Free Thinking

The BBC's "Free Thinking" festival is in Liverpool this weekend, encouraging debate about "freedom", with various performances and activities. I like the idea of the "speed dating" event with a thinker: you spend a couple of minutes listening to someone explaining their Big Idea. It's an event that's worth supporting, and it's good that BBC Radio 3 have brought it back to Liverpool for a second year.
There's not enough about faith on the agenda, though: just one brief appearances by James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool, Prof Pillay from Hope University and maybe one other theologian. That's a poor showing by the Church who should be at the cutting edge of cultural engagement and serious thought about culture and society. I'm not blaming the organisers: if Christians were producing interesting work they would included, but they are still catching up with the secular "free thinking" world.