Presented by NG Moedergemeente Stellenbosch
Vuilspel
A dirty game, or at least a chess game and often checkmate, is how one can describe the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. What are the rules of this game, and who follows them anyway? Is Israel an apartheid state? Is Palestine simply the victim? And how can criticism of Israel be reconciled with the Judeo-Christian tradition embraced by many of us? Is the criticism of Israel not a revival of a deep anti-Semitism? And are we perhaps missing a Divine sanction, or how should we then understand the place of Israel in the Old and New Testament?
30 SEPT
Uitspeel
Does human dignity include the right to self-determination and the right to reflect and decide on one’s own life and death? How you live and how you “play out” your life is your God-given prerogative, right? We discuss the nuances of suicide and euthanasia, and inevitably come to the meaning of life and death and the nature and importance of quality of life.
1 OCT
Deus Ludens
Deus Ludens (the “playful God”), who plays in ten thousand places in our lives and world, is often described in the negative. God is “in-visible”, “in-describable”, “un-understandable”. Can we still play positively with God in God’s Creation? Or does it sound too light-hearted and frivolous, perhaps too much fun and pleasure? And yet, most games also have a deadly serious aspect. Some of the winners of the 2024 Andrew Murray and Desmond Tutu prizes gather to talk about where they see God as playful and carefully wonder if we are allowed to play along… or are we condemned to be spectators?
2 OCT
