Newbigin
Network WANewbigin
Network WAThe Newbigin Network WA group in Perth, Western Australia, currently has a reading group that meets approximately once every six weeks and is concerned with issues of Culture and the Gospel. Please view the programme and feel free to attend. We hope that you will be able to join us at least for some of the meetings this year. Please let Ian Barns know if you don’t want to receive reminders of the meetings etc. On the other hand, let Ian know of any others who might like to join the list.
Time: Monday, 7.30-9.30pm (refer to table below for dates)
Place: Home of Brian & Margaret Hill (8 Kirby Way, Samson) E-mail: hillbvmj@westnet.com.au
The ‘Newbigin Reading Group’ will be meeting again in 2010.
Our theme for the year will be: Sustainability, the good life and the gospel. In a time of a deepening sustainability emergency (or ‘the big crunch’) more reflective commentators are reminding us that the deepest impediments to making a transition to a more sustainable human world are not technical but cultural and spiritual: in other words, our deepest assumptions about ‘the good life’. How can we embody and communicate the vision of ‘the good life’ entailed by the gospel in ways that connect to the urgent ecological challenges of our time?
| 8/2/10 | Planning meeting - all welcome |
| 1/3/10 | Preparing for the ‘big crunch’ by re-thinking the good life |
| 12/4/10 | Can we ever have too much of a good thing? Reflecting theologically on consumer culture (in the shopping mall or department store, airport lounge, concert hall, restaurant…) |
| 17/5/10 | The way of God’s good life: self-denial, prosperity.. or building for the kingdom? |
| 28/6/10 | Incarnating God’s good life in a time of transition: practical living, political action, spiritual dreaming |
| 9/8/10 | On the ground: church life and practical transition initiatives (community gardening, downsizing, building local resilience) |
| 20/9/10 | In the machine: Christian political action for a sustainable future |
| 1/11/10 | What story will we live by? Conversations with ecological scientists |
| 13/12/10 | What story will we live by? Conversations with green believers |
2009: Followed a similar format to last year (a couple of readings with a brief introduction by the discussion leader) but this will be discussed on the first meeting. The general theme for our discussions this year will be ‘Discipleship and world building’: a theme prompted by Tom Wright’s recent book, Surprised by Hope (London, SPCK 2007) and in particular Chapter 13: ‘Building for the kingdom’..
| 23/2/09 | Introduction to theme + Guest Speaker: Donna Mulhearn |
| 6/4/09 | Economic life, work and industrial relations, led by Simon Bibby |
| 18/5/09 | Sustainability and global justice, led by John Davis et al |
| 29/6/09 | Australian fiction writing, led by Nathan Hobby (Note: Venue is Vose Seminary Library, 20 Hayman Rd, Bentley) |
| 3/8/09 | The values of public education, led by Paul Newhouse and Brian Hill |
| 21/9/09 | Reconciling black and white Australia, led by Ian Robinson |
| 2/11/09 | Health care issues, led by Ian Masarei |
| 14/12/09 | Australian music, led by Rosalind Appleby |
2008: Followed a similar format to last year (a couple of readings with a brief introduction by the discussion leader). The theme for our readings will be an investigation of the 'theopolitical praxis' of various people using Oliver O'Donovan's political theology as a critical framework.
| 10/3/08 | Introduction to theme + Guest Speaker: Ms Donna Mulhearn |
| 22/4/08 (Tuesday) | Guest Speaker: Dr Tom Sine - Making it real! |
| 9/6/08 | Nick Spencer, Doing God: A Future for Faith in the Public Square |
| 14/7/08 | Jim Wallis, God’s Politics and The Great Awakening |
| 1/9/08 | Shane Claiborne, Irresistible Revolution [Note change of date] |
| 6/10/08 | Kevin Rudd, Faith and Politics |
| 24/11/08 | Evangelical Politics - Mark and Mary Hurst [Note change of date] |
| ?/12/08 | TBA (Michael Schluter et al, Jubilee Manifesto?) |
2007: The programme followed a similar format to the previous year (a couple of readings with a brief introduction by the discussion leader). The theme for our readings was an investigation of the theology of NT Wright and its application of a number of practical themes (e.g. climate change, church practices, work, and political engagement).
| 29/1/07 | Newbigin project overview (starts at 8pm) |
| 26/2/07 | Introduction to NT Wright (back to 7.30pm) |
| 2/4/07 | Reading the Bible as a five act story |
| 14/5/07 | Resurrection and the New creation |
| 25/6/07 | God and Caesar - then and now |
| 6/8/07 | What about the church? |
| 17/9/07 | Being 'image-bearers' at work and in everyday life |
| 29/10/07 | Progress on projects (The gospel and election politics) |
| 3/12/07 | Reflections on NT Wright Progress on projects (church and work) |
Download a fllyer about the reading programme (Word document)
2006: The theme for the sessions was ‘Practicing the Politics of Jesus’ that developed implications for key areas of practice in churches.
| 27/2/06 | Practising the Politics of Jesus |
| 3/4/06 | Baptism and the politics of identity |
| 15/5/06 | Eucharist and the politics of the common life + William Cavanaugh visit 27-29th May, 2006 |
| 26/6/06 | Praise and the politics of public imagination |
| 7/8/06 | Preaching and the politics of public deliberation |
| 18/9/06 | Church discipline and the politics of justice and conflict resolution |
| 30/10/06 | Hospitality and the politics of welfare |
| 11/12/06 | Summary and Implications |
2005: The programme aimed to consider the views of a variety of theologians in terms of Christian involvement in political processes.
| 28/2/05 | Introduction: The gospel and contemporary politics in Australia |
| 11/4/05 | Lesslie Newbigin: The Gospel in A Pluralist Society |
| 30/5/05 | John Yoder: The Politics of Jesus |
| 27/6/05 | Stanley Hauerwas: After Christendom |
| 8/8/05 | Oliver O’Donovan: The Desire of the Nations |
| 12/9/05 | N.T. (Tom) Wright: The Challenge of Jesus |
| 31/10/05 | William Cavanaugh: Theo-political imagination |
| 5/12/05 | Peter Jensen: Boyer Lectures |
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Last Updated: March 2, 2010