Explore Life, Faith and Meaning

Sunday 1st May // Mike Day

The reality of suffering is something that every person faces at various points in their life. For many, the pain, confusion and evil in the world can lead to questioning the Christian description of a good and loving God – indeed, the existence of God at all. How are we to make sense of this? In this talk, we take seriously the experiences of people for whom suffering is real and overwhelming. A common question in suffering is, “Why” But, to whom or what are we directing the question? After briefly exploring responses from various belief systems, we will consider the unique response of hope and meaning found in the Christian worldview.

Mike Day is currently the Discipleship Overseer and, together with his wife Julia, is Balham Site Pastor at Vineyard 61. He has a background in evangelism and apologetics, having been a speaker on the RZIM Africa team for four years before moving to the UK. He holds a PGCE and a first-class bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Classics from South African universities. He has completed his post-graduate studies in Theology at the University of Oxford and is currently pursuing his Masters in Theology, Ministry and Mission at St Mellitus College in London.

Sunday 8th May // Tom Price

Many people have good questions about Jesus being the exclusive way to God. For example: In our complicated, interconnected and pluralistic modern world, is it right to see Jesus as the only way to God? Why can’t God just welcome sincere people who seek him from any point of view or religious system? Isn’t it arrogant to say that one religion is right over another? We will listen to and think through these issues and questions together followed by a time of open Q&A.

Tom Price (www.theocca.org & Archbishop’s Evangelist) enjoys creating spaces where people can think about and explore big questions. He is often involved in speaking and encouraging people to listen and engage with the deep questions that can be prompted by human existence, everyday life and faith.

Why bring God into it when we think about what makes for a fulfilling and moral life? Can’t we simply aim to help and not harm others, to respect and be kind to others? We live in a time of skepticism over the necessity of belief in God for moral goodness, as well as in the moral goodness of belief. In this talk we will consider if “be good” or “be kind” is the end of the matter, or if the Christian worldview has something more valuable to add in discovering meaning and purpose in life.

Mike Day is currently the Discipleship Overseer and, together with his wife Julia, is Balham Site Pastor at Vineyard 61. He has a background in evangelism and apologetics, having been a speaker on the RZIM Africa team for four years before moving to the UK. He holds a PGCE and a first-class bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Classics from South African universities. He has completed his post-graduate studies in Theology at the University of Oxford and is currently pursuing his Masters in Theology, Ministry and Mission at St Mellitus College in London.

Modern Science has greatly impacted human existence. We understand the human body better than ever before and are able to explore the natural world further than ever before. Yet, some think Science can tell us much more than just how the world works: it is able to answer every and any question that we have. Is this true? Or are there significant questions that require other types of expertise? Can Science answer the God question?

Sharon Dirckx is a speaker and author at OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. Originally from a scientific background, she has a PhD in brain imaging from the University of Cambridge and has held research positions in the UK and USA. Sharon speaks and lectures widely on Science and Theology, ‘mind and soul’ and the problem of evil. She is an author of an award-winning book on suffering, as well as a book on human consciousness and identity.

In this talk, Alexander will speak about the sensitive topic of racism in relation to the church. Many struggle today with the legacy of Christianity: has it been complicit in privileging ‘whiteness,’ whether in its history or current practices? We will address the complexities of these questions, acknowledging where Christians have got it very wrong, as well as considering what Jesus and the Bible really has to say about it.

Alexander McLean is passionate about justice. He founded and leads Justice Defenders, which works to equip the defenceless to become defenders of the defenceless. Justice Defenders runs more than 30 prison-based legal offices in Uganda, Kenya and The Gambia. This summer it will celebrate reaching 100,000 prisoner clients served by prisoner and prison officer paralegals it has trained. He is a barrister who has also judged cases and prosecuted them. Alexander and his wife Hannah were moved by Viv and Steve’s vision for a church where all could belong. They are excited by the prospect of being transformed by and with the church community. Since joining, they have served Balham Vineyard and latterly V61 in various ways.