Online Zoom Theology
Once every two months, we organise an online theology seminar by Zoom to discuss a particular idea, theme or text. We aim to make discussion as approachable as possible, and to give people the space they need to express their thoughts and questions.
Very often a speaker will introduce our discussion, or participants will have been expected to read a book, watch a film, or see a play in preparation.
Organising the event by Zoom means a wide range of people can participate even if they don’t live in London. These Zoom seminars always take place on Tuesday evenings at 7.00 pm and last for no more than an hour. The link to the Zoom meeting for each seminar can be found here.
Zoom Theology Seminar Programme
Faith in Berlin
Wednesday, September 25th, 2024, 7pm
Our first Zoom theology seminar of the year will have an ecumenical and international focus. Our Diocese has a long standing ecumenical partnership with the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg. Our German partners will be visiting London in October for a biennial conference. This Zoom seminar will be an opportunity to learn more about the particular history and theological traditions of our brothers and sisters in Berlin, and to find out more about the partnership between our two churches. We will be joined from Berlin by Dr Christof Theilemann, the Director of the Berlin Church’s principal Missionary Society and an experienced ecumenist. He will be in dialogue with Dr Brian Leathard, Vicar of St Luke’s Chelsea, and coordinator of the London- Berlin Partnership.
On Søren Kierkegaard
Saturday, 9th November, 2024, 7pm
In the first of our Zoom Theology collaborations with our sister church, St Mary the Virgin, Times Square, we’ll be joined from America by Fr Jeffrey Hanson who will introduce us to aspects of this compelling Danish philosopher’s thought. Fr Hanson is an academic philosopher and has researched and published widely on Kierkegaard.
An eccentric and short life (1813-1855) led almost entirely in Copenhagen; Kierkegaard left a remarkably rich set of writings of philosophical and theological import, and has been called the ‘Father of Existentialism’.
Medieval Women: In Their Own Words
Tuesday, 4th February, 2025, 7pm
The British Library will be presenting an exhibition this autumn entitled “Medieval Women: in their own words.” The British Library describes the exhibition as follows: “From the courage of Joan of Arc at her trial for heresy, and the visionary experiences of Julian of Norwich, to the artistry of the London silkwoman Alice Claver, the work of female medical practitioners, and the struggles of female rulers like Queen Melisende of Jerusalem, this exhibition explores the challenges, achievements and daily lives of women in Europe from 1100 to 1500.” This Zoom seminar will follow our parish visit to the exhibition and will be led by two academics. We’ll be joined by Dr Mark Philpott, a medievalist and historiographer at Keble College, Oxford, and Dr Charlotte Gauthier, an historian of Church and State in the Medieval and Early Modern period.
An Anglo-Catholic Tale of Two Cities
Saturday, 22nd March, 2025, 7pm
This is the second collaboration between All Saint’s, Margaret Street, and St Mary the Virgin, Times Square. Fr Peter and Fr Sammy, the churches’ respective incumbents, will share their studies of aspects of and characters from the colourful histories of our two parishes. What can these histories tell us about the future of Anglo-Catholic parishes like All Saints’ and St Mary’s, and what do our parishes’ witness and traditions have to contribute to the life of the Church in our two cities?
Nicaea 325 – what’s it all about?
Tuesday, 13th May, 2025, 7pm
2024 marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. What was the Council all about? Why was it important? What difference does it make to our faith today, and why is it still so debated and discussed? We honoured to be joined for this seminar by the Revd Dr Andrew Davison, Regius Professor of Theology at the University of Oxford. He will help us explore the key ideas at the heart of the Nicaean debate, and explain why this Council is such an important milestone in our understanding of the mystery of the godhead.
God’s Ghostwriters: Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible
Tuesday, 8th July, 2025, 7pm
This seminar, led by Fr Peter Anthony, seeks to delve deeper into the question of who wrote the New Testament, through reading and discussing Candida Moss’s new book, God’s Ghostwriters: Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible. We are used to thinking of the great names of the apostolic band as the authors of the gospels and epistles, but who actually put pen to paper, and in what sense can we say they “wrote” those texts? This ground-breaking new work by Candida Moss explores the contribution of a range of enslaved secretaries, amanuenses and writers. It seeks to reveal the forgotten voices, and marginalised contributors without whose work the New Testament corpus would not exist.