SPeaking of God in Public

Talks in the 2017 Hugh Price Hughes Lecture Series

A Mills and Boon Deity for the 21st Century?
Revd Dr Peter Phillips

Tuesday 14th February at 7.30pm
Pete runs a research centre at Durham University exploring the interface between contemporary digital culture and theology. He’s looking at biblical literacy within modern culture and the shift from propositional to therapeutic faith. On Valentine’s Night, as couples wander the streets gazing wistfully into their partners’ eyes, Pete looks at the romanticisation of the gospel. Have we lost something by focussing so much on a bromance with Jesus?
 
Pete has a background in teaching New Testament at Cliff College as well as serving time as Methodism’s Faith and Order Secretary. He moved to St John's College, Durham in 2008 to take up the challenge of developing a cutting edge digital theology research programme exploring Biblical Literacy, Preaching, and Communication in a Digital Age. In July 2015, CODEC became a full Research Centre of Durham University.

The Godlessness of Fake News
Ruth Gledhill

Tuesday 14th March at 7.30pm
Ruth Gledhill has been writing and sometimes speaking of God in public life for three decades. She started on The Times in 1987 and three years ago, moved to Christian Today.

In this lecture, Ruth meditates on the fake news phenomenon, what it might look like to put God back into news, and how to 'seek truth in the white-out of the media blizzard'.

Thought for the Day - Can God be broadcast in soundbites?
Revd Dr Jane Leach

Tuesday 4th April at 7.30pm
'Yes and No’ says Jane Leach, regular contributor to Radio 4's flagship Today programme. Jane Leach is a Methodist minister who works in theological education, seeking to prepare Methodist people from around the world to speak about God in public and in private. She researches, publishes and supervises in the field of practical theology addressing such questions as, ‘What do we communicate about God through our practice? What constitutes effective pastoral care? And how do we speak of God in a post-Christian context?’

Which God? Which Public?
Revd Gareth Powell

Tuesday 9th May at 7.30pm
Alister McGrath, in his book Mere Apologetics, says that the fundamental principles for Christians speaking of God in public are “what they always have been: 1. Understand the Christian gospel. 2. Understand the context within which you are doing apologetics. 3. Develop apologetic approaches that are faithful to the gospel and build on the ‘common ground’ or ‘points of contact’ with the cultural context”.

Gareth began exploring these three questions in the context of the Methodist Church in Britain today. What is our experience of God? Which 'God' are we speaking about? In what context are we speaking, and to whom? What are the ‘points of contact’? And how, in the light of this, do we speak of God in public with confidence and imagination?

What is the 'Forward Movement' today? How would Hugh Price Hughes face the mission challenge of 2017?
Revd Steve Wild

Tuesday 13th June at 7.30pm
The Methodist 'Forward Movement' aimed to reduce the distance between the Christian gospel and the poor working classes. In consequence, from the 1880s it opened many Wesleyan Missions as centres for reaching thousands of people. It was high risk, sacrificial gospel outreach marrying together Wesley’s emphasis on both personal and social holiness. This lecture explored how the principles of the Forward Movement might find form and tone today.

Steve Wild has had a life-time of mission experience. His Presidential year focused on mission and evangelism teaching him new and unexpected things. Serving the Cornwall District as chair he oversees a number of Fresh Expressions of Church. He is passionate about the mission challenges of today.
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