What a joy it is to introduce you to Trinity Episcopal Church in Midtown, Houston! At Trinity you’ll find a message you can understand and people you can relate to. Our doors are wide open to everyone from all backgrounds, regardless of where you are on your spiritual journey.
We invite you to come as you are and start a new season of spiritual growth in your life. We believe church is more than just a building or organization; it is a community of people walking through life together, lending strength and support to one another in the good times and bad.
We invite you to join us for Pub Theology as we gather together at The Mucky Duck located at 2425 Norfolk St. If you have wanted to come to a gathering but have not yet, we encourage you to come Wednesday night at 7 pm – it’s a great time to start!
Come and join us for a pint and some great discussion based on questions that are theologically, socially, and relationally relevant.
Here are the questions for this Month’s discussion.
The Week of October 23, 2023
THIS WEEK: Learning from dogs, God’s unique love, and free will.
ICE BREAKER: Do you celebrate Halloween as an adult? If so, what does that look like?
Seen on social media: “Dogs don’t hate, they only love.” What can we learn from dogs or other animals in this regard?
Francis and Clare of Assisi believed that the love God has for each soul is unique and “made to order.” Richard Rohr says this is why any “saved” person feels beloved, chosen, and even “God’s favorite.” Many people in the Bible also knew and experienced this specialness. Divine intimacy is always and precisely particular—and thus “intimate.” Discuss this concept, and whether you’ve had this experience of being uniquely loved by God.
After studying humans and other primates for 40 years, Stanford neurobiologist Robert Sapolsky has concluded that many factors beyond our control influence our choices and behaviors, concluding: that we do not have free will. Sapolsky has reached the conclusion that virtually all human behavior is as far beyond our conscious control as the convulsions of a seizure, the division of cells, or the beating of our hearts. This means accepting that a man who shoots into a crowd has no more control over his fate than the victims who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It means treating drunk drivers who barrel into pedestrians just like drivers who suffer a sudden heart attack and veer out of their lane. “The world is really screwed up and made much, much more unfair by the fact that we reward people and punish people for things they have no control over,” Sapolsky said. “We’ve got no free will. Stop attributing stuff to us that isn’t there.” Are you on board with his conclusion? If this were true, what would be the practical ramifications? The theological ones?
A proposed Florida rule would limit talk of ‘social issues’ at public universities. Per the Tampa Bay Times, the proposed regulation is aimed at restricting diversity programs and social activism at Florida’s public universities. Opponents say its broadly worded passages could limit free speech. The regulation, when approved, will determine how the state enforces the law known as Senate Bill 266, a measure pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that seeks to gut diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at colleges and universities. A draft version says that universities may not spend public money on activities that “advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion” or “promote or engage in political or social activism.” Discuss your response to this kind of law.
