Christian Humanism and the Black Atlantic - Oxford University
I’ll be joining amazing speakers including Paul Gilroy, Anthony Reddie, Anne Snyder, Michael Wear, Luke Bretherton, and more at this conference. More details here, but a snippet of the idea below:
Within the fractious politics of memory haunting the current culture war some deny the traumatic inheritances of this past, instead narrating the story of Christianity as a triumphal tale of a movement from the west to the rest. Others tell an equally reductive story, also centred on a west to the rest narrative, but in this version, Christianity is a force for all that is wrong with the world: namely, sexism, racism, rugged individualism, intolerance, and an instrumentalizing, wholly extractive relationship to nature. This conference addresses these highly reductive narratives by exploring different ways of narrating our past and its many fates and futures. These different narrations attend to how the Atlantic basin was a key context within which modern Christianity emerges through a history of interaction and exchange between multiple cultures. Here Christianity both forms and responds to processes of modernization and in the process becomes a “creolized” faith to which many peoples contribute. Hence the conversation this conference convenes makes use of Paul Gilroy’s term “the Black Atlantic” to designate this period and geography – a time and space in which theology and the church is racialized, race is theologized, and the church creolized. Some presentations at the conference will explore the continued, real-world impacts and conflicts that arise within the matrix of the Black Atlantic for those racialized as Black and how they relate to their own bodies and to others.
Black Theology Forum (online)
I’ll be the guest speaker at June’s Black Theology Forum (BTF) - is a leading monthly gathering for lively, interactive discussions blending scholarship and transformative practice for constructive, critical conversations on a wide range of topics. The event is convened and chaired by the Director of the Centre for Black Theology (CBT), Dr. Dulcie Dixon McKenzie. For more information about this event, please email cbt@queens.ac.uk
Unmaking Mary at the National Gallery
For over two thousand years, the Virgin Mary has been depicted through art and culture, with many examples to be found in the National Gallery. ‘Madonna and Child’ paintings have come to symbolise the perfect maternal experience, foregrounding beauty and serenity. These supposed virtues have had influence beyond Christianity and into wider popular culture; contributing to stereotypical views about motherhood and what it is to be a woman.
On the occasion of writer Chine McDonald’s new book ‘Unmaking Mary: Shattering the Myth of Perfect Motherhood’ and coinciding with our current exhibition ‘Siena: The Rise of Painting’, which features several Early Renaissance examples, this discussion deconstructs the myth of perfect motherhood in art. We explore the common tropes found within painting and reflect on artists and writers working today who depict a more authentic representation for one of the most important jobs in the world.
Joining Chine McDonald are art historian Joanna Wolfarth, writer and curator Catherine McCormack and artist and project curator Sharon Walters, with the discussion chaired by Maryanne Saunders, our Ahmanson Research Fellow.
No Justice, No Peace - Chester Cathedral
Join me and others as we discuss peace, and the role of the Church in polarised and conflicted times. Delighted to be returning to Chester Cathedral, where I’m a Canon Theologian.
Wholehearted Monthly
Delighted to be joining this online and immersive spiritual series hosted by the Methodist Church.
Norwich Cathedral
I’ll be preaching at the Sung Eucharist at this stunning cathedral on Sunday, 11 May, in honour of Christian Aid Week.
Women's Voices Conference
I’ll be speaking at this day conference for women in ministry - clergy, lay ministers, ordinands, and women exploring ministry. Time to be stimulated, reflect together and network with women in ministry from both the Church of England and other denominations. This conference seeks to invite reflection on Biblical hermeneutics, feminist and womanist theological perspectives and homiletics. It aims to combine academic rigour with reflective practice.
Girton College evensong
Join me for choral evensong at Girton College, Cambridge University. For more details about Girton College chapel, visit their website.
Feminist Futures - Sophia Club, Hoxton
At a time of social and technological tumult, the question of how to bring purpose to our lives takes on fresh urgency. Instead of being blinded by the permacrisis, can we seize this moment to transform how we relate to our bodies, communities, lovers, families and faith traditions?
Join me for an evening of provocation and imagination with Kate Devlin, professor of artificial intelligence and society at King’s College London. Together we’ll explore how feminist and alternative imaginaries might bring a better world into focus: utopian experiments in living and loving; ways that AI could enhance rather than erode human connection; and the kinds of intellectual resources afforded by diverse spiritual and humanist traditions. Our speakers will be joined by the band Stealing Sheep, whose joyous and boundary-crossing soundscapes hint at what might emerge when we attend to our shared tomorrow with courage and creativity.
Southwark Cathedral - Unmaking Mary
Join me at Southwark Cathedral for an event in which I’ll discuss my book Unmaking Mary: Shattering the Myth of Perfect Motherhood. You can book your place here.
St Luke’s Holloway
I’ll be preaching at the Sunday family service at St Luke’s Holloway. All are welcome, and no need to book.
St Albans Cathedral - Unmaking Mary
Join me at St Albans Cathedral as I deconstruct the myth of perfect motherhood that has been shaped by representations of Mary.
St Catharine's College Cambridge
I’m delighted to be heading back to my Alma Mater to preach at an International Women’s Day-themed evensong. For more details about St Catharine’s College chapel, please visit their website.
Winchester Cathedral Eucharist
Following the Festival of Faith & Literature festival in Winchester all weekend, I’m honoured to be preaching at the Eucharist service at Winchester Cathedral.
Festival of Faith & Literature
Join me at the Festival of Faith & Literature in Winchester.
St Paul’s Cathedral - Unmaking Mary
Join me for the official launch of my book Unmaking Mary: Shattering the Myth of Perfect Motherhood. Tickets are free, and you can book your place here.
Inkwell: An Evening of Arts & Ideas
I’ll be taking part in the second Inkwell in London. It offers a warm atmosphere to connect, mingle, and admire great writing and creativity with the goal of refilling your aesthetic, spiritual, and communal inkwells. Join us to engage with a faith-informed, literary, and artistic community. Tickets available here.
Cambridge University Library Really Popular Book Club
Join me as I lead an online discussion on The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. The event is organised by the Cambridge University Library’s Really Popular Book Place, and you can book your free place here.