Thinking Aloud

Thinking Aloud is an occasional opportunity to explore topics of contemporary discussion and research with a Christian faith perspective. We aim to support one another in tackling the challenges to faith in the media, education, business, caring professions and academia. Watch the front page of this website for news of when another event is planned.

questionmarks

We meet on the sofas at the Vineyard Centre in Sheepscar, with hot drinks and light snacks as "brain food". Usually the event is timed to coincide with the Friday Night Project youth club downstairs for the convenience of people with teenage children.

Anyone is welcome, whether you have a Christian faith or not, and including students, young people studying at school and their parents
Up to three people offer in advance to prepare a brief presentation on a topic they have been thinking about, discussing with friends, reading about and/or researching. Often the topics are related to each other in a theme.
- Typical topics look at the various perspectives of faith, theology, scripture and apologetics with science, philosophy, ethics, social sciences, the educational curriculum and so on.
- Most individuals have found that the stimulus of preparing for a discussion is helpful in consolidating and moving forward their thinking
Each presenter gets a maximum of 20 mins or 5 slides on one topic. It doesn't have to be the last word on a subject - thinking in progress and outstanding questions are fine.
- It is OK to re-examine even the core foundations of faith, or Christian practice (hence the pun on "Thinking Allowed"). See the talk on Honest Questions.
- We value input from ordinary people in the community, practitioners and academics, but ask for jargon and acronymns to be busted wherever possible. We don't tend to invite external specialist speakers (other groups in Leeds like WYSOCS and cafe scientifique do that very well)
During or following these introductory presentations, a facilitated discussion allows the group to explore the topic further. This is the other half of the "Thinking Aloud" pun.
- We explore different perspectives to understand whether and how they can be reconciled. It is a respectful discussion, not an aggressive debate between opposing viewpoints.
- We encourage self-disclosure and open self-reflection on the thinking process - however incomplete.
We invite the Holy Spirit to illuminate and guide our thinking and discussion, believing that with his help we get a clearer picture of reality.

In previous sessions (and we can revisit these topics if there is demand) we shared and reviewed some of our formative spiritual experiences, thought about how and why God gets personally involved with us humans, and checked to make sure it is not just a "trick of the mind" as Derren Brown would have it. We have frequently looked at the interplay between science and faith - take a look at some past material on Science and Faith. We've looked at prayer for healing - is it real? What is best practice in praying for healing? During 2009-10 we looked at climate change and a range of issues relating to Faith and Ethics in healthcare, including withdrawal of care, the ethics of contraception, resurrection from a pathologist's perspective, and alternative medicine.

If you'd like to participate, offer a topic or just be kept in touch when things are being planned, please fill in the form below and press Send.

Thinking Aloud is not particularly related to the Radio 4 programme Thinking Allowed.

Response

Please keep me in touch when Thinking Aloud is happening:

Name:

Email Address:

Comments and topics you'd like to offer to talk or hear about:

David Wallace, 31/08/2010