Guest Post: What is Theology Good For?

Today I’m excited and honoured to have a guest post I’m very excited about. Neal Swettenham is the Theology Co-ordinator for Vineyard Churches UK and Ireland – and he’s written a short post to tell us about the first ever Vineyard UK Theology Symposium! Hopefully this will be of interest to anyone with even remote theological interest, but especially to those in the Vineyard movement. I’ll link to the bookings page at the bottom, but for now, enjoy!

WHAT IS THEOLOGY GOOD FOR…?

…is the question being asked at UK Vineyard’s first ever theology symposium on June 7 and 8 at Loughborough University.

The aim is to explore the vital link between good theology and healthy churches.

The keynote address will be given by Bishop Graham Cray, Archbishops’ Missioner and team leader of Fresh Expressions, and there will be conference contributions from Rick Williams, Jason Clark, Chris Parsons and others.

The vision for the event is to encourage fruitful dialogue between those leading churches and those with a passion for theology from a distinctively Vineyard/kingdom perspective.

This is not just for research-intensive theologians and academics: it’s aimed at practitioners, church leaders and emerging leaders.

The event will include seminars on a wide range of topics such as kingdom perspectives on human sexuality, a theology of healing in relation to disability, a fresh look at how we understand the Bible to be God’s word, and more; a methodologies session exploring effective ways of applying theological perspectives to pastoral concerns; and a full conference debate on the topic: “Without conversion there is no Christian faith…?”

The symposium runs from 6pm on Friday 7 to 4pm on Saturday 8 June, enabling those with busy schedules to attend and the venue is Burleigh Court at Loughborough University: a modern, residential conference centre with spa facilities, swimming pool, gym, bar and excellent food.

You can book your place by visiting vynd.ch/theology. Hope to see you there.