Today marks the ten-year anniversary of Father Turner becoming Rector of Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue.
Before embarking in what theology says about the problem of evil, suffering, and the existence of God, we will ‘map’ the issue with the help of literature. It is not necessary for participants to have read the novels under consideration – a summary and quotations of main passages will be part of the talks. Since the publication of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies in 1954 countless critical studies have acknowledged the many layered symbolism of its treatment of the human loss of innocence and the acquisition of the knowledge of evil which corrupts human beings and darkens their hearts. Many have seen it as a social or psychological allegory. And yet, Golding’s intention to evoke religious symbolism is undeniable: it is a story about the fall of man from paradise, as the island Eden turns into a fiery hell. To introduce a year-long meditation on the origin and nature of evil, one of the main interests of this novel is the discovery of the truth about the ‘beast’ and the ‘idol’ by the character that Golding himself called the ‘saint’ of the story, namely Simon.
The Saint Thomas Theological Education Programme 2024-25 resumes on September 15 with a series of talks on The Question of Evil and Suffering and The Theology of Healing by our Theologian In Residence, Fr Luigi Gioia. The dates and titles of the talks are available for download. The lectures will be livestreamed on YouTube and video-recorded. If you want to receive weekly updates about the programme please register online.
The Adult Education program at Saint Thomas Church offers sound Christian teaching presented with intellectual vigor, teaching that is grounded in Holy Scripture, mediated by the catholic tradition that is the inheritance of Anglicanism and set forth in the Book of Common Prayer. For more information about our theology program and to receive links for weekly Sunday Theology Talks, please contact Fr. Gioia.
