Wednesday Nights Out is an evening for fellowship and program topics that inform our faith and daily life. The evening begins with a catered dinner and meeting new people or getting to know other Trinitarians better. After dinner, the program engages us in looking at aspects of Christianity and how they relate to our lives today.
The Undiscovered Country - Our Life to Come
Professor Peter S. Hawkins, Yale University
February 1st, 6:00 p.m.
It is an honor to have Professor Peter Hawkins with us on February 1st for our Winter Wednesday Night Out. He asks the questions, "Why do most contemporary Christians pull a blank when it comes to imagining a life with God after death?" Although the Bible is largely silent on the issue, our world is completely riveted by the up-to-date visions of heaven and hell that stock bookstore shelves and are found everywhere on the Internet. But what are believers to think and to say about the "undiscovered country" that is the life to come - from the pulpit, at the hospital, or in our daily lives?
Peter Hawkins offers a fresh way to pose these questions, along with an imaginative framework for answering them. He challenges all of us, not just preachers, to think of Dante's drama of the afterlife - heaven, hell, and purgatory - as a true story describing the lives we are living now. To this end Hawkins uses the Divine Comedy to help us imagine what happens when we die as he works his way through Christian tradition, contemporary culture, a rich array of literature, and his own personal experience.
It will be helpful (but not a requirement) to read Peter's book, Undiscovered Country, before attending the presentation. Books are available in the Parish Hall for $12.00. Please contact Alice Sadler, Associate Rector, if childcare is needed. The cost of dinner is $10.00 to be paid at the door.
Overview