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June 2019
Fortress Britain
A key driver for Britain leaving the EU is the perception that immigration is out of control as a consequence of EU freedom of movement rights. As the UK carves out a new place for itself on the European and world stage we welcome Ben Ryan, Head of Research at the Theos Think Tank and editor of the book Fortress Britain, to explore with us the ethical bases for immigration and refugee policies. How do we discern between migrants and…
Find out more »July 2019
The Cost of Care
With an ageing population and an ever increasing list of treatable conditions the NHS has come under huge pressure as more and more is expected of the service. The relatively simple care offered by the NHS in 1948 has been transformed by medical and technological advances all of which have come with a price tag. We welcome this evening Ron Martin, the lead chaplain of Dorchester County Hospital who will, with the aid of a colleague from the hospital senior…
Find out more »Post-Modern Mission
To many the very concept of Mission is tarnished with post-imperial guilt and the zeal of proselytism. Yet the command to the church remains, "go ye to all the nations". How can this be done in a post-modern, relativistic world where all stories and truths must be given equal weight and value? We are very pleased to welcome the Revd Duncan Dormor, CEO of the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (USPG) to help us explore these questions.…
Find out more »August 2019
Learn New Testament Greek
This summer sees the return of this popular course which takes place at Sarum College in Salisbury. The format remains unchanged and offers a fun but intensive introduction to the Greek of the New Testament. The course follows John Dobson's excellent tutor and takes the student from zero to being ready to begin reading St Mark in just 6-days. Booking will be through Sarum College, for more information contact: Alison Ogden aogden@sarum.ac.uk | 01722 424826 | 01722 424800 (main reception).
Find out more »September 2019
Introduction to Biblical Hebrew I
Reading the Old Testament in Hebrew provides a much stronger sense of the original culture and perspective of its writers and their communities. Such insights can help us to appreciate better not only the Old Testament text but also its pivotal role as ‘scripture’ for the 1st century Jewish communities from which the New Testament and the early church emerged. Hebrew I and Hebrew II together form “An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew”. Hebrew I is designed for the complete beginner whilst…
Find out more »Introduction to Biblical Hebrew II
Reading the Old Testament in Hebrew provides a much stronger sense of the original culture and perspective of its writers and their communities. Such insights can help us to appreciate better not only the Old Testament text but also its pivotal role as ‘scripture’ for the 1st century Jewish communities from which the New Testament and the early church emerged. Hebrew I and Hebrew II together form “An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew”. Hebrew I is designed for the complete beginner whilst…
Find out more »Consider the Heavens
Dame Jocelyn Bell-Burnell - courtesy RSE Faith and Science are often thought as mutually exclusive. Moreover, science is commonly seen as gradually whittling away the space left in our world for God. The discovery of the so-called 'God particle' at CERN in 2012 and the sheer immensity of the universe we see in the night sky can all conspire to question the place, even the need for God in our society. We welcome this evening the renowned astro-physicist Prof Dame…
Find out more »Robots of Good Character
Professor Nigel Crook is head of Robotics and Machine Learning at Oxford Brookes University. In this talk he will explore whether we can build robots that have good moral character – and whether or not we should. He will broadly outline some existing approaches to building ‘autonomous moral machines’ and offer his own thoughts on what should be the key components to such machines. The idea of robots being able to make decisions based on a form of moral code…
Find out more »November 2019
Holy Stardust
Angela Tilby spent 22 years as a producer with the BBC's religious affairs department before being ordained. She served as the vicar of St Bene'ts church in Cambridge and is Canon Emeritus of Christchurch Cathedral Oxford. She is a regular contributor to Radio 4's Thought for the Day and the Daily Service. The title of her talk is taken from her essay published in Living the Mystery, edited by Jeffrey John. In the essay she explored the apparent conflict between…
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