Aping Mankind
Neuroscience has made astounding progress in the understanding of the brain. What should we make of its claims to go beyond the brain and explain consciousness, behaviour and culture? Where should we draw the line?
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Subject: Historical and philosophical studies
The Church as a Christian Tribe
In today’s world, we cannot help but be aware of a number of disturbing trends such as...
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Harnessing Diversity
Homo sapiens has been hugely successful as a species. We may have evolved from other animals, but with the development of self-aware consciousness, we’ve transcended the limits of purely biological evolution. Through our unique abilities we’ve created the Anthropocene epoch on earth, full of amazing technological and artistic achievements. But in the process, we’ve brought about an ecological crisis that threatens the planet with serious damage and our own species with extinction. No, not the current pandemic, but rather the whole nexus of challenges that include climate change, habitat loss, biodiversity loss, environmental pollution, overuse of resources and growing inequality. What you might call the “human predicament”.
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A New Story
Thomas Berry (1914 – 2009) argued passionately that we need a New Story that provides a shared meaning for humankind of whatever faith (or none) to pursue their own different activities as fruitful and responsible members of the earth community.
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The Book of Revelation
Jesus lived and died at a critical period in the development of the Roman Empire. He spoke from the point of view of those who lost out under empire, exposing the underlying institutional violence that was held in check by the ‘scapegoating’ mechanism. And it was the Roman Empire that executed him, recognizing the danger of his subversive message.
We still live in an age of empire, so Jesus’ message remains counter-cultural in today’s world. That is why the Book of Revelation, written to urge the early Christian communities in the Roman province of Asia (modern Turkey) not to succumb either to the fear of reprisals or the seductive charm of commerce, has great relevance to all followers of Jesus today.
This eight-part course explores different aspects of this most challenging of all the books of the New Testament in terms that are relevant to life in the early twenty first century.
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