Soap-box grew out of the desire of a couple of Citysiders (Stu McGregor and Adee Wood) to explore an issue that was bothering them. We have only had one soap-box service so far, but hope there will be more in the future.
The issue (in our case, the problem of evil and suffering) was brought to the attention of the congregation several weeks before the planned service, and eight people (four men, four women) were invited to add their names to a list of presenters. These presenters were given the brief of planning a short talk (5 minute maximum), outlining their opinion or thoughts about the topic.
On the evening itself, the space was set out with a speakers’ platform, with space for an audience, and a wine and cheese table to create a convivial atmosphere. The presenters then stood up one after the other to give their talk. We used a bell to signal the end of the allotted speaking time. Speakers weren’t allowed time extensions and there was no interruption or response allowed during the soap-box part of the evening. After all the presenters had done their spiels, the topic was opened up for discussion among all those gathered. This was stopped after 20 minutes. Too short for most people, but that was the intention.
The concept behind the service was to enable a range of input on a difficult topic, in an environment that wouldn’t degenerate into argument. The value in having all the speakers at the beginning allowed for a spectrum of views presented without interruption, which meant that, by the time we got to the discussion part of the evening, the issue had already been explored in some depth. That arrangement also protected against a discussion situation where only one or two people dominate, and gave people a chance to consider the topic in advance, rather than offering ad hoc opinions into a group discussion.
An alternative might be to have questions or responses to each speaker immediately after their talk, so that the discussion at the end is general rather than picking up on what specific people have said.
The experience was a positive one for those involved, and one that we are looking forward to repeating at some stage.