Discovery: Winter/Spring 2025

How we talk about God matters. The way we read and interpret the Bible — and the questions we ask about what we believe and why — can shape how we show up in the world.

Next year at Trinity Church, join a community where ideas become action. Together we’ll seek answers that challenge us to put faith into practice. Sundays at 10am, join the discussion at Trinity Commons in Lower Manhattan or participate online from anywhere.

When registering, select the ticket type you are most likely to use over the course of the session. Note that all registrants, both in-person and online, will have access to the Zoom link.

For questions, reach out to [email protected].

January 19: Jesus, MLK, and Nonviolent Resistance

Examine how the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s deep Christian faith was inextricably connected to his steadfast commitment to justice and nonviolent resistance.

• January 19: Darren Yau, doctoral candidate in the Religion Department (Religion, Ethics, and Politics) and Program in Political Philosophy at Princeton University.

January 26–February 2: Our Liturgical Life: The Eucharist

The holy Eucharist, or communion, is at the center of our worship services. But what does it mean? Come explore the theology of the Lord’s supper and learn the deep purpose behind the symbols, movements, and language of this essential rite.

• January 26: Dr. Scott MacDougal, associate professor of theology at Church Divinity School of the Pacific, discusses the theology of the Eucharist and helps us understand how preparing and gathering at the table forms our lives as Christians.

• February 2: Trinity’s Vicar, the Rev. Michael Bird, offers a hands-on instructive Eucharist, sharing the purpose behind and connections between each part of this rite.

February 9–23: The Practice of Christian Hope

The Apostle Paul in his letters encouraged the early church to “abound in hope.” But in today’s fractious world bent on despair, how is that possible? For Christians, hope is not unfounded optimism, but deep faith rooted in our active participation in God’s healing work in the world. And with practice, we can cultivate it.

• February 9: Ruth Frey, Trinity’s director of community programs and public life, considers what hope actually means and how we might practice it in our everyday lives.
• February 16 and 23: James K. A. Smith, professor of philosophy at Calvin University and author of How to Inhabit Time, on how we must reckon with our past to live faithfully in the present and have hope for the future.

March 2–23: The Bible in American Literature and Film

From superheroes to epic novels, themes from the Bible inform and influence many well-known works of American literature. Join us to explore the surprising ways scripture shows up in our favorite stories.

• March 2: Trinity parishioner Regina Jacobs on Anita Diamant’s The Red Tent and the Book of Genesis.

• March 9: Speaker to be announced.

• March 16: Summerlee Staten, Trinity’s executive director for faith formation and education, on Terence Malick’s The Tree of Life and the Book of Job.

• March 23: The Rev. Judy Fentress Williams, Dodge Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Virginia Theological Seminary, on superheroes and the multiverse of the Bible.

March 30–April 6: The Paradox of God

God is at once immanent, as close as our own breath, and transcendent, beyond all boundaries and human understanding. How can this be? Join the Rev. Dr. Theodore Hiebert, Francis A. McGaw Professor of Old Testament at McCormick Theological Seminary, as he discusses the paradox of God being both beyond the universe and within all created things.

• March 30, April 6: The Rev. Dr. Theodore Hiebert.

April 27–May 18: What Is the Nicene Creed?

For centuries, the Nicene Creed has been central to the church’s confession of shared faith. Far from abstract or irrelevant, these words we say together in church each week carefully express our foundational beliefs: who God is and what God has done in Christ and through the Spirit. Learn the history of the creed, explore its meaning through the lens of the Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — and discover what this ancient declaration says to us today.

• April 27: Speaker to be announced.

• May 4: Dr. Patrick Haley, post-doctorate fellow at Princeton Theological Seminary and Trinity Church, on God the Father.

• May 11: Speaker to be announced.

• May 18: Dr. Patrick Haley on the Holy Spirit.

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