Contemporary Society and Contemporary Religion
The Christ Church ThinkTank has been meeting since 2005. The first meeting was on 5th October 2005 and the subject was “The Causes of Terrorism, particularly between Arabs and Jews”. Plus ça change.
The ThinkTank draws on speakers from all the churches and other institutions in the Lewes area. Our speakers provide their services without charge, so our meetings are free and open to all. Whether you go to church or not, join us whenever the topic interests you.
Our meetings are held in the church and are also available via Zoom. The meetings open with refreshments and a time to chat from 7pm, with the discussion from 7.30 pm to 9 pm. The format is 45 minutes talk and 45 minutes discussion.. .
If you would like to attend any of our meetings by Zoom, please email the Church Secretary for further details.
Meeting on Wednesday 18 November at 7.30 pm
Alison Byrne will be speaking on
"The Soul of the Secondary School: Faith, Values, and Personal Development Today "
Alison will explore how classrooms have become the front line where modern secular values, personal identity, and traditional faith collide. From the rise of smartphone culture and statutory RSE to Ofsted character judgments, this talk examines how schools navigate "the soul of the adolescent," asking whether secular education can ever be truly neutral and what it means to offer young people a coherent moral vocabulary today.
Extra Thinktank meeting – Wednesday 21 October
On Wednesday 21 October, there will be an extra Thinktank meeting when we will be showing the video of the National Emergency Briefing (NEB). This is a public information programme designed to communicate the latest evidence on the climate and nature crisis in the UK. It was first held on 27 November 2025 at Westminster Central Hall, where over 1,200 politicians, business leaders, and civic figures attended. The event was chaired by Professor Mike Berners-Lee and opened by broadcaster Chris Packham, featuring eight leading experts who presented high-level, unfiltered briefings on threats to food supply, health, national security, and the economy while outlining potential solutions.