Philosopher's Cafe's with David Goa - Winter Schedule 2023

Come join me at either South East Edmonton Seniors Association or The Central Lions Senior Centre this fall as we discuss pressing issues of our time.

Join me at the South East Edmonton Seniors Association (SEESA),
9350 – 82nd Street, Edmonton for the following conversations:

Cafe 2: February 16, Thursday, 1 – 2:30pm
Is Christian Nationalism on the Rise?
Part Two, of a Two-Part Conversation

We hear rumblings. Christian Nationalism is on the rise. What has prompted the emergence of this ideology? How are ‘Christian’ ideas used for nationalist purposes? How do they re-define the meaning of “Christian civilization”? What fears and aspirations drive the development of movements to privilege a particular understanding of Christianity and defining it as a “tribal religion”? What are key religious leaders saying about Christian Nationalism? How may we understand what is behind this movement and speak to those who are inclined to support it?

Cafe 3: March 16, Thursday, 1 – 2:30pm 
On Tyranny: What is On the Rise in Liberal Democratic Societies?

A spate of books, recently published, warn of the rise of tyranny in liberal democratic societies. Perhaps the best known is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny, Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. For those who care about democracy (“the worst form of government except for all the rest”) Snyder’s lessons call us to be vigilant. How may we engage our fellow citizens who are attracted by the nostalgia and ideals offered by tyrants? Are there pathways possible to restoring a civil temper that values difference and deepens citizenship where liberty and freedom are common bonds?

Cafe 4: April 20, Thursday, 1 – 2:30pm
The Crisis of Knowledge: Facts, Truth, and the Loss of Shared Common Ground


For several decades now a set of theories have informed and galvanized both university education and public discourse. These theories highlight various social diseases – racism, misogyny – and the legacy of colonial rule. A concern for social justice has come to the fore on the political left. In some parts of the political right this has engendered fear that the fundamental order of society is changing; a fear over how our society is shifting. Are there healthy way of engaging the ideological silos that shape so much of our public discourse?

Join me at the Central Lions Seniors Centre,
11113 – 113 Street, Edmonton for the following conversations:

Cafe 1: January 26, Thursday, 1:30 - 3 pm
Is Christian Nationalism on the Rise?
Part One, of a Two-Part Conversation

We hear rumblings. Christian Nationalism is on the rise. Have we seen churches and Christians (and other religious people) engage social ills, protest and march, and lobby out of religious conviction to bring about change? A key example is the Civil Rights Movement that took hold in the 1960s in the USA and in Canada. We begin this two-part conversation revisiting the Civil Rights Movement and re-examining how religious ideas, narratives, songs and institutions were central in addressing the disease of racism and the dangers of white supremacy. How was religion at work in the significant changes brought about by this movement? How does it differ from the Christian Nationalist ideology now challenging a number of liberal democratic countries?

Cafe 2: February 23, Thursday, 1:30 - 3 pm
Is Christian Nationalism on the Rise?
Part Two, of a Two-Part Conversation

We hear rumblings. Christian Nationalism is on the rise. What has prompted the emergence of this ideology? How are ‘Christian’ ideas used for nationalist purposes? How do they re-define the meaning of “Christian civilization”? What fears and aspirations drive the development of movements to privilege a particular understanding of Christianity and defining it as a “tribal religion”? What are key religious leaders saying about Christian Nationalism? How may we understand what is behind this movement and speak to those who are inclined to support it?

Cafe 3: March 23, Thursday, 1:30 - 3 pm 
On Tyranny: What is On the Rise in Liberal Democratic Societies?

A spate of books, recently published, warn of the rise of tyranny in liberal democratic societies. Perhaps the best known is Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny, Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. For those who care about democracy (“the worst form of government except for all the rest”) Snyder’s lessons call us to be vigilant. How may we engage our fellow citizens who are attracted by the nostalgia and ideals offered by tyrants? Are there pathways possible to restoring a civil temper that values difference and deepens citizenship where liberty and freedom are common bonds?

Cafe 4: April 27, Thursday, 1:30 - 3 pm
The Crisis of Knowledge: Facts, Truth, and the Loss of Shared Common Ground


For several decades now a set of theories have informed and galvanized both university education and public discourse. These theories highlight various social diseases – racism, misogyny – and the legacy of colonial rule. A concern for social justice has come to the fore on the political left. In some parts of the political right this has engendered fear that the fundamental order of society is changing; a fear over how our society is shifting. Are there healthy way of engaging the ideological silos that shape so much of our public discourse?

David Goa focuses on deepening the capacity of the faithful to think through the gifts of their traditions: the spiritual life, the theological traditions and our responsibility to the public world. Supporters help him continue to do this important work.

Go to the Support Page.