A Quarterly Gathering for Thoughtful People
The Sunday School is a new quarterly meetup in Grand Rapids playing in the tradition of Viennese cafes and Parisian salons — social gatherings to wrestle with big ideas in science, philosophy, the arts, and politics.
Historically, these gatherings would take on a different structure depending on the culture and host, but they were rooted in a familiar aspiration:
- Build Community: Although Parisian salons gained an intellectual weight later, initially they were social in nature (albeit with a heavy splash of classism, which is not what we’re going for) LINK
- Advance Big Ideas: Salons and coffee houses served as information hubs — “a place for learning and the circulation of knowledge, particularly in matters of science…” LINK
- Critical Discourse: These spaces held the tension of open sharing and intellectual rigor — they were workshops for people to wrestle “in a spirit of friendship and goodwill.”
We long for a space like this in Grand Rapids; a place to better understand the forces shaping our world, to connect with good people, wrestle with how to make things better, and maybe even hatch a few hope-filled schemes.
It’s more policy, psychology, and economics.
It’s less angels and demons.
The Next Sunday School:
Session 2: Money
Christopher Smith, Professor and MSW Program Director at Western Michigan University, joins us to discuss the programs, policies, and cultural beliefs that have reinforced economic outcomes in the last 50 years.
Get your ticket at https://luma.com/52hmwo6u.