PEACEtalks

I found out that our Modern Age touts a philosophy that disavows philosophy. It robs us of our philosophical birthright. It both spawns and dismisses our doubts about knowing and the real. It touts an approach to knowing and the real which actually obstructs our work, damaging ourselves and the world.

So I am a professional philosopher working beyond the ivory tower with people in the streets—where philosophizing ought to happen, to address people’s heartfelt but often thwarted longing for the real. I want to share with others what I needed desperately but took decades to find.

I have found a deeply healing, integrative, life-reorienting approach to our core philosophical questions about knowing and the real. And since our philosophical approach is foundational to everything else we do, this philosophical approach has been proven to positively and concretely impacts every other venture we undertake. I’d like the opportunity to share it with you.

Esther Lightcap Meek. Esther is Professor of Philosophy emeritus at Geneva College, in Western Pennsylvania. In addition to being a well known author and speaker, she is a Fellow Scholar with the Fujimura Institute, an Associate Fellow with the Kirby Laing Center for Public Theology, and a member of the Polanyi Society.

PEACEtalks is a quarterly event (held on a Thursday or Saturday evening) hosted by Paddington Anglican Church aimed at serving the community by promoting and cultivating deep conversations about life, the world and everything. ‘PEACE’ stands for ‘political, ethical, artistic & cultural engagement’. As such, our events seek to take all of these areas of our shared humanity seriously in a world where such things are often marginalized. We also seek to demonstrate the ways in which spiritual and theological reflection enable us to look at all of these important areas afresh. All welcome!

What does it means to be Christian in response to COVID-19 and its devastating impact? How do we speak of God in the midst of the the widespread anxieties and fears caused by the pandemic? How do witness to God’s truth and justice in light of the deep inequities that the pandemic has helped unveil? In the fourteenth century, Julian of Norwich composed her Revelations of Divine Love in response to many of these same kinds of questions and challenges. This evening will therefore provide a chance to listen to and reflect on Julian’s theology of God’s abundant love.

Dr Michael Mawson teaches theology and ethics at the United Theological College/ Charles Sturt University. He is from Aotearoa New Zealand and before moving to Sydney lived and taught in Aberdeen, Scotland. His current research and writing focuses on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theology and ageing, postcolonial theologies and ecclesiology.

This event is PEACEtalks: a quarterly event (held on a Thursday or Saturday evening) starting at 7pm hosted by Paddington Anglican Church aimed at serving the community by promoting and cultivating deep conversations about life, the world and everything. ‘PEACE’ stands for ‘political, ethical, artistic & cultural engagement’. Also on iTunes / Apple Podcasts by searching for PEACEtalks.

The global crisis of forced displacement is growing every year. At the same time, Western Christians' sympathy toward refugees is increasingly overshadowed by concerns about personal and national security, economics, and culture. We urgently need a perspective that understands both Scripture and current political realities and that can be applied at the levels of the church, the nation, and the globe.

Mark R. Glanville and Luke Glanville reflect on their new book Refuge Reimagined offering a new approach to compassion for displaced people: a biblical ethic of kinship. God's people, they argue, are consistently called to extend kinship—a mutual responsibility and solidarity—to those who are marginalized and without a home. Drawing on their respective expertise in Old Testament studies and international relations, the two brothers engage a range of disciplines to demonstrate how this ethic is consistently conveyed throughout the Bible and can be practically embodied today.

Glanville and Glanville apply the kinship ethic to issues such as the current mission of the church, national identity and sovereignty, and possibilities for a cooperative global response to the refugee crisis. Challenging the fear-based ethic that often motivates Christian approaches, they envision a more generous, creative, and hopeful way forward.

Mark R. Glanville (PhD, Bristol University) is associate professor of pastoral theology at Regent College, Vancouver, and an Old Testament scholar. Mark’s research explores the topic of kinship in the Old Testament, focusing on how scripture calls God’s people to enfold vulnerable people as kindred, especially displaced people seeking a place to belong. He is the author of Adopting the Stranger as Kindred in Deuteronomy (2018) and Freed to Be God's Family: The Book of Exodus (2021).

Luke Glanville (PhD, University of Queensland) is associate professor of international relations at Australian National University. Luke’s research focuses on international political theory, the history of international political thought, responsibility to protect, and refugee protection. He is the author of Sovereignty and the Responsibility to Protect: A New History (2014) and Sharing Responsibility: The History and Future of Protection from Atrocities(2021).

With host Ebony Birchall a lawyer who specialises in large-scale public interest litigation. She has acted in landmark legal matters such as the Manus Island class action and the Immigration Data Breach representative complaint and is currently working on investigations concerning government accountability. She researches political philosophy, human rights and the impact of politics and culture on ethics. She is on the People Seeking Asylum team for Common Grace and is a fundraising co-ordinator for the Katoke Trust for Overseas Aid.

This event is PEACEtalks: a quarterly event (held on a Thursday or Saturday evening) starting at 7pm hosted by Paddington Anglican Church aimed at serving the community by promoting and cultivating deep conversations about life, the world and everything. ‘PEACE’ stands for ‘political, ethical, artistic & cultural engagement’. Also on iTunes / Apple Podcasts by searching for PEACEtalks.

Marginalisation and Grace: Centres and peripheries in a world turned inside out.

There are many ways to think about and define the centres and peripheries of Christianity, who or what controls, shapes and influences the markers of belonging and right belief, who or what is mainstream or marginal. This talk, which focuses on ideas of centres and peripheries in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, was intended to sit alongside three other talks at a – now cancelled – conference in New Zealand, which combined, would explore ideas of centres and peripheries in Protestant Christianity in Australia, along the lines of gender, sexuality and ‘race’.

This event is PEACEtalks (see PEACEtalks.info): a monthly event (held on a Thursday or Saturday evening) starting at 7pm hosted by Paddington Anglican Church aimed at serving the community by promoting and cultivating deep conversations about life, the world and everything. ‘PEACE’ stands for ‘political, ethical, artistic & cultural engagement’. Also on iTunes / Apple Podcasts by searching for PEACEtalks.

Now that the bushfire emergency of the last few months has eased, the temptation—especially for those of us in major cities that may have been choked with smoke, but largely avoided the flames—is to think of life as having more or less returned to normal. But something happened this summer, something profound, with the potential to reshape our common life and our future if we will allow ourselves to soak it in. These fires have left their mark on the landscape, and their ecological impacts will likely resonate way beyond the years it will take for all the charred trees to be overtaken by fresh growth. But they have also scorched our cultural and political terrain as well. So if we’re looking for fresh growth, where might it be found? Will we allow ourselves to be shaped by the deep lessons of this catastrophe? The evening will explore the landscape—theological, political, cultural—left behind by the flames.   

This event is PEACEtalks: a monthly event (held on a Thursday or Saturday evening) starting at 7pm hosted by Paddington Anglican Church aimed at serving the community by promoting and cultivating deep conversations about life, the world and everything. ‘PEACE’ stands for ‘political, ethical, artistic & cultural engagement’. Also on iTunes / Apple Podcasts by searching for PEACEtalks. 

About our speaker: 

Rev Dr Jason John completed an honours in zoology before converting to Christianity, and studying for ordination.  After his first placement as a University chaplain, he completed a PhD and wrote some books on the implications of evolution, ecology and environmentalism for the Christian story, especially in rescuing us from our human-centred theology. Throughout his twenty years of ministry he has helped the church explore the implications of our faith in a Creator for our relationship with the rest of Creation, and in encouraging all people to live as better members of the Earth family. This included working as an environment officer in the University of Queensland Student Union, starting the Adelaide and Bellingen eco-faith communities, working on the team at Uniting Mission and Education, and now as a half-time member of the Uniting Advocacy Team, where his focus has swung more specifically to engaging Uniting and the wider church in emissions reductions and public climate advocacy. Recently Jason found a cathartic outlet for the often-arduous path of environmental engagement in slam poetry, winning the 2019 Bellingen poetry slam and placing 3rd at the Australian Poetry Slam national final at the Opera House in 2019. He lives in the forest with his family, and many other members of the Earth family, trying to be a good neighbour to most of them.  

Followers of Jesus are commanded to turn from evil to do good and to never cease in doing good. But when it comes to political issues, we find our nation and our churches, split over what exactly can be defined as ‘good’. For example, asking the question “is it good to allow asylum seekers into Australia?” will produce a range of responses amongst a Christian audience. Ebony will draw from her Ph.D. research regarding the impact of politics and culture on ethics to challenge us to think through how we reach our opinions around what is ‘good’.

Resources for more information: Common Grace.

Ebony Birchall is a lawyer who specialises in large-scale public interest litigation. She has acted in landmark legal matters such as the Manus Island class action and the Immigration Data Breach representative complaint and is currently working on investigations concerning government accountability. She researches political philosophy, human rights and the impact of politics and culture on ethics. She is on the People Seeking Asylum team for Common Grace and is a fundraising co-ordinator for the Katoke Trust for Overseas Aid.

This event is PEACEtalks: a monthly event (held on a Thursday or Saturday evening) starting at 7pm hosted by Paddington Anglican Church aimed at serving the community by promoting and cultivating deep conversations about life, the world and everything. ‘PEACE’ stands for ‘political, ethical, artistic & cultural engagement’. Also on iTunes / Apple Podcasts by searching for PEACEtalks.

Rev Katherine Rainger shares with us "From Bethlehem with love: Advent reflections in conversation with Palestinian Christian Theology"

“Come and see” and then “go and tell” is the message that Palestinian Christians give to the church. This PEACEtalks is an invitation to “come and hear” and reflect on what it means to welcome Jesus while also being attentive to the experiences of Palestinian Christians in the land of his birth. Rev Katherine Rainger leads an Advent reflection that draws on the witness of Palestinian Christians, the “living stones” of the holy land who live out their faith with a commitment to justice, reconciliation and peace.

The two YouTube clips included:

Open Your Heart {Christmas in Bethlehem: Real Peace In You and Me} - The story of the birth of Jesus told by the people of Bethlehem. In Palestine. {Credits} This is a mini-documentary titled "O Little Town of Bethlehem". Directed by Tim Parsons.

Areej Masoud at St. Andrews, Canberra

Resources for more information: Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network

Rev Katherine Rainger is a priest, chaplain, teacher and theologian. She is a member of Friends of Sabeel Australia, a group associated with the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre in Jerusalem, and the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network.

This event is part of PEACEtalks: a monthly event (held on a Thursday or Saturday evening) starting at 7pm hosted by Paddington Anglican Church aimed at serving the community by promoting and cultivating deep conversations about life, the world and everything. ‘PEACE’ stands for ‘political, ethical, artistic & cultural engagement’. Also on iTunes / Apple Podcasts by searching for PEACEtalks.

For the PEACEtalk to discuss "The Ins and Outs of the Body of Christ: listening to the voices the church needs to hear" we heard from an exciting panel of speakers about what it's like to be LGBTIQA+, have a disability, be multicultural, and Aboriginal, in God's Family and in our churches. The panel of Steff Fenton, Shane Clifton, and Joanne Shan was moderated by Brooke Prentis.

Meet the panel

Dr Shane Clifton is Honorary Professor, Centre for Disability Research and Policy, the Faculty of Health Sciences, the University of Sydney. His current research is interdisciplinary, exploring the intersection between disability studies, virtue ethics, and theology. Shane is Married to Elly, and they have three sons. In 2010 Shane had a serious accident that left him a quadriplegic (C5 Incomplete). He is passionate about the flourishing of people with a disability. https://shaneclifton.wordpress.com/

Joanne is Tamil and Sinhalese, born and raised in Narrm (the place now called Melbourne). Joanne holds a Bachelor Degree in Australian Indigenous Studies and is completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Indigenous Theology through Naiits: An Indigenous Learning Community. Joanne loves working with young people to embrace culture, and is a Support Worker volunteering with VACCA (Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency) and working in DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services).

Brooke is an Aboriginal Christian Leader, a descendant of the Waka Waka peoples. Brooke is the Director of PEACEtalks, Aboriginal Spokesperson for Common Graceand Coordinator of the The Grasstree Gathering.

This event is part of PEACEtalks: a monthly event (held on a Thursday or Saturday evening) starting at 7pm hosted by Paddington Anglican Church aimed at serving the community by promoting and cultivating deep conversations about life, the world and everything. ‘PEACE’ stands for ‘political, ethical, artistic & cultural engagement’. Also on iTunes / Apple Podcasts by searching for PEACEtalks.

Hear Rev Dr Seforosa Carroll explore Climate Change, Theology and Resilience in the Pacific – the importance of faith/theology in the Pacific and how it can be both a hindering and transforming agent of change. Also exploring the importance of Indigenous knowledge and wisdom as a source of resilience in a changing climate.

Seforosa (Sef) is a Fiji born Rotuman who spent her formative years growing up in Lautoka, the Western side of Viti Levu in Fiji. These formative experiences continue to inform Sef’s theological reflections on interfaith and cross-cultural relationships, and gender and culture from a diasporic perspective of a migrant who calls Australia one of her homes. Sef graduated with a PhD in theology at Charles Sturt University in 2015. Sef is a Research Fellow of the Public and Contextual Theology Research Center (PaCT), Charles Sturt University, Australia. She is a visiting lecturer with the School of Theology, United Theological College Charles Sturt University in theology.  Sef is a CTI Fellow and was a resident member of the 2017-2018 Inquiry into Religion and Migration at the Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton. Sef just completed her time with UnitingWorld where she worked as a theological researcher (climate and gender) and facilitating church relationships in Australia and the Pacific.  Sef is a great believer in the powerful role theology can play in bringing about transformative change. Sef begins a new role with the World Council of Churches in Geneva in January 2020.

This event is part of PEACEtalks: a monthly event (held on a Thursday or Saturday evening) starting at 7pm hosted by Paddington Anglican Church aimed at serving the community by promoting and cultivating deep conversations about life, the world and everything. ‘PEACE’ stands for ‘political, ethical, artistic & cultural engagement’. Also on iTunes / Apple Podcasts by searching for PEACEtalks.

A panel of artists who have been part of Creative Conversations held at Annandale Creative Arts Centre as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival joined us for our August PEACEtalks and explored "Can art change the world?"

Speakers

Helen Wright is a Pastor at Newtown Mission and oversees Annandale Creative Arts Centre. She is the Artistic Director of Creative Conversations, a project inviting artists to create new work engaging with justice. With a background in dance and collaborative performance making, Helen is currently writing music for community contexts to bring about transformation.

Claire Wall is an actor and theatre-maker. She is passionate about creating theatre that gives voice to community and challenges dominant social narratives. Her recent production “Homesick” explored connection to place through the lens of the Armidale community, and recentred Indigenous story and knowledge.

Mary van den Berk is a visual artist who comes from a background of social work, research and art teaching. 2019 will be Mary’s second time participating in Creative Conversations, following her first contribution in 2014 for the Creative Conversations with Asylum Seekers. For this year’s Creative Conversations with Land, Mary is using needlepoint and sampler quilt craft to represent white colonial women present and how history wrongly attached the hunter-gatherer label to Aboriginal peoples.

With Brooke Prentis, PEACEtalks Director, Wakka Wakka woman, Aboriginal Christian Leader, Aboriginal Spokesperson for Common Grace, and Coordinator of the The Grasstree Gathering.

This event is part of PEACEtalks: a monthly event (held on a Thursday or Saturday evening) hosted by Paddington Anglican Church aimed at serving the community by promoting and cultivating deep conversations about life, the world and everything. ‘PEACE’ stands for ‘political, ethical, artistic & cultural engagement’.