As I begin my third and final year studying theology at Cranmer Hall (Durham), here is a quick update. (If you want to be reminded about what I was up to in previous years, see my first and second ‘postcards’.)
This summer was a bit lighter on placements compared with 2017. In June a group of us from Cranmer Hall visited the Holy Land, staying in Tiberias and Jerusalem, and visiting various sites associated with Jesus. You can get a flavour of our trip on Twitter, but here’s a group photo:
Then I spent two weeks on placement at St Nicholas’ Church in Sevenoaks, getting a feel for how a larger evangelical church operates. (You might even find a recording on their website of a mid-week talk I gave.)
This year my term-time (Sunday) placement is at St George’s Church in Fatfield (Washington). I went along for the first time yesterday, and I’m looking forward to getting more involved.
But most of my time this year will be spent dealing with emails studying theology. During my first two years I completed the Cranmer Hall BA in Theology, Ministry and Mission. (They let me in at second-year level, because of some relevant prior learning.) This year I’ll be taking the Cranmer Hall MA in Theology and Ministry. Two-thirds of the credit comes from four taught modules, and one third comes from a dissertation (15,000 words). In the dissertation I’m planning on thinking about what we should do when the Bible seems to make claims about science and history, but I don’t have a detailed plan yet. Dr Richard Briggs has kindly agreed to attempt to keep me on track with that. In terms of the taught modules, these will be:
- Two modules in the university Department of Theology and Religion:
- Two modules in Cranmer Hall:
- Theological and Practical Reflection on Ministry and Mission, with various lecturers. I am hoping to focus on science and theology in this module
- Early Christian Perspectives on Mission and Ministry, with Dr Nick Moore
And I’m hoping to learn Hebrew too…
And then what? Watch this space!