April & May 2026 – Planning your visit? Check our Visitor Notices for opening times, upcoming closures and important accessibility updates. Click here to view
April & May 2026 – Planning your visit? Check our Visitor Notices for opening times, upcoming closures and important accessibility updates. Click here to view
Newcastle Diocese CMF (Continuing Ministerial Formation)
Enquiries: c.pacitti@newcastle.anglican.org
Hosted by the Diocese of Newcastle’s Continuing Ministerial Formation (CMF) group, this monthly seminar series meets on the first Thursday of each month to explore the fascinating and often unexpected intersections between theology and other disciplines.
Join John Appleby, on Thursday 4 June, for ‘Theology &… Free Will’. Doors open at 3:30pm for a 4pm start.
Dr John Appleby is a recently retired teacher of maths to engineers, but with wider interests in education, communication, politics and theology. Although not an expert, he has long been fascinated by the reality and degree of free will and its relation to choice, responsibility and morality. He is a member of Bishop’s Council, a churchwarden, and former member of General Synod.
Whatever our belief in the reality of free will, we all think and behave on the assumption we are free to make at least some choices. Our whole moral position rests on that foundation. But developments in psychology, sociology and medicine show that there are often fewer choices than previously thought, so it’s unclear how much freedom we really have. And is there any difference between ‘scientific determinism’ and ‘it’s all part of God’s plan’?
An introduction to some different viewpoints and perspectives will be followed by some discussion about the implications of these ideas.
Please note: This event will take place in a space at Newcastle Cathedral that is accessible by lift. Open to all – please email c.pacitti@newcastle.anglican.org to express an interest.