*N.B. This event has been rescheduled to Saturday 1 July from Saturday 24 June.

Olga Fabrikant-Burke leads a study of the Book of Ezekiel, exploring the themes of divine presence and absence.

Where is God? Divine Presence and Absence in Ezekiel

Where is God? We live in an increasingly insecure world. Life grows ever more precarious and unpredictable. Ezekiel may be no one’s favourite prophet, but he took human suffering seriously. For Ezekiel, God is found in surprising places: in the depths of suffering and defeat, in contradiction to expectation, in the dispersion and desperation of exile, and even in destruction and death. As we ponder Ezekiel’s message of hope and renewal, we will encounter a God who goes into the darkest places to meet us.

Olga Fabrikant-Burke is Tutor in Old Testament, and Admissions Tutor, at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, as well as being Assistant Curate at St Bene’t’s. She holds a doctorate in Old Testament studies from the University of Cambridge and is passionate about helping people come to know and delight in the riches of the Old Testament.

Coffee will be available from 10am.

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Ticket cost: £5 per person

Cally Hammond explores the way the Christian faith is taught and studied, focussing on the writing of St Augustine of Hippo.

Who teaches the teachers? St Augustine and the learning of the Christian faith

How do we learn and teach the Christian faith? How do we use the Scriptures and Christian doctrine? This study morning will explore these questions, drawing on the work of St Augustine, one of the most influential theologians in the Western Church.

Cally Hammond is Dean of Caius College, Cambridge. She has translated numerous works of St Augustine, and published books on spirituality. She teaches and researches in the areas of early Christian history and doctrine, and liturgy.

Coffee will be available from 10am.

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Ticket cost: £5 per person

Jonathan E Soyars explores St Paul's understanding of the 'Law of Christ' and its consequences for Christian communities.

Roughly a generation after Jesus’s death, something cryptically called the ‘law of Christ’ appears in Paul’s letters. This intriguing concept was subsequently worked out in strikingly different ways by early Christian authors, often in ethical debates. The demonstrated flexibility of the ‘law of Christ’ suggests its enduring significance as a theological category for Christians even today, as we articulate why acting in relation to Jesus still matters in our own time and place.

Jonathan E Soyars is Tutor in New Testament Language, Literature and Theology at Westminster College in the Cambridge Theological Federation and a priest in the Diocese of Ely. His current research analyses how ancient Christians creatively transformed and strategically redeployed scriptural traditions to new ethical ends, a project begun in his first book, The Shepherd of Hermas and the Pauline Legacy (Brill, 2019).

Coffee will be available from 10am.

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Ticket cost: £5 per person

Sister Gemma Simmonds CJ leads us on a study of Ignatian prayer and the 'Holiness of the Ordinary'.

St. Ignatius of Loyola has been called a mystic, but his spiritual teaching is eminently practical and accessible. Based on the idea of ‘finding God in all things’ it focuses on the ordinary details of human life and the ability to detect the presence of God within them. Paradoxically, this very ‘ordinary’ spiritual vision can make it harder for some people to grasp, as it does away with dualisms of every sort and invites us to believe that God is truly with us in all aspects of our experience.

Gemma Simmonds is a sister of the Congregation of Jesus, director of the Religious Life Institute at the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology in Cambridge, a theologian, spiritual director, author and broadcaster.

Coffee will be available from 10am.

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Mark Oakley, Dean of St John's, Cambridge, explores the language that is needed to express and explore the Christian faith.

The Snowfall of Words: poetry as the native language of faith

What language is needed to express and explore the Christian faith? Mark Oakley argues for the poetic as being the home language of belief. He will outline why he thinks the church and the world both need more poetry in them at a time when the curse of literalism and the abuse of language are both commonplace.

Mark Oakley is Dean of St John’s College, Cambridge, and an acclaimed author and broadcaster. He is an Ambassador for Stop Hate UK, a trustee of the Civil Liberties Trust and a patron of Tell MAMA which counters hate crime against Muslims.

Coffee will be available from 10am.

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Ticket cost: £5 per person

Jeremy Morris speaks on his newest book, A People's Church: Rewriting the History of the Church of England.

How well do we know our own history? The Church of England looms large in people’s images of the past, but often in distorted or even invented ways. Once we take into account the social history of religion in England, and the experience of those who separated from the Church, a very different picture often emerges. And what might it tell us about the Church’s future?”Jeremy Morris is the National Adviser for Ecumenical Relations for the Church of England.

Coffee will be available from 10am.

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Ticket cost: £5 per person

What does Jesus’ commission mean for us as we are sent by him in this time and place?

The Revd Dr Paul Weston will be with us on Saturday 12 June for our next Study Day exploring the question above. The session will run on Zoom from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm, and will include input from Paul and time for discussion.

For our next study day we will learn about sabbath rest from The Revd Dr Mark Scarlata. Dr Scarlata is Tutor and Lecturer in Old Testament Studies at St Mellitus College in London, as well as Vicar-Chaplain at St Edward, King and Martyr in Cambridge.

Having written a commentary on the book of the Exodus, Mark went on to write about the sabbath, drawing from this ancient commandment to find an invitation to rest that resonates for a digital, consumerist world.

Mark grew up in the USA and did his theological studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Yale Divinity School. He received his PhD from Cambridge University, and has written books and articles on different aspects of the Old Testament, as well as on Christian citizenship in a global world.

For the study day, you can read the first chapter of Mark’s book on sabbath, Abiding Presence and listen to him speaking about it on a couple of podcasts (resources below).

On Saturday 15 May at 11:00 am, Mark will join us on Zoom for 90 minutes – in the first half of which he will speak more on the subject of sabbath rest, and for the second half of which will answer questions and engage in discussion.

Resources

Read the first chapter of Dr Scarlata’s book on sabbath, Abiding Presence:

Podcast episodes:

Why we should still keep the sabbath

The beauty of God’s rhythm

The Revd Olga Fabrikant-Burke will reflect on the ancient and often strange world of the Old Testament in its historical, literary, and theological dimensions, as well as do some much needed myth-busting about this oft-neglected part of the canon that a lot of Christians keep at arm’s length.

There are videos to watch in advance of the Zoom discussion that you can find below or on our YouTube channel.

For our next Study Day, the Revd Dr Muthuraj Swamy will speak on Global Anglicanism, as we learn more of what it is to belong to a worldwide communion, and from the experiences and perspectives of brother and sister Christians in different parts of the world.

Videos are available to watch in advance of the day (available below or on our YouTube channel), and we will meet at 11:00 am on 13 February for discussion and conversation with Dr Swamy.

Dr Swamy is currently Director of the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide, and teaches in the Faculty of Divinity. He is the author of Reconciliation (The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book in 2019).

More on the theme of Global Anglicanism:

Since the second half of the 20th century, Anglicanism no longer has remained a British or Western phenomenon. It has increasingly and steadily become global, and it continues to do so, as the demographic shift of Anglicans has tilted towards what is called the Global South. These changes also have highlighted a number of issues crucial for living as Anglicans in the Anglican Communion.

Dr Swamy will talk about three themes as part of this study day.

1. Christians connected

Unlike in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, today Anglicanism is not about the expansion of the British Christianity through empire and colonialism. Rather, Global Anglicanism, and the Anglican Communion, is about celebrating the local expressions, multiple identities, diverse liturgy and worship styles, yet remaining in communion and building bonds with each other as Anglicans. It signifies the importance of diversity and differences, and it affirms the need for constant dialogues to walk and grow together. Its strength also lies in its ability and openness to build ecumenical relationships with Christians from other denominations and backgrounds in order to witness together to Christ. 

2. Engaging with other religions and traditions

Global Anglicanism continues to highlight the importance for Christians to engage with other religions in a multi-cultural and multi-religious world. One of the significant aspects of being an Anglican Christian (or Christians of any background) in the Global South is living with and engaging with neighbours and friends from other religious traditions (this may be major ‘world religions’ in Asia or indigenous religious traditions in Africa). As the West is increasingly becoming multi-religious and multi-cultural, the experiences and insights from these parts of the Communion need to be shared and learned.

3. Global Anglicanism and building better societies

In the context of Global Anglicanism, an average Anglican today is a poor woman in Africa or Asia struggling for everyday living. Any talk about Global Anglicanism and the vision for building it cannot be blind to this reality. The current crisis and challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic has only worsened the conditions for many poor and vulnerable people in the Global South. In such a context, the commitment of Global Anglicanism in building better societies in which the poor, vulnerable and marginalised can experience the fullness of life of the Kingdom of God is vital. 

For our next Study Day, Rupert Shortt will speak on Putting Aside Childish Thoughts: The Living God. Rupert will give three talks, drawing on philosophy, doctrine and science to articulate a Christian faith that is both compelling and coherent. Watch the videos in advance on our YouTube channel, before joining Rupert for a zoom discussion on Saturday 21 November at 11:00 am.

The talks are:

1. God is no Thing

2. A Faith Observed

3. Outgrowing Dawkins

Rupert was religion editor of the Times Literary Supplement for 20 years, and is the author of several books, including biographies of Pope Benedict and Archbishop Rowan.

The Revd Dr Simon Cuff will be speaking on Catholic Social Teaching. Often called 'the best kept secret' of the Catholic Church, Catholic Social Teaching addresses issues of concern to all people from the heart of the Church's tradition and in response to modern life. Fr Simon Cuff, our first speaker in this year's study day series, is tutor and lecturer in theology at St Mellitus College in London, and the author of the book Love in Action: Catholic Social Teaching for Every Church. In three videos on our YouTube channel and some time for conversation on Zoom, he will discuss what this body of thought has to offer Anglicans, as we strive for justice and to uphold the full dignity of every person created in God's image.

You can watch the videos in advance on our YouTube channel and below, and Fr Simon will be joining us on Zoom for a discussion at 11:00 am on Saturday 10 Oct.