Launch of Beyond Sunday

On 30 November, we held the first event in our new programme of talks and discussions, Beyond Sunday.

We were delighted to welcome the Very Rev'd Paul Kennington who addressed us on the topic of How to read the Bible for all its Worth. If you weren’t able to make it, there’s a recording below.

A major thread through Kennington’s presentation was the question “What is truth?.” What does it mean to say that a story, or account of an event, or a claim made in the Bible, is “true”? Can something not be literal fact and yet true all the same? What did the authors of the various books of the Bible intend their writings to achieve, beyond – or even instead of – serving as a purely factual account? Did they have different audiences in mind? The Gospel of John, for example, stands out strongly as a much more theological reflection than the other three.

This was an enlightening and perhaps challenging talk for those of us who might not have had much opportunity to consider such issues. But as Kennington said, God and God’s Word are not afraid of tough questions, and in fact they help us be more attuned to what God is saying to us today, through words put down two millennia ago.

Next up: 7pm on Wednesday 31 January for I've Always Wanted to Ask... Q&A with the Vicar with the Revd Ruth Burge-Thomas, Vicar of Holy Spirit, Clapham. Mother Ruth will field the questions you’ve been dying to ask about our faith, our church, our leaders – whatever has piqued your curiosity. 

Huge thanks to Rachel Edge and Henry Chu for curating Beyond Sunday.