Welcome
Welcome to Beginning Theology! We are looking forward to having you on the course.
This is your module page for Living Life and the perfect course companion. This page will have any handouts, PowerPoints or audio from each session for you to catch up on.
If you have any questions, please email us at beginningtheology@stmellitus.ac.uk
Meet your Host
Jessica Norman
Hi! My name is Jess, and I'll be your host on Beginning Theology. Thursday night is always the highlight of my week, meeting different students on the course and learning together. I can’t wait to see all God will do this term! If you’ve got any questions, please get in touch.
Find out more
Module Overview
In this module, we will explore: Will God Listen? Can I go deeper? Is this real? Where am I headed? Does God care? Who's in Charge? What should I do? What's trending?
Session 1 | Will God Listen?
Session 1: Will God Listen? Ali Hogger-Gadsby
Why do we pray, and what difference does it make? This session is an opportunity to consider the practice of prayer, as individuals and as God's gathered people. We will explore traditions and practices of prayer, with time for questions and reflection.
Books:
The Spiritual Life, Evelyn Underhill.
Say it to God, Luigi Gioia.
Session 2 | Can I go deeper?
Session 2: Can I go deeper? Jess Norman
How should our theology and our understanding of Jesus impact the way we live? In this session, we will explore discipleship and how we can invest in our walk with Jesus. We will explore biblical perspectives and practical ways to engage with how to live the Christian life in 2024.
Click here for the presentation
Books:
Being Disciples: Essentials of the Christian Life – Rowan Williams
Practising the Way: Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did. – John Mark Comer
Session 3 | Where am I headed?
Session 3: Where am I headed? Marcus Throup
This session aims to explore vocation and work out our sense of calling. In addition to considering the general sense of calling applicable to all disciples of Christ, we will spend some time exploring specific directions for calling and calling to various ministries within the Church of England.
Click here for the PowerPoint.
Books:
When Jesus Calls by Marcus Throup
All Things Anglican by Marcus Throup
Session 4 | Who’s in Charge?
Session 4: Who’s in Charge? David Emerton
This session will explore what Christian faith might look like in public life, specifically what it means to confess that Jesus is Lord.
Books:
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, [The Cost of] Discipleship (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003).
Christiane Tietz, Theologian of Resistance: The Life and Thought of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2016).
N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird, Jesus and the Powers: Christian political witness in an age of totalitarian terror and dysfunctional democracies (London: SPCK, 2024).
Session 5 | What Should I Do?
Session 5: What Should I Do? Hannah Steele
This session will explore the public discipline of mission and explore what it means to be a missionary disciple today. We will consider some of the ways we can individually and collectively live out the gospel message in a post-Christian world.
Click here for the PowerPoint slides
Books
Living His Story Together by Hannah Steele
Gospel in a Pluralist Society by Lesslie Newbigin
Session 6 | What’s Trending?
Session 6: What’s Trending? Sara Schumacher
This session will bring together some of the themes looked at in this module and explore trends in current culture. What can we learn from culture and how can we be missional to the places around us? Philosopher James K.A. Smith tells us that 'we live into the stories we’ve absorbed; we become characters in the drama that has captivated us.' This session explores what stories we are telling ourselves today, how that is shaping our understanding of what it means to be human, and what that means for how we, as Christians, should live in the world.
Books:
James K.A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom
Miroslav Volf & Matthew Croasmun, For the Life of the World: Theology that Makes a Difference
Session 7 | Leading for Today
Session 7 Leading for Today – Grace Bally-Balogun
This session will provide an introduction into Christian Leadership using biblical and spiritual models. We will particularly look at leading others in today's climate of uncertainty and change.
Books:
- Leading with a Limp. Dan B. Allender.
- Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Unchartered Territory. Tod Bolsinger
- 7 Deadly Sins of Women in Leadership. Kate Coleman
Session 8 | Leading for Tomorrow
Session 8: Leading for Tomorrow – Jared Neusch
This session will explore how our study of Scripture and doctrine shapes our Christian life and discipleship. We will reflect on the role of hermeneutics and consider how theology can serve as a toolkit for hope-filled leadership. As we wrap up the year, the aim is to inspire fresh vision for how we live and lead in light of what we have learned.
Click here for the PowerPoint slides
Books:
Richard B. Hays - Moral Vision of the New Testament: A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics
N.T. Wright - Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church