Venus Hill is a theology cafe where we celebrate the biblical theology of women. What does this mean? Well, we understand “theology” as people’s understanding of life recognizing God’s presence in all aspects of it. The way we see God determines many of the ways we move in the world. Unfortunately, many of us share the same story: we have come to know God through the eyes of male scholars,and we cannot say that our understanding is complete when only one group has had all the air time. So we want to create space for women to learn about God through the eyes of other women.
Why biblical? We recognize that God is bigger than our understanding and is able to speak to us through many means, such as relationships, nature, and our daily moments. Now, some of us believe that the Bible is one of the ways in which God chose to communicate with us; it is a beautiful and intriguing piece of ancient literature; complex and fascinating. The Bible is also used by many as a source of infallible truth. The problem is that, instead of trying to listen to God through the Bible, some people listen to themselves and use the Bible to validate their own systems of power; thus leading to the exclusion and oppression of other groups. We care about the Bible and we believe it is important to always foster more access to it.
Through our monthly gatherings we will explore the feminine dimension of God, the theology of the body, of sexuality, family, and relationships through the lens of women.
Some topics will be inspiring, some will be controversial. Some speakers will be feminist, some post-colonial, and some conservatives. One of the things that has been most damaging to women and other groups is the exclusion of their voices from the conversation. At Venus Hill we believe that “the media is the message,” and that the only way to effect change is by embodying an alternative story. This is why we have tried to think of guest speakers that come from all areas of thought: Liberal, Conservative, White, of Color, Post-Colonial, Feminist, Egalitarian, etc.
Come, share and enjoy. May these conversations be a blessing to you and challenge the ways we understand ourselves in the world.
