Welcome
Welcome to Beginning Theology! We are looking forward to having you on the course.
This is your module page for Everyday Theology 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
Rev'd Dr Grace F. Bally-Balogun
Hi, my name is Grace and I will be your host for Beginning Theology Online. I am really looking forward to us journeying together as we consider our purpose in God's great story of salvation and redemption for humanity. It is so exciting that God calls us to be a part of his great plan.
Find out more
Module Overview
Through careful reflection on the scriptures and the creeds, students will grapple with the central teachings of the church, exploring how Jesus informs all that Christians have to say about God and the world in which we live, why it’s good news that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and what the doctrine of God means for his creatures today.
Session 1 | Faith Seeking Understanding | Jack Szekely-Driver
Overview: We will discover the place of theology within the life of the church. Grounding our theology in the words of St Anselm (Faith Seeking Understanding) we will explore what this looks like in practice. Specifically, we will explore what is known as ‘the Doctrine of Revelation’, as we seek to locate theological reflection away from ourselves and onto the living God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Click here for the handout
Click here for the presentation slides
If you’ve enjoyed this session and would like to continue your learning, we recommend the following books:
- Daniel Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology, third ed. (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2014), chapter 1.
- Rowan Williams, Tokens of Trust: An Introduction to Christian Belief (Norwich: Canterbury 2007).
Session 2 | The Trinity | Jane Williams
Overview: The God we worship as Christians is Trinity. The Trinity is not an optional extra to our relationship with God, but the heart of it. Nothing else we say about God makes any sense unless this is true. In this session, we will find out why it is Good News that our God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, One God in Three Persons.
If you’ve enjoyed this session and would like to continue your learning, we recommend the following books:
- Fred Sanders, Embracing the Trinity: Life with God in the Gospel (IVP, 2010)
- Paul Collins, The Trinity: A Guide for the Perplexed (T&T Clark, 2008)
Session 3 | Jesus: God & Man | Anna Hutchinson
Overview: We will consider the person of Christ, giving particular attention to how Christians have sought to express the mystery of the incarnation.
Click here for the presentation.
If you’ve enjoyed this session and would like to continue your learning, we recommend the following books:
- Herbert McCabe 'The Myth of God Incarnate' in God Matters pp.54-61
- Katherine Sonderegger 'Christ' in New Cambridge Companion to Christian Doctrine pp.70 - 86
Session 4 | Creation: 'And there was light'! | Jared Neusch
Overview: We will consider what it means - both for God and for creation - that God made the universe from nothing and how this fundamental belief relates to the good news of Jesus Christ.
If you’ve enjoyed this session and would like to continue your learning, we recommend the following books:
- Tony Lane. Exploring Christian Doctrine. London: SPCK, 2013, chapter 4.
- Michael Lloyd. Cafe Theology: Exploring Love, the Universe and Everything. London: John Murray Press, 2018, chapter 1.
Session 5 | Being a Missionary Disciple Today | Hannah Steele
Overview: We will explore the theme of Missiology and consider what some of the biblical foundations are which can help shape the way we engage as missionary disciples in a post-Christian culture.
If you’ve enjoyed this session and would like to continue your learning, we recommend the following books:
- Chris Wright, The Mission of God’s People: A Biblical Theology of the Church’s Mission (Zondervan Academic, 2010)
Session 6 | Here is the Church, Here are the People | David Emerton
Overview: We will look at the church from one particular question: ‘What is the Church?’ We will discover what scripture and theology says about the church, alongside exploring different ideas that can be used to help us begin to speak about the church.
If you’ve enjoyed this session and would like to continue your learning, we recommend the following books:
- Matt Jenson and David Wilhite, The Church: A Guide for the Perplexed (London: T&T Clark, 2010).
- David Emerton, Types of Ecclesiology: Five Theological Approaches (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2024)
Session 7 | Living in a World with Suffering | Jitesh Patel
Overview: The existence and experience of evil and suffering is one of the hardest challenges to faith in a God who is both loving and powerful. This session will explore possible ways of reconciling this problem and how we can live through our own experiences of evil and suffering with a deep faith in God’s power and love.
If you’ve enjoyed this session and would like to continue your learning, we recommend the following books:
- Amy Orr-Ewing, Where Is God in All the Suffering?
- Timothy Keller, Walking with God through Pain and Suffering
Session 8 | Living a Spirit-Filled Life | Grace Bally-Balogun
Overview: As the third person of the Trinity, this session will provide an overview of the Holy Spirit in the creeds, through the ages and the dynamism he gives to ministry, mission and living a spirit-filled life.
If you’ve enjoyed this session and would like to continue your learning, we recommend the following books: