Theology is exciting. It is about God’s word, God’s world and God’s people. It is vitally important for the church to nurture young Christians into thinking, speaking and writing about God and the world, and it is even more important that the Church listen to their voices. #TheologySlam encourages us to do just that: listen to God, listen to the world, and listen to the voices emerging within the Church, so we can join into God’s work in the world today.
Archbishop Justin Welby
Theology Slam 2021
Theology Slam is back, continuing its search for the most engaging young voices on theology and the contemporary world. Judged by some of the top theologians and communicators in the Christian world, Theology Slam aims to encourage a new generation to think theologically about the world around them – and to encourage the church to listen to what they have to say.
This year, the focus is on the effect of the pandemic. Lockdown has upended millions of lives around the world. Amid so much uncertainty and loss, how do we make sense of what’s happening around us – and how should we respond? Theological reflection is essential to help us address these big questions, both as individuals and as a society, and Theology Slam is a key forum for this crucial discourse.
Open to anyone aged 18-30, the Slam consists of a qualifying round and a live final. The winner will receive £250 to spend at Church House Bookshop and the Theology Slam Trophy, and their talk will be published in the Church Times.
Enter the 2021 competition
Submit your entry before the closing date, 11 January 2021: Theology Slam 2021 entry form
If you’d like to take part, you’ll need to write 500 words on how theology relates to one of six topics and provide a short video introducing yourself.
The topics for 2021 are:
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Justice in a time of Pandemic
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Power in a time of Pandemic
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Work in a time of Pandemic
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Community in a time of Pandemic
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Grief in a time of Pandemic
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Creativity in a time of Pandemic
Three entrants will be selected to proceed to the online Theology Slam Live Final on 18 March 2021.
Finalists will pre-record talks of between seven and ten minutes based on their original entry. Each finalist will also receive a half-day training session on public speaking before they record their talk.
The finalists’ talks will be judged on the night by an expert panel of leading theologians:
· Elizabeth Oldfield – Director of Theos Think Tank
· Revd Dr Isabelle Hamley – Chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
· Dave Benson – Director of the Centre for Culture & Discipleship, LICC
· Augustine Tanner-Ihm – winner of Theology Slam 2020
Submit your entry here: Theology Slam 2021 entry form
Theology Slam 2020
The 2020 final was broadcast live on Tuesday 23 June. Sam Hodson spoke on theology and disability, Molly Boot on theology and #MeToo, and Augustine Tanner-Ihm on theology and race.
Watch the event in full:
Listen to each of the talks on the Church Times Podcast.
Theology Slam 2019
The final of the first Theology Slam took place on 7 March 2019 at St John’s, Hoxton.
Hannah Barr spoke on Theology and #MeToo, Hannah Malcolm on Theology and the Environment, and Sara Prats on Theology and Mental Health.
Watch the entire event here:
You can also listen to the talks on The Church Times Podcast.
Read more about Theology Slam
Three women in their twenties have been chosen to take part in the final of a new competition to find engaging young voices who think theologically about the contemporary world
An impassioned plea for the Church to learn how to mourn the damage caused by climate change was declared the winning talk at the first Theology Slam final at St John’s, Hoxton
The three finalists have been working with Samuel P. S. Williams, the founder of Hodos Consultancy Co., a “narrative consultancy” that advises senior business leaders, among others, on presentation skills and storytelling
A call for the Church to move beyond “cheap diversity” and be a place in which black and minority ethnic voices are heard was declared the winning talk at the second Theology Slam final
Theology Slam is a collaborative event by LICC, Church Times, SCM Press, and the Community of St Anselm.