Exile, truth, and the longing for home
Exile, truth, and the longing for home
Christianity (general), Easter & lent, Spirituality
Thoughts of God explores the life of mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan by bringing the film The Man Who Knew Infinity into meaningful conversation with biblical themes of faith and exile, friendship with God, the longing for home, and the nature of truth. This five-week course offers a thought-provoking engagement with the fundamental issues of life, love and faith while providing background information, discussion starters, liturgies and questions for personal reflection.
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A terrific Lent Course inviting us to explore the Biblical theme of being at home and in exile, how beauty and science connect with faith in God, and the astounding relationship a young Hindu had with mathematics. Using Matt Brown's 2015 film The Man Who Knew Infinity, as both a launch point but also with its own profound observation of academic life in Cambridge in 1914, Andy Colebrooke takes us on a unique journey of our own Christian faith through the life of Srinivasa Ramanujan, who said, 'An equation means nothing to me unless it expresses a thought of God.' ~ Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York
A highly original and extremely practical resource for the Church, especially for film-lovers. It will take you deep into the Christian faith. Buy it and use it! ~ Jeremy Begbie, Director, Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts, Duke Divinity School, Durham, North Carolina, U.S.A.
Lent is an opportunity to engage with questions of God and what it means to be human at a deeper level. This book provides an imaginative and stimulating way in, both for individual and group study. For some it will be surprising, for some it will be challenging, but the stories represented in movies can lead us deeper into discovering who we are in the light of a God who loves and redeems. I commend this book to you. ~ Revd Professor David Wilkinson, Principal of St John's College and Professor of Theology and Religion, Durham University
Thoughts of God is a first rate group Lenten study putting Scripture into meaningful and delightful conversation with the film, The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015). Theology is at its core the conversation between God's story and our stories. That is, as we experience, what the best of sermons do each week. To deepen that conversation, Colebrooke has brought together relevant scriptural texts with the real-life story of the Hindu mathematician Ramanujan's interaction with the Cambridge don and atheist, G. H. Hardy. As the film invites viewers to empathize with the humanity of this young Indian family, it encourages us to extend our theological probings concerning our own humanity. Here is the dialogue between Bible and film at its best. Highly recommended. ~ Robert K. Johnston, Senior Professor of Theology and Culture, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. U.S.A.
This Lent course is refreshingly original and yet highly relevant and contemporary to many of the issues facing society and the Christian church today. I knew nothing of Srinivasa Ramanujan until I was sent this book, but his life and work, wonderfully portrayed in the film, has been beautifully woven into the five sessions that make for a truly engaging course. The complexity of the mathematics doesn't interfere with understanding an exciting and intriguing story, that will encourage some lively and fruitful conversations, and I will be recommending it to parishes in my patch. ~ The Venerable Robin King, Archdeacon of Stansted.
If you are looking for a Lent Course which explores discipleship and the interface between religious faith and the scientific endeavour in a fresh and creative way, 'Thoughts of God' is for you. Anchored in a friendship which featured in a 2015 movie, 'The Man Who Knew Infinity', this new course illuminates philosophical and theological truths and tensions in a way which speaks to both head and heart and is anchored in everyday human realities. ~ The Rt Revd Dr Lee Rayfield, Society of Ordained Scientists, Bishop of Swindon
Ian Stewart, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Warwick University and a Fellow of the Royal Society, said that 'Mathematics is the Cinderella science: undervalued, underestimated, and misunderstood. Yet it has been one of the main driving forces behind human society for at least three millennia, it powers all of today's technology, and it underpins almost every aspect of our daily lives.' (The Guardian, 18 January 2012). Srinivasa Ramanujan was a self-taught genius from India with a flair for extraordinary and beautiful formulas. A 'Cinderella science' combined with an account of the brief life of a young and impoverished Hindu might seem an odd choice for the subject of a blockbuster movie, let alone for a Lent Course. However, the movie is compelling - and it deals with everything from the nature of truth, the life of faith and the evils of racism to the importance of relationships and the inescapable matter of our own mortality. And this course draws upon those issues, as well as the themes of exile and homecoming, and delivers a thought-provoking and rich exploration into what it means to live, love, and believe in the twenty-first century. As we emerge from the trauma, losses, and deprivations of the COVID pandemic, many of us are asking deep and searching questions about the very issues raised in this course. And just like the discipline of mathematics, this course is not just about finding answers; it is also about understanding why answers exist in the first place, and why they might take the form they do. Like mathematicians, we are not just concerned with understanding the world; we are also looking to open up new worlds of possibility - and maybe to find hope amidst the devastation and disillusionment of our post-pandemic world. This exciting, challenging, and inspirational course will help us to do just that. In five easy-to-follow sessions, the elegantly written material provides everything participants will need in order to engage with the fundamental issues of life, love and faith. It all adds up to an excellent course. ~ The Rt Revd Roger Morris, Area Bishop of Colchester
