A few weeks ago, when we were discussing a quote from the late Archbishop Oscar Romero about the need to hear a Gospel that provokes rather than simply comforts, I had intended to add on to the conversation a topic prompt from one of our very early first PubTheo sessions a decade ago. We never quite got to it though.
I was reminded of this late last week when I came across the above cartoon by Man Martin. Like our discussion prompt, it challenges us to think about the real costs of our own joys, comforts, and prosperity. So here’s what we’re asking in our conversation this evening:
Are our present joys inextricably a consequence of past suffering and atrocity? Is our material comfort possible because others live in poverty? If your answer to either of these is “yes,” then what ought we do? If your answer is “no,” what leads you to say that?
Join us for the discussion this evening starting at 7pm at Casa Real in downtown Oxford. And just for good measure, here’s a bonus topic idea in case we have time to get to it: If someone asked you “Who are you, really?” how would you answer? How does one know who one really is?