Talks
TOMORROW is a week-long invitation to ask the deeper questions of where we want to go and who we want to become as people and as a society. We’ll be exploring issues of purpose, progress, identity and truth and asking what the words of Jesus of Nazareth have to offer us in the 21st Century.
Each day we’ll be hearing from our guests, author Pete Nicholas and international speaker Michael Ramsden, as well as interviews with special guests from around the world. All are warmly welcomed to listen and participate, as we seek to connect with one another across differences in belief and background, to ask together if we can dare to hope for a better tomorrow.
A map to the venues can be found here.
Lunch Times
Mon-Fri //
1:10-1:50pm
talk · Q&A · free lunch
Evenings
Mon-Fri //
8-9:15pm
talk · interview · food & drink
Lunch Times
Mon - Fri // 1:10 - 1:50PM
talk · Q&A · free lunch
Evenings
Mon - Fri // 8-9:15pm
talk · interview · food & drink
Monday
Jesus challenged the religious and political authorities of his day boldly, seemingly convinced that he had access to a higher authority and truth all of his own. 2000 years on, have his followers inherited from him a problematic arrogance? And should our growing understanding of the processes that shape our thinking lead us to a humility regarding truth? An evening exploring truth and the nature of true humility with our speaker Michael Ramsden, and guest Dr Sharon Dirckx, Oxbridge academic and former neuroscientist, author of Am I just my brain?
Tuesday
We want our lives to matter, we want to make a difference. We see the inequalities and injustices of the world and we want to put it right. But we’re busy and the world is complicated, and the chances are in some ways we are part of the problem. Should we just recycle, give to charity and get on with life? How can we be a genuine force for good, without being overwhelmed?
Some say the world is a sea of randomness, us included. Is this just the way things are? Often we know how we ‘ought’ to live, we can see the way we want to act, but half the time we can’t actually do it – so what’s the point? In fact, what’s the point of anything? An exploration of purpose with our speaker Michael Ramsden, and our guest, Major General Tim Cross, who had to reconcile military service and faith through the frustrations of leading British forces in Iraq.
Wednesday
@ St Andrew’s Street Baptist Church
Who do you want to be tomorrow? All of us want to grow and change – but at the same time we need a coherent sense of our identity. What is it that makes us who we are? And how does genuine change come about?
Thursday
No parent ends a bedtime story with ‘they did not live happily ever after’. We crave a happy ending, but do we think that’s where our world is going? Is it reasonable to believe in an upward curve of societal progress, or is there any other rational basis for hope?
Why do people who want to change the world so often run into despair? The pursuit of progress in our lives and our world is fraught with frustrations and paradoxes – whether it’s fighting for peace or stamping out intolerance. In an age of disillusionment and compassion-fatigue, can anything transform our world and make a better tomorrow? What can we learn from the man who, without ever writing a book or commanding an army, has left the biggest footprint of change in human history? Michael Ramsden will explore these questions with our guest, Hassan John, a follower of Jesus struggling for peace, forgiveness and survival in the shadow of Boko Haram.
Friday
How we feel about our work is deeply revealing: what are we expecting the work we do to do for us? Do we live in a culture that assigns value based on success, and do we want to? Or is there a more liberating way to view ourselves, our work and each other?
Is it possible to trust in the 21st Century? Surrounded by scandals and betrayals, and sceptical of our leaders and institutions, there isn’t much in the world today to inspire our confidence. But can we ever find fulfilment in something we are not committed to? Do we need trust to become fully alive? Michael Ramsden will be exploring these questions with our guest, Luna Wang, who gave up a promising career in the Chinese government while studying at Oxford, when she found herself disillusioned with her leaders, and convinced of the trustworthiness of Jesus.