Theology Group
Programme 2026-27
Tuesday Oct 6th 2026: Revd Dr Kevin Maddy
“Imagining Paradise”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Nov 3rd 2026: Revd Dr Paul Overend
“Erich Fromm’s Religious Humanism: Themes in the Development of Fromm’s Religious and Theological Thinking”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Dec 1st 2026: Dr Deirdre Good
Provisional title: “On the Jewish New Testament”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Jan 5th 2027: Daniel Randall
“The Parish as an Inheritance of Public Christianity: Place, Pastoral Care and the Common Good”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Feb 2nd 2027: Revd Dr Alan le Grys
“The History, Theology and Recent Reception of St Paul’s Letter to the Galatians”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday April 6th 2027: Dr Philip Knight
“What can we Learn about Prayer from Jacques Derrida?”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday May 4th 2027: Speaker to be Confirmed
Title To be Confirmed
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday June 1st 2027: Speaker to be Confirmed
Title To be Confirmed
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Past events
Programme 2025-26
Tuesday Sept 9th 2025: Rev Dr Kevin Maddy
“Wrestling with the Divine: A Psychological Approach to Christianity”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Oct 7th 2025: Dr Deirdre Good
“Behold!: The Deictic Particle in the Gospels – idou/ide”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Nov 11th 2025: Canon Christopher Irvine
“Maker of Heaven and Earth’: Who and What do we Actually Celebrate During Creationtide?”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Dec 2nd 2025: Rt. Rev. Richard Llewellin
“Israel and Palestine: Not a War but a Colonisation”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Jan 6th 2026: Dr Philp Knight
“Apophatic Panentheism: A Contradiction or an Opportunity?”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Feb 3rd 2026: Revd. Dr Alan le Grys
“Moving on with Romans – Anything New?”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday May 5th 2026: New Rector
“To be confirmed”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday June 2nd 2026: Dr Eduard Heyning
“Kenosis: Self-emptying in a Christian-Buddhist Dialogue”.
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Programme 2024-25
Tuesday Sept 3rd 2024: Dr Peter Clough
“Religion in Victorian Literature: How Authors Became Theologians”.
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Oct 1st 2024: Revd. Dr Kevin Maddy
“Finding Salvation in a World of Uncertainty”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Nov 5th 2024: Revd. Dr Stephen Laird FSA FHEA
“Minority Groups in English Christianity: Reality versus Ideology”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Dec 3rdth 2024: Dr Rosemary Walters
“Radicals and the Future of the Church”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Jan 7th 2025: Revd. Dr Alan le Grys:
“The Use and Abuse of the Bible in the Contemporary Church”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Feb 4th 2025: Dr Simon Wilson
“If you don’t love trees, you don’t love God: Orthodox Christian Spirituality and Ecology.”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday May 6th 2025: Dr Philip Knight
“What Can We Learn About Prayer From Jacques Derrida?”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday June 3rd 2025: Revd. Dr Alison Milbank
“Title on Save the Parishes Movement to be supplied”.
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Programme 2023-24
Tuesday Sept 5th 2023: Revd. Dr Kevin Maddy
“Science, Religion, AI and a Little Franciscan Sister Called Ilia Delio”
St Stephen’s Church, Hales Drive, Canterbury 7.30pm start
Tuesday Oct 3th 2023: Stephen Barker
“Some hymns and their Theology”
St Stephen’s Church, Hales Drive Canterbury 7.30pm start
Tuesday Nov 7th 2023: Revd. Dr Stacey Rand
“Flexible Instruments in God’s Hands: Understanding Human Work through the Writings of Edith Stein”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Dec 5th 2023: Revd. Dr Deirdre Good
“Marriage of Same-Sex Couples”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Jan 9th 2024: Rev Dr David Vannelley
“The Challenges of Fundamental British Values Education in Christian Schools”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Feb 6th 2024: The Venerable William Adam Archdeacon of Canterbury
“title to be supplied”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday April 9th 2024: Revd. Dr Alan le Grys:
“title to be supplied”
St Stephen’s Church Hales Drive, Canterbury 7.30pm start.
Tuesday May 7th 2024: Professor Rabbi Dan Cohn-Sherbok
“What is Anti-Semitism?”
St Stephen’s Church Hales Drive, Canterbury 7.30pm start.
Tuesday June 4th 2024: Speaker to be confirmed
“title to be supplied”
St Stephen’s Church Hales Drive, Canterbury 7.30pm start.
2022-23
Tuesday Sept 6th 2022: Dr Peter D Toon
“Illness and Sin, Health and Salvation – Boundaries and Overlaps”
St Stephen’s Church, Hales Drive, Canterbury 7.30pm start
Tuesday Oct 4th 2022: Revd. Brian McHenry CBE
“Lay Presidency at the Eucharist”
St Stephen’s Church, Hales Drive Canterbury 7.30pm start
Tuesday Nov 1rd 2022: Victoria Field
“Contemporary Pilgrimage – What’s Really Going On?”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Dec 6th 2022: Canon Librarian – The Revd Dr Tim Naish.
“title to be supplied”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Jan 10th 2023: (second Tuesday) Revd. Dr Kevin Maddy
“Formation or deformation? A Christian response to the question of self-identity”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Feb 7th 2023: Dr. John Moss
“What Are Church Schools For?”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday April 18th 2023: Revd. Dr Alan le Grys
“(provisional): Virtue Ethics: A New Testament Reading”
St Stephen’s Church Hales Drive, Canterbury 7.30pm start.
Tuesday May 2nd 2023: Sally Musker
“Eating in Harmony with the Eucharist”
St Stephen’s Church Hales Drive, Canterbury 7.30pm start.
Tuesday June 6th 2023: Ben Hatfield
“Youth Ministry in a Secular Age ”.
St Stephen’s Church Hales Drive, Canterbury 7.30pm start.
2021-22
Tuesday Sept 7th 2021: Revd. Dr Stephen Laird FSA FHEA
“‘Simply Scripture?’: – On Piety, Power Games and claims around the ‘plain meaning’ of Bible texts.”
St Stephen’s Church Hall, Hales Drive, Canterbury 7.30pm start
Tuesday Oct 5th 2021: Cressida Williams
“A History of St Stephen’s Church from the Cathedral Archives”
St Stephen’s Church, Hales Drive Canterbury 7.30pm start
Tuesday Nov 2rd 2021: Canon Dr Emma Pennington
“‘… to drede him reverently and to love him mekely’: Julian of Norwich’s Development of the Catechetical Teaching on the Gift of Dread.”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Dec 7th 2021: Dr Rosemary Walters
“Religion in the Poetry of Charles Causely”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Jan 11th 2022: (second Tuesday) Revd. Kevin Maddy:
“What’s Wrong With Religion, and is it too Late for a Recovery”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday Feb 1st 2022: Professor Kenneth Fincham
“Charles II as supreme governor: the restoration of the Church of England 1660-2”
On zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday March 1st 2022: Revd. Dr Alan le Grys:
“The Quest for the Historical Jesus”
In person (hopefully) St Stephen’s Church Hall and also (hopefully) on zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday May 3rd 2022: Rev Dr Stacey Rand
In person (hopefully) St Stephen’s Church Hall and also (hopefully) on zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
Tuesday June 7th 2022: Dr Philip Knight
“Etty Hillesum and her God”.
In person (hopefully) St Stephen’s Church Hall and also (hopefully) on zoom from 7.15pm for start at 7.30pm start.
2020-21
Tuesday Sept 8th 2020: Dr Peter Clough
“Teilhard de Chardin: 1881-1955: Jesuit, Evolutionist, Visionary”
Tuesday Oct 6th 2020: Revd. Brian McHenry CBE
“Archbishop William Temple – a re-evaluation, 76 years after his death”
Tuesday Nov 3rd 2020: Rosemary Walters
“The True Wilderness: The Theology of Self in Harry Williams”
Tuesday Dec 1st 2020: Revd. Dr Jenny Corcoran (Bishop of Dover’s Chaplain)
“Rejoicing together: a vision for worship from Deuteronomy”
Tuesday Jan 12th 2021: (second Tuesday) Revd. Kevin Maddy
“Christianity made in Japan: Remembering Kosuke Koyama”
Tuesday Feb 2nd 2021: Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin: The Bishop of Dover
Tuesday April 13th 2021: Revd. Dr Alan le Grys
“Disturbing Images of God’ in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.”
Tuesday May 4th 2021: Sally Musker
Tuesday June 1st 2021: Dr Marcus Averbeck
“An Introduction to Zen”
2019-20
Tuesday Sept 10th 2019: Revd. Dr Stephen Laird FSA FHEA
“John Ruskin: Reading Nature’s Revelation”
Tuesday Oct 1st 2019: Bishop Richard Llewellin
“Climate Change – is it already a ‘done deal’?”
Tuesday Nov 5th 2019: Revd. Stacey Rand
“Love one another: a Theology of Care as Work”
Tuesday Dec 3rd 2019: Revd. Max Kramer (Precentor, Canterbury Cathedral)
“Christianity in Chiaroscuro: The Art and Faith of Caravaggio”
Tuesday Jan 7th 2020: (second Tuesday) Revd. Kevin Maddy:
“Spirituality without God?: The Spirit of Modernism with examples from Scriabin & Kandinsky, Takemitsu & Yoshida”
Tuesday Feb 4st 2020: Rosie Budd
“What do you think you’re doing?: Tentative Reflections on Some aspects of Prayer”
Tuesday April 14th 2020: Revd. Dr Alan le Grys:
“Disturbing Images of God’ in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.”
Tuesday May 5th 2020: Revd. Dr Jenny Corcoran (Bishop of Dover’s Chaplain)
“Title to be supplied”.
Tuesday June 2nd 2020: Dr Marcus Averbeck
“An Introduction to Zen”
2018-19
Tuesday Sept 11th 2018: Revd. Dr Stephen Laird FSA FHEA
A Look at Acts 10 – the Gentile Pentecost
Tuesday Oct 2nd 2018: Professor John Butler
Why Go to Church?
Tuesday Nov 6th 2018: Victoria Field:
Poetry and Prayer – Parallels and Paradoxes
Tuesday Jan 8th 2019: (second Tuesday) Revd. Kevin Maddy:
Does 21st Century Christianity have anything to learn from Traditional Monasticism?
Tuesday Feb 5st 2019: : Dr Philip Knight
How ‘do’ we Start Theology?: Three Ways of (Not) Speaking of God
Tuesday March 5th 2019: Revd. Dr Alan le Grys:
Digesting the Word: Spiritual and Critical Reading of Scripture’?
Tuesday May 7th 2019: Dr. Peter Toon
The Renaissance of Virtue Ethics
Tuesday June 4th 2019: Briony Kapoor
2017-18
Tuesday Sept 5th 2017: Revd. Dr Stephen Laird FSA FHEA:
The Bible and the Qur’an
Tuesday Oct 3rd 2017: Revd. Dr Alan le Grys:
The best book in the Bible: A Biblical Critical Approach to Understanding the History, Literature and Meaning of the Book of Revelation.
Tuesday Nov 7st 2017: Revd. Stacey Rand (St Stephen’s Curate and Research Fellow at the University of Kent)
Care and Caring: A Theological Reflection
Tuesday Jan 9th 2018: (second Tuesday) Revd. Kevin Maddy:
St Paul on Hope, Justification and God’s Love’: A Scholarly Commentary on Romans 8.
Tuesday Feb 6st 2018: Eduard Heyning:
John Tavener and the Music of Sacred Silence
Tuesday April 10th (second Tuesday) 2018: Revd. Dr Alan le Grys:
Biblical Interpretation since the Enlightenment
Tuesday May 1st 2018: Revd. Dr Anthony Carroll:
Tuesday June 5th 2018: Revd. Dr Jeremy Law
The Theology of Driving