Beginning Theology

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

In this module, engage with topics at the forefront of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, exploring personal and public ideas for walking with Jesus.

For the first session of the module, we will explore prayer. Although prayer is both a personal and public discipline, we will explore the practice of prayer.

Suggested Reading:

• The Spiritual Life, Evelyn Underhill.
• Say it to God, Luigi Gioia. 

This session will explore discipleship and the ways in which we can each invest in our personal discipleship and walk with Jesus.

Lecture slides: Click here for the slides

Suggested Reading:

• 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

This session will explore calling and vocation. 

Suggested Reading:

• When Jesus Calls by Marcus Throup
• All Things Anglican by Marcus Throup

This lecture will explore what faith looks like in public life, specifically in relation to politics.

Lecture handout: Click here for the handout

Suggested Reading:

• 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).  

This session will explore the public disciple of mission. How can we witness to the good news of Jesus in the contemporary world.

Suggested Reading:

• Living His Story Together by Hannah Steele
• Gospel in a Pluralist Society by Lesslie Newbigin

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? 

Suggested Reading:

• James K.A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom
• Miroslav Volf & Matthew Croasmun, For the Life of the World: Theology that Makes a Difference

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.

Suggested Reading:

• 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

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.

Suggested Reading:

• 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