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Autumn Term Programme 2010
 

 

Certificate Programme: credit bearing courses from the University of Cambridge

St Albans Centre for Christian Studies is a local centre for the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education. The Certificate Programme in Theological Studies comprises four core modules and a variety of optional modules. The certificate is awarded when students have successfully completed the core modules and two additional modules.  No prior experience or study is required. The programme is a level 1 university course (i.e. equivalent to the first year at undergraduate level). Students on certificate programme course are required to complete a written assignment for each module. For full details of the Certificate programme please follow this link:  Certificate in Theology

 

Saturday Study Days

Study days aim to open up areas of interest and provide a basic introduction to a topic which might be studied more deeply on other courses or by private reading. Designed for busy people the days are intended to be comprehensive and clear. Each day includes a break for morning coffee (provided) and for lunch (please make your own provision).

Rejoicing in the Old Testament: a fresh look at the OT and spirituality (including the hard bits)
Saturday 18 September 2010

Much of the Old Testament is hard for 21st century people to accept (hard-to-believe stories and blood-thirsty episodes), but can be a rich spiritual resource. It faces issues such as love, suffering, fear, failure, success, death, birth, and many other still relevant themes. To leave the OT at Sunday School is to lose an important resource we can rejoice in. The two tutors come from different backgrounds and traditions, but share an interest in making the OT accessible and enriching for people of faith today.  

Tutor: Roy Gregory, StACCS tutor in Spirituality and Ysmena Pentelow
Venue: Ashley Church, Ashley Road, St Albans AL1 5DA
Date: Saturday, 18 September 2010
Time: 10.00 am to 3.30 pm
Cost: £18 including tea and coffee

Follow this link for directions to Ashley Church. There is a car park at Ashley Church which you are welcome to use, however, space is limited and you should allow time to find parking on nearby streets if the car park is full.

Hot drinks will be available, but please bring a packed lunch.

Giotto in a day
Saturday 9 October 2010

For centuries the work of the artist Giotto has been regarded as a turning point in the history of western art. This study day takes an in depth look at all his surviving work examining what is new and exploring the significance of the changes in terms of Christian spirituality and the historical context.

Tutor: Iain Lane
Venue: The Chapter House Crypt, St Albans Cathedral
Date: Saturday 9 October 2010
Time: 10.30 am to 3.30 pm
Cost: £18 including tea and coffee

The architecture of contemporary faith
Saturday 6 November 2010

It is often said that architecture has lost the importance it had in society at large and in the Church: people no longer expect buildings to communicate shared ideals or understandings of life. Some architects have effectively retreated into a private world in which their profession is best represented by theoretical projects which will never be built. Others still try to work with clients and communities to make real spaces which are not merely pragmatic but also expressive. This morning will explore a number of church buildings, small and large, built in the last 30 years by major architects like Rafael Moneo, Tadao Ando and Alvaro Siza. We will see how a modern building can speak of faith and engender spirituality, and also draw parallels between the practice of contemporary architecture and theology as activities within the community of faith. Much more fun than it sounds!

Tutor: Iain Lane
Venue: The Chapter House Crypt, St Albans Cathedral
Date: Saturday 6 November 2010
Time: 10.00 am to 1.00 pm
Cost: £12 including morning coffee

Atonement and grace in children's fantasy literature
Saturday 13 November 2010

This study morning will explore the ways in which the Christian themes of atonement and grace are evident within the Narnia Chronicles, the Harry Potter books, the Lord of the Rings and other children's stories.

The tutor, Revd Dr Howard Worsley, is a long term researcher into children's spirituality (as well as an Anglican priest, a theological researcher and the Director of Education for the Diocese of London). He is interested in exploring how, implicitly or explicitly, authors with or without any owned Christian faith may present the embedded Christian narrative through their writings. Dr Worsley is the author of A Child sees God, Children talk about Bible stories, and is currently publishing some overview research into how children handle the Bible as seen within a wider corpus of English literature.

The morning is being held at St Stephen's Church, St Albans: there is a large car park and the hall, which is accessible and has toilet facilities, is attached to the church.

Tutor: Revd Dr Howard Worsley
Venue: St Stephen's Church Hall, Watling Street, St Albans
Date: Saturday 13 November 2010
Time: 10.00 am to 1.00 pm
Cost: £12 (including morning coffee & biscuits)

For directions to St St Stephen's Church please follow this link.

What is spiritual direction? Is it for me?
Saturday 20 November 2010

Spiritual direction has become increasingly popular and it is certainly a phrase that you will have heard; but what is it all about? Perhaps you have wondered whether it might be for you? It is certainly not just for some 'spiritual elite' (if such a thing ever really existed) and it can fit well into a busy Christian life in the secular world. It isn't something which is only for Christians from certain traditions or denominations and increasing numbers of people are finding it useful to set aside time with a trained person to see where God might be and what clues there are to progressing in their spiritual life.

This workshop allows you to explore these questions and possibilities. In the morning you will be able to hear from a number of different people who act as spiritual directors: they will talk about their work and what it means. In the afternoon you will be able to experience a half hour 'taster session' with one of the team and experience yourself what spiritual direction is like. The afternoon will also be an opportunity to experience a 'quiet space' and have available various suggested ways of praying and finding God.

Roy Gregory, StACCS tutor in Christian Spirituality, will be facilitating the day and he will be supported by a team of spiritual directors coming from a variety of Christian traditions. Directors will include Pia Buxton, Anne Strach, Philip Mader-Grayson, and Anthony Curran.

The workshop is held at Ashley Church in St Albans, which has a small car park and on street parking available nearby. Hot dinks will be available during the day, but please bring a packed lunch.

Facilitator: Roy Gregory, StACCS tutor in Christian Spirituality
Venue: Ashley Church, Ashley Road, St Albans AL1 5DA
Date: Saturday 20 November 2010
Time: 10.00 am to 5.00 pm
Cost: £18 (including morning coffee & afternoon tea)

There will be a lunch break, please bring a packed lunch.

For directions to Ashley Hall Church please follow this link.

Ignatian spirituality workshop
Saturday 27 November 2010

The day will explore the distinctive features of Ignatian spirituality, a way of approaching Christian life and prayer established by St Ignatius of Loyola (founder of the Society of Jesus) in the 16th century. There will be practical instructions on the Ignatian way of praying (Examen and Spiritual Exercises) as well as opportunity to pray using these techniques. In the afternoon Br Patrick will extend the Ignatian way by exploring the spirituality and practices developed by Anthony de Mello.

The day will be led by Canon Dennis Stamps, Ministerial Development Officer for the Anglican Diocese of St Albans and StACCS tutor in New Testament Studies, and Brother Patrick Moore, Scholar-in-residence in Spirituality, Sarum College, Salisbury. Br Patrick is a De La Salle brother and has taught in California, Cambridge and London. He is a regular speaker here in St Albans and will be with us again in January 2011.

Tutor: Canon Dennis Stamps and Br Patrick Moore
Venue: The Chapter House Crypt, St Albans Cathedral
Date: Saturday 27 November 2010
Time: 10.30 am to 3.30 pm
Cost: £18 including morning coffee & biscuits

For directions to St Albans Cathedral please follow this link.

 

Short courses

Many people find evening classes difficult to attend: the hectic pace of modern life makes it difficult to get to ten consecutive Tuesday evenings, and after a long day at work energy levels can be low. However, a short course of two or three evening sessions is often more accessible, so each term we offer a small number of short courses on a variety of themes.

Six great medieval thinkers
Tuesdays 5, 12 and 19 October 2010

For many years Christians tended to regard the 'middle ages' as a dark period containing little of interest: theology of any merit or worth was done in the early church and came to life again in the debates of the sixteenth century and the rise of Christian humanism. However, in recent years our view of this fascinating period has undergone a major revision. Far from being a time of superstition or futile speculation (angels and pinheads) this was the time in which the foundations of the modern European world were laid and important ideas debated. This short course will focus on the high middle ages, 1000 to 1300, and introduce the thought of six key figures. In week one we will meet Anselm and Peter Lombard; in week two, Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas; and in week three, John Duns Scotus and William of Ockham. In each case a brief biography will lead into an outline of their contribution to European intellectual life: philosophy, theology and the beginnings of empirical science will all be seen in a context of dialogue with Orthodox Christianity, Islam and the ideas of the pagan past.

Tutor: Iain Lane
Venue: The Chapter House Crypt, St Albans Cathedral
Date: Tuesdays 5, 12 and 19 October 2010
Time: 8.00 pm
Cost: £24

The Book of Isaiah
Tuesdays 16, 23 and 30 November 2010

The Book of Isaiah speaks very strongly to the situations in which it arose, but has also spoken strongly in subsequent centuries. Christians in particular have found within it prophecies pointing to both the birth and death of Christ, and passages from it are read throughout Advent, Christmas and Holy Week. It is therefore perhaps not surprising that it is sometimes referred to as the 'Fifth Gospel'. More recently, scholars have identified different parts to the book and even different 'Isaiahs'. All agree that it contains some of the most profound imagery of the Bible. This short course aims to open up some of these aspects of  this rich book.

The course is led by Canon Kevin Walton, Canon Chancellor of St Albans Cathedral, who is an Old Testament scholar with a particular interest and expertise in the Book of Isaiah.

 

Tutor: Canon Kevin Walton
Venue: The Chapter House Crypt, St Albans Cathedral
Date: Tuesdays 16, 23 and 30 November 2010
Time: 8.00 pm
Cost: £24

Autumn Term 2010 Programme and booking form
 
 
 
 
 
 


Autumn Term 2010 Programme and Booking Form
 
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