Who Are We?
In response to the decline in religious discourse in our culture, our purpose is to provide a forum for open, respectful, sincere, and intellectually honest dialogue about religion that informs and fosters community.
In 2009, a group of friends were talking about their disappointment in the current climate of theological discourse in America. Not only did there seem to be a lack of serious public discussion about important theological topics, but much of the discussion that did take place seemed to be unfair, unbalanced, and dishonest. Together, these friends desired to engage with their culture and their local communities in sincere, open, honest, and intellectually honest theological dialogue. Thus, the Fox Valley Theological Society was formed.
It is our desire, that the Fox Valley Theological Society would serve as a community forum, where all participants have a voice in the conversation, and challenged to think deeply about ultimate and eternal issues. As a society, we are committed to a discussion that is marked by four main characteristics:
- Open — Our society is open to anyone interested in joining the conversation, and we are open to discuss all theological topics.
- Respectful — We respect all persons and their views, and expect all participants to respect everyone else and their views.
- Sincere — We sincerely want to hear as many voices as possible, and sincerely care about what others believe.
- Intellectually Honest — We aim to honestly present our own views and, more importantly, the views of others.
To that end, the Fox Valley Theological Society is hosting discussion forums on a variety of topics in public settings. Each forum consists of a 40 minute lecture followed by 45 minutes of open discussion and Q&A. All of our speakers are members of local communities and eager to continue in the conversation with anyone interested.