: Third space and spiritual place for mission By Karen ward
'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 and relationality of God can be expressed 'beyond the walls of the church, through the walls of the church'.

Religious or spiritual? None of the above. By pete Rollins
The Christian landscape is marked by a debate between whether Christianity is better described as a religion or as a type of spirituality. These terms mean different things to different people, but the main argument revolves around the best way to relate to the Ultimate. Peter Rollins argues that these positions are sides of the same coin and must be rejected in favour of a fully materialistic Christianity.

the age of the spirit by Phyllis tickle
The Great Emergence and the rise of Emergence Christianity are an expression of a 500-year cycle in the Church's history, but perhaps also something more. In fact, the time we are entering may well be as significant as the Great Transformation two thousand years ago. What does it mean to say that we seem to be moving into the time of the Spirit?

the dream parent by Judith Reith
Perfect parents don’t exist, but in your dreams what kind of a parent do you want your kids to have? What works and what doesn’t when it comes to being a 21st-century parent? Parent coach and author Judy Reith’s workshop is a chance to transform your parenting dreams into reality.

ubiquitous gayz by John bell
The sexuality debate which vexes the church worldwide has become a continual game of biblical ping-pong as texts are batted back and forward. Are there other angles we should at least consider about the nature of God, grace and giftedness?

a good childhood by Jim Davis
The Good Childhood Inquiry had some challenging things to say about childhood in Britain. Whether you agree or not, this conversation is a chance to find out more and actually get a word in edgeways. Children’s own views, gathered through a Greenbelt survey, will be shared and debated. In association with The Children's Society.

silent retreat: finding god in all things by Ruth holgate
The TV series The Big Silence offered people an experience of a silent retreat to get in touch with what was important to them. Ruth Holgate presents some of the key aspects of Ignatian Spirituality and how they help us to find God in our busy lives.

faith and the benefit of the doubt by mark vernon
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 achieve, but is the pulpit the right place to express doubts? Mark Vernon looks for an 'art of doubt' that trusts that the stripping away of fantasies, the challenging of self-reliance and leads to a deeper connection with the divine.

all families are psychotic by Andrew Tate
Perennial Greenbelt favourite Dr Andrew Tate leads literature lovers on a journey into the homes of famous families from fiction who are dysfunctional, oppressive and downright nightmarish. Tate's talk encompasses narratives from Ancient Greece to Austen; Shakespeare to The Simpsons; Douglas Coupland via Charles Dickens. Come along and discover reasons why there's much to celebrate about these dysfunctional dreams of home.

the exuberant church: listening to the prophetic people of God by Barbara Glasson
There are all sorts of people who fall out of or fall out with the church. Their journey is often transformative and life-changing but totally overlooked by mission theologies. Using the motif of 'coming out', this session will be an exploration of how transformation happens, how the Bible demonstrates this process and how those 'on the edge' form prophetic communities to whom the church is impelled to listen if it really wants to change.

the preacher girl: the promise and peril of proclamation by Nadia Bolz-Weber
Writing a sermon can feel like a wrestling match between the preacher and the text; a match in which the preacher should not walk away before demanding a blessing from that text for their community. But perhaps we shouldn't walk away from 2,000 years of Christian preaching just because it's so often done poorly. Nadia Bolz-Weber explores the office of preaching within an emerging post-modern Christian community, and the role it can play in transformation.

And .....

the Greenbelt big read
Join us with a cuppa and a brain full of questions and comments and help us discuss Exile by Richard North Patterson, the legal thriller writer's 14th novel, which focuses on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict as a Palestinian woman suspected of masterminding a suicide attack on US soil stands trial. The book is gripping and very rewarding – just like the Greenbelt Big Read discussion.




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