Almost two years ago, I had to cancel a short series of PowerPoint presentations due to room booking problems. All issues are resolved and we can go ahead with the initial plan.

There will be two stages – a 1-hour PopUp to assess the interest of members in a possible 4-hour course divided into two 2-hour sessions. All sessions will be held in the St John’s Room of the Cornerstone Community Centre on Palmeira Square, Hove. The PopUp will be held from 2.00 to 3.00pm on 27 August and, if there is sufficient response in that hour and to a circular which will be sent out towards the end of September, the two 2-hour sessions will be held in the afternoons of Tuesday 27^th and Thursday 29^th October, in our half-term break.

Even a perfunctory survey of the history of the Western Christian Church informs us that it is, and ever has been, sex-obsessed. Much of that obsession can be traced back to (male) prejudice and the misinterpretation of various myths and legends recorded in the Jewish scriptures: the creation narratives in Genesis and the story of Sodom and Gomorrah are two examples. Throughout the Christian era, sex in whatever form it takes is seen as either ‘less than’ sex-free alternatives or explicitly condemned; on occasion even marriage is blasted. In our own day, homosexuality is the most divisive ethical issue facing the denominations – to such an extent that in the worldwide Anglican Communion it threatens the very existence of a unified church.

That division is largely between those who hold a literalist and fundamentalist understanding of the Bible (Protestant) or of God-created nature (Catholic) – both of which are static and preclude any further discussion.

The opposing camp consists of those who believe that divine Revelation is evolving, ongoing and with us today.

During and following the Age of Enlightenment, the church came in for a hammering – and has done ever since. We realised that the teaching of the Church in sexual matters had been a tool to manipulate and, arguably, abuse its faithful. It was not long before all credibility and authority in these matters passed to secular thinkers.

If you intend to come to this one-hour session, please contact me directly through the above address. Replying with a simple YES guarantees you a seat. No confirmation will be sent; I simply need to know how many chairs to lay out – and if a couple could come early and help with that, I’d be most grateful. This will be limited to 40 – so first come first served.

And just one more request: Please leave the front row free for those who hear and see less well or who are in wheelchairs.