The Uniting Church Chaplaincy at Macquarie University and Epping Uniting Church are hosting 2 evening lectures and an in-depth workshop on the first weekend of November.
The concpet of Political Popularism has gained new importance since the Brexit and US presidential elections. It is often used as a catch-all term to describe a general tone in government policies, campaign strategies, and the rise of fringe political groups in the “post-truth age”. If we are to do theology, and be the church, in this time and place, we need to properly understand this phenomenon and have thought about constructive responses. This weekend will achieve both.
There are three ways to engage with the content over the weekend. You can attend either one or both of the evening lectures, or, you can attend the whole weekend (inc. daily workshops and evening lectures).
Friday Night, 7pm: Populism and the Accompanying Theological Themes (Lecture, Q&A, Live Music, wine/beer and cheese) The Friday night lecture considers the challenges and opportunities political populism presents to the Christian faith. It will define populism as it has developed within the neoliberal and neoconservative US context, and will highlight a number of related theological themes
Saturday workshop, 10am – 4:30pm: Identifies the crossover between theological and political concerns as they appear within the law, religious freedom, racism, secularisation and pluralism.
Saturday Night, 6:30pm: Theo-Politics for a Community that Moves Beyond Itself (Lecture, Q&A, Live Music, wine/beer and cheese) The Saturday night lecture picks up this theological challenge and proposes an alternative focused on the political stance of a community which finds its identity as it moves beyond itself. (This lecture can still be enjoyed independently of the first.
Sunday workshop, 12pm – 4:30pm: Focuses on a constructive theological response beginning with Christology and drawing the implications of this for an intercultural hermeneutics and forms of political participation.
This weekend is based on the course “Political Popularlism and Theological Discourse” run through Pilgrim Theological College in Melbourne, click here if you’re interested in a thorough and well resourced summary of that course. You can also watch this interview with John.
Get your tickets here.
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