Is it time to go deeper? Is it time to think harder? About God, his word and his world? If it is, then can I introduce you to Pop-up Theology.
The aim of Pop-up Theology is to deepen the faith of those who are already mature Christians so that their love for Jesus and others grow. Each month Pop-up Theology will run a stand-alone teaching event (which will be repeated). This will either be a book club discussion, a seminar, or a deep dive into a Bible book.
The teaching events are going to intentionally have a limited number of people attending, so that the discussion can easily flow. For this reason, we shall repeat each one so that a greater variety of people can attend. Thus, when booking please only book for one of the available dates.
Here are all the dates for Pop-up Theology for the Summer Term. Booking will all be done through the St Mary’s website events page.
April: Book Club: How not to be Secular by James K.A. Smith
- Tuesday 22nd April at 1.30pm until 3pm
- Tuesday 22nd April at 8pm until 9.30pm
How not to be Secular may seem like a strange book to kick off Pop-up Theology with as it is a summary of a much longer work by Charles Taylor. Yet, that is precisely why we are reading this book. Charles Taylor’s work has helped theologians for many years understand the secular age in which we live. However, it is incredibly inaccessible for most people. How not to be Secular helps the modern reader to think carefully about the dilemma of faith in a modern age, and aims to equip us to be persuasive communicators of that faith in a world that seems ‘disenchanted.’
May: Dig Deep into 2 Timothy
- Saturday 17th May at 9.30am until 11.30am
- Thursday 22nd May at 1pm until 3pm
2 Timothy is written to a church in trouble. Corrupt teachers abound, and there is a dire need for faithful gospel workers. It is into this dramatic situation that Paul writes! Come and join us for a deep dive into the book of 2 Timothy. We will be applying some Bible handling skills that are learnt at the Oxford Ministry Training Course, and the London Cornhill Training Course to help us discover some of the treasures of this book.
June: Book Club: Prayer by Tim Keller
- Monday 9th June at 8pm until 9.30pm
- Tuesday 10th June at 1pm until 2.30pm
Prayer is central to the Christian faith, and one of the main ways in which we can experience personal intimacy with the Lord. Yet, we can often struggle with our prayer life. Tim Keller’s book on prayer seeks to give us a positive theological vision for it, while also being deeply practical and realistic.
July: Planted by streams of water: A practical introduction to Biblical Meditation
- Thursday 3rd July at 1pm until 3pm
- Saturday 5th July at 9.30am until 11.30am
We hear the word “meditation” and we often think of a Buddhist monk. Yet in Psalm 1 we discover that the blessed man meditates on God’s word night and day. So, what is Biblical Meditation? And how do we do it? Come along to this practical seminar to find out more about Biblical Meditation, while also being given a chance to try it out.