Friar Gate Chapel Reading Group
The Reading Group meets on the third Sunday of each month, at 3pm.Date of session: Sunday, 15th February 2008
Start Time: 3pm
End Time: about 5pm
Location: Friar Gate Chapel, Derby
(Please note that there will not be a meeting in December 2008 or January 2009.)
For this February meeting, if you would like to come along, please bring with you one book on a spiritual theme which you have read and been inspired by. It could be non-fiction or fiction (prose or poetry) .We will take it in turns to tell the group what we liked about the book, and then the other members will have the opportunity to ask a few questions. This is not an academic exercise, so it doesn't need to be done in too much depth! The books are only a starting point for discussion.
Some questions which you might like to consider in relation to your chosen book are as follows:
- What made you want to read this book?
- How does the author portray religion and spirituality in this book?
- If fiction or poetry, can you relate to the characters and their motivations?
- Has the author adequately presented and supported his or her premise? In what ways?
- Has reading this book made you think about religion or spirituality in your own life in a new or different way? In what way?
- Do you think the author has painted a realistic picture of the presence of spirituality in everyday life?
- Were you familiar with the author's point of view, and did this influence your decision to choose to read the book?
- What do you think will be your lasting impression of the book?
- Do you want to read more works by this author?
The book chosen for the meeting on 15th March 2009 is "Towards Beloved Community" by Cathal Courtney. Published by Exposure Publishing, 2007, paperback. 144 pages. RRP £9.99. ISBN 1846856612.
Cal Courtney is a Unitarian minister, previously serving congregations in Glasgow and Aberdeen. The book challenges the reader to reconsider what religion and spirituality can mean today, from a liberal perspective.