For some of us, we think of theology as a knowledge-based experience that only engages the mind. However, theology is an invitation to practice a posture of listening as we engage and articulate God’s story in a way that transfers to all the parts of our lives and not just our minds.
Starting in May, Gena Minnix will be hosting theology conversations based around her writing project and focused on creation, humanity, Christ, the Spirit and the church. This will be an opportunity to consider and contemplate different questions and perspectives as we engage Scripture and our understanding of God and ourselves.
Conversation #1 – Creation
- May: Wednesday, May 20th
- “In the Beginning” (Cosmology) – thoughts about creation, why we’re here, what it means to be made in the image of God.
- Additional Resources
- Rowan Williams’s Christ the Heart of Creation (London: Bloomsbury Contiuum, 2018)
- Thomas Oord’s edited Theologies of Creation (New York: Routledge, 2015)
- David Clough’s On Animals I/II (NY: T&T Clark Int., 2012).
Note: The group conversations have been edited out of the videos in order to respect people’s privacy.
Conversation #1 Guide HandoutConversation #2 – Humanity
- July: Wednesday, July 29th
- “In the Garden” (Theological Anthropology) – thoughts about the story of the original couple, the snake, the fruit, what it means to be human, what is “sin”?
- Additional Resources
- Teresa of Avila. “The Book of Her Life.” In Collected Works, translated by Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez, 54–354. Washington DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1987.
- Williams, Rowan. Tokens of Trust: An Introduction to Christian Belief. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2007.
- Lewis, C. S. The Great Divorce. New York: Collier, 1984.
Note: The group conversations have been edited out of the videos in order to respect people’s privacy.
Conversation #2 Guide HandoutConversation #3 – Jesus
- August: Wednesday, August 19th
- “Who is Jesus?” (Christology) – thoughts on the incarnation story, the crucifixion, what it means that God entered our story as one of us.
- Additional Resources
- Alison, James. The Joy of Being Wrong: Original Sin through Easter Eyes. New York: Crossroad, 1998.
- Cone, James. God of the Oppressed. (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2012)
- Tanner, Kathryn. Jesus, Humanity, and the Trinity: A Brief Systematic Theology. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2001.
Note: The group conversations have been edited out of the videos in order to respect people’s privacy.
Conversation #3 Guide HandoutConversation #4 – The Spirit
- September: Wednesday, September 16th
- “The Spirit” (Pneumatology) – thoughts on the role of the Spirit in our salvation, what is spiritual discernment, what’s at the heart of contemplative practices.
- Additional Resources
- Anonymous. The Cloud of Unknowing. Edited by Evelyn Underhill (Createspace, 2017)
- Holmes, Barbarah. Joy Unspeakable: Contemplative Practices in the Black Church. (Minneapolis, Fortress Press, 2017)
- Tickle, Phyllis and Sweeney, Jon. The Age of the Spirit: How the Ghost of an Ancient Controversy is Shaping the Church. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2014)
Note: The group conversations have been edited out of the videos in order to respect people’s privacy.
Conversation #4 Guide HandoutConversation #5 – The Church
- October: Wednesday, Oct 14th
- “The Church” (Ecclesiology) – thoughts on what it means to be the Body of Christ, why do we gather, why Liturgy? Eucharist? what’s meaningful about rituals and reminders.
Note: The group conversations have been edited out of the videos in order to respect people’s privacy.
Conversation #5 Guide Handout[Photo by Julie Tingley @ Flickr]