Talking Theology

How many followers do you have on Twitter? Has social media made us all into celebrities? What do celebrities tell us about ourselves? And how do we live faithfully in a world of social media?Pete Ward is Professor of Practical Theology in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University.For more about Pete Ward, see here.

Where is God when we suffer? How does the Bible speak into dark times? Should we expect God to resolve our suffering? Or is God at work in ways that perhaps we've not even imagined?Libby Lane was recently appointed as Bishop of Derby.For more about Libby Lane, see here.

Are human rights part of God's mission? How do non-Christians reflect the image of God? Does the parable of the Good Samaritan say more about human rights than we might think? And how does all this speak into how we engage with faith in the public square today?Joel Edwards has served as General Director of the Evangelical Alliance, International Director for the Micah Challenge, and a commissioner with the Equality and Human Rights Commission. He is currently a Visiting Fellow of St John's College in Durham.For more about Joel Edwards, see here.

Why do we give and receive gifts? How is the Apostle Paul's understanding of gift different to that of the world in which he lived? How does the gift of Christ challenge our sense of status and hierarchy? And what might a community of gift look like today?John Barclay is Lightfoot Professor of Divinity in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University.For more about John Barclay, see here.

Are Sunday services part of evangelism today? Does your church need to blow its annual budget on a smoke machine and a light show? And how big is the gap between the Book of Acts and the mission of the church today?Miriam Swaffield is the Global Student Mission Leader for Fusion, and a Visiting Fellow of St John's College, Durham. She Tweets at @MiriamSwaff.

What do we do when the Bible seems just plain offensive? In particular, what about John's Gospel, which many people have seen as anti-Jewish? If Jesus was a Jew, why does John record him speaking negatively about "the Jews"? Would John be surprised by how his Gospel has been used over the years? And in a divided world, what hope can John's Gospel bring to us today?Dr Andy (Andrew) Byers is a New Testament scholar, and Director of the Free Church Track at Cranmer Hall.For more about Andy Byers, see here.

What has comedy got to do with theology? What does the Bible have to say about laughter? What power does comedy have to convey truth about God and his world? Can God minister to us through humour? And how can comedy give us hope?Kate Bruce was formerly Deputy Warden at Cranmer Hall, and is now an RAF chaplain. She is the author of Igniting the Heart: Preaching and Imagination (SCM Press).

Why does theology need to listen to science? What does it have to say about the beginning of the world? Or the end? What happens when we pray? Is there intelligent life on other planets? (Or this planet?) And what's it like to be both a scientist and a theologian?Professor David Wilkinson is Principal of St John's College, Durham. David has PhDs in both astrophysics and theology, and is an ordained Methodist minister.For more about David Wilkinson, see here.