CONFERENCE: 'Listen' - a discussion of the Sea of Faith
Friday 20th September -Saturday 21st September
‘Listen!’ – a discussion of the Sea of Faith
To celebrate forty years since Sea of Faith was broadcast, Gladstone’s Library is partnering with others to bring about a gathering of those who have been involved in this significant movement. Held on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st September 2024, the gathering intends to ASK, REMEMBER, and THINK about the Sea of Faith legacy and what the future may hold.
Join us for a chance to listen to those whose faith journeys have been and still are shaped by Sea of Faith; hear about the Sea of Faith archive held here at Gladstone's Library and have the chance to ask questions and share your own thoughts.
Schedule
Friday – Reflection and Response
10.45am to 11.15am: Welcome refreshments in Food for Thought
11.15am to 12.45pm: Welcome from Andrea Russell, Warden of Gladstone’s Library and video welcome from Don Cupitt.
Sea of Faith: Episode 1 screening, followed by a time to comment and discuss
12.45pm: Lunch (two courses with tea or filter coffee).
2pm to 3.15pm: Jeremy Carette (public lecture): The Sea of Faith and the Spirit of the Times: The Social Construction of Don Cupitt
This paper will look at the historical and philosophical context of Don Cupitt’s philosophy of religion and the social conditions that made The Sea of Faith possible. It will seek to turn Cupitt’s claim of religious truth as historically constructed and fully human back onto Cupitt himself and understand his own thinking as something made possible by his time. It will explore the ground of his thinking in relation to the key shifts of the 19th century and the platform of his thought in relation to a number of radical theological trends in the 20th century, not least Bishop John Robinson. It will conclude by reflecting on the limits and omissions of The Sea of Faith, in order to understand Cupitt’s 1984 documentary as part of a wider shift in our understanding of philosophy, faith and spirituality.
Jeremy Carrette is Professor of Philosophy, Religion and Culture and Head of the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, UK. He is the author of numerous works on philosophical, social and political aspects of religion, including Michel Foucault and Religion (Routledge, 2000), Religion and Critical Psychology: Religious Experience in the Knowledge Economy (Routledge, 2007), William James’s Hidden Religious Imagination: A Universe of Relations (Routledge, 2013) and, with Richard King, Selling Spirituality: The Silent Take Over of Religion (Routledge, 2005). He is also editor, with Hugh Miall, of Religion, NGOs and the United Nations: Visible and Invisible Actors in Power (Bloomsbury, 2017).
Individual £10 tickets are available to people who are not attending the full conference. Click here to find out more.
3.15pm to 3.45pm: Tea in the Gladstone Room
3.45pm to 4.15pm: Elaine Graham and Graeme Smith: The Sea of Faith Archive.
Elaine Graham is Professor Emerita of Practical Theology at the University of Chester and a Fellow of the British Academy. She was Principal Investigator for the British Academy/Leverhulme research project entitled " Progressive Christianities: Don Cupitt, the Sea of Faith Network and the Future of Radical Theology, 1963-2024", based at Gladstone's Library.
4.15pm to 4.45pm: Introduction to the Archive (Alexandra Foulds, Archivist at Gladstone’s Library)
4.45pm to 6pm: Exhibition.
Delegates are welcome to purchase drinks in the Gladstone Room from 5pm
6.30pm: Dinner (two courses with tea or filter coffee).
Saturday – Looking Forward
8am to 9.15am: Breakfast Venue: Food for Thought. Followed by check out
9.30am to 11am: Facilitated discussion with the letter writers. Chaired by Andrew Kemp.
Andrew Kemp has been an active member of the Sea of Faith Network, locally and nationally, for 30 years. After a varied career in archaeology, archive management and community development, he now manages a project supplying free school uniform and is involved in charitable action on the relief of poverty and deprivation. He was a Methodist Local Preacher for 25 years, and writes occasional pieces on theology and religious faith.
11am to 11.30am: Refreshments in Food for Thought
11.30 to 1pm: Looking to the future ‘Where to from here’? Facilitated discussion to include Jessica Eastwood (University of Lincoln) and Alison Webster (Gen Sec Modern Church). Chaired by Andrea Russell.
1pm: Lunch (two courses with tea or filter coffee).
Departure after lunch
Rates:
Package includes: Tea and coffee as part of refreshment breaks, and lunches and dinner as outlined above
Single ensuite: £274 (with clergy/student/Society of Authors discount £237) Double ensuite (both residents at the event) £456 (£408 with discount)
Double ensuite (two residents with one person on the course £384 (£336 with discount)
Single occupancy double room £309 (£261 with discount)
Day delegate rate - £189 (£137 with discount)
To book, please contact [email protected]. Please include your name, telephone number and preferred room type.
In the meantime, we encourage viewers to visit the dedicated Sea of Faith website where you can find out about the ongoing research project on the work of the Cambridge philosopher and theologian, Don Cupitt.