Faith in God s World: Term 1 Faith in Christ , Langton Matravers

What do we believe about Jesus and why?

Faith in God’s World provides an opportunity
- to meet with other Christians who want to explore their faith
- to tackle topical issues
- to become more confident in explaining the Christian faith to other people
- to work out together what it means to be Christ’s Church in this part of the world at this time.

This is the first of three 10 session terms (booked independently) which can lead to the award by the Diocese of the Aldhelm Certificate. Term 1 addresses the question: What do we believe about Jesus and why? and Terms 2 and 3 will tackle: Is science compatible with faith? and How does our faith relate to the world of work?

Foreword to the first term by the Bishop of Salisbury

Learning matters to Christians because God is truth. We hunger for knowledge and we enjoy all sorts of exploration and discovery. Setting off on a journey and doing something new is a risk, of course. Although many of us are nervous about new knowledge, because our faith may be disturbed as well as deepened, by making the effort to study we become more confident and better satisfied. Christians have nothing to fear from truth and a greater knowledge of the rich and deep resources of Christianity will strengthen us.
Study cannot be done in solitary isolation. We are a community of learning. Christ calls us into his company with others, a community of the resurrection. One of the strengths of this course is that it is done in local groups and the study material has been written by leading local Christians. It is very much the pattern of St Aldhelm, the first Bishop of Sherborne in AD 705, a scholar and missionary rooted in a monastic community of prayer and learning. The task is to seek knowledge, grow wisdom and find its application in our lives.
God is back on the world’s agenda because many people are spiritually hungry. If we Christians are to help make the new humanity of Jesus Christ we will need to be well rooted in him and well schooled in his ways. This course for the Aldhelm Certificate will grow our confidence in using the resources of our faith creatively.
I very much like the idea that the Christian story is shaped by the three days from Good Friday to Easter and that this course amounts to the equivalent of three days of study in a group. It is a valuable new resource to help grow Christians in the Diocese of Salisbury and I very much hope you will enjoy using the material and working in your group. Bishop of Salisbury,
The Rt. Rev. Nicholas Holtam

Please contact one of the tutors if you are uncertain whether this course is for you or you have any other queries.

Revd. John Mann & Revd. Tony Edmonds
john.o.mann@btinternet.com
t.e.edmonds@btconnect.com