Theology& seminar series at Newcastle Cathedral, Thursdays at 3.30-5.00pm.
Open to all – please email c.pacitti@newcastle.anglican.org to express an interest.
Continuing this popular series of talks exploring the intersections between theology and ‘other’ disciplines.
2026
8th January: Andii Bowsher – Theology& the work of Andy Goldsworthy
Andy Goldsworthy’s art is ephemeral, based in nature and often only known because it is recorded in pictures or film. It requires patience and a contemplative preparatory process. Andii has long been an admirer of the art produced and finds in it some theological touching points as well as thoughts of spirituality.
Andii works in Northumbria University as co-ordinator for Spiritual Care. They also work occasionally as a tutor with Lindisfarne College of Theology and volunteer as a trustee with Green Christian. They’re a grandparent and a husband and this year will have been in diaconal orders for 40 years.
5th February: Jay Hulme – Theology& Poetry
Jay Hulme is a poet, speaker, and theologian from Leicester, in the UK. His books for children have been nominated for some of the UK’s oldest and most prestigious writing and illustration awards. His books for adults are published by one of the UK’s leading Christian publishers and are widely reviewed and praised, with his poem ‘Jesus at the Gay Bar’ becoming an international sensation. Jay speaks and preaches at churches, cathedrals, and theological conferences, and is a regular contributor to the BBC’s Daily Service.
When he isn’t writing, speaking, or caring for the 1144 year old church where he serves as churchwarden, Jay enjoys exploring (and climbing up) the ancient churches and cathedrals that litter the British landscape, finding inspiration in their beauty, and in the faith which has been practiced there for centuries.
5th March: Ruth Harley – Theology& Gender Justice
“In Christ there is no male and female”, yet in the Church which is the body of Christ women have frequently encountered discrimination and, even with the appointment of a female Archbishop of Canterbury, sexism and misogyny persist. So what theological resources can we draw on to work for gender justice within and beyond the Church? And how can scripture, theology and liturgy enable the Church to speak prophetically into significant contemporary issues of sexism and misogyny: domestic abuse, FGM, violent pornography, the gender pay gap, and more?
Ruth Harley, parish priest and feminist theologian, will draw on her PhD research into the vocational narratives of older women to consider how our understanding of the vocation of the Church as the body of Christ can (and should!) be expanded and enriched by taking seriously the experience of women in the Church as a site of theological meaning-making. Gender justice is not a ‘women’s issue’, it’s an essential issue for the whole Church, so come and grapple together with how theology can be a force for good in the struggle against patriarchy.