Course Description
Church and Christian faith practices are in the midst of critical sea-change made all the more intense and unsettling by the Covid 19 pandemic. Navigating this contemporary cultural change presents opportunities and challenges for effective Christian discipleship, to re-imagine and experiment in both ancient and new vessels. This course will use biblical and theological perspectives combined with insights from history and the social sciences to provide portals through which to understand and engage with an increasingly disruptive environment. It will include exploring a range of creative expressions of Christian life for both individuals and communities this Advent, and equip people for spiritual renewal in diverse local contexts.
This is an open access course available as a 10-credit course (accredited by the University of Glasgow) or audit-only for those who just wish to engage with the learning programme for their own personal benefit.
Church and Christian faith practices are in the midst of critical sea-change made all the more intense and unsettling by the Covid 19 pandemic. Navigating this contemporary cultural change presents opportunities and challenges for effective Christian discipleship, to re-imagine and experiment in both ancient and new vessels. This course will use biblical and theological perspectives combined with insights from history and the social sciences to provide portals through which to understand and engage with an increasingly disruptive environment. It will include exploring a range of creative expressions of Christian life for both individuals and communities this Advent, and equip people for spiritual renewal in diverse local contexts.
This is an open access course available as a 10-credit course (accredited by the University of Glasgow) or audit-only for those who just wish to engage with the learning programme for their own personal benefit.
Speakers & Topics
EventBrite now closed. Please email TrinityCollegeGlasgow@gmail.com to register
Each week, you will have the opportunity to hear from one of our world-class presenters on a range of topics designed to inspire and motivate us in our approach to tackling climate change.
Our schedule of Speakers and Topics will run as follows:
Week 1: September 15th
Ruth Valerio: Saying "Yes" to Life
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Ruth Valerio is an international speaker, author, and global advocate who has written extensively on topics of justice, environment, and lifestyle issues.
Week 2: September 22nd
John Drane: Is the Bible Green?
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John Drane is a scholar of the Bible, ordained minister, and author of the international best-sellers Introducing the Old Testament and Introducing the New Testament, both of which have been translated into over 60 languages. Currently, John serves as the co-chair for the Mission Theology Advisory Group, which is a collaboration between the Church of England and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.
Week 3: September 29th
Lorna Gold: Laudato Si
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Lorna Gold currently serves as the acting-chair of the Board of the Global Catholic Climate Movement, a movement that aims to apply Pope Francis' teaching on the environment at a global scale. She lectures part-time in climate justice and social policy at Maynooth University (Ireland) and was recently appointed the Director of Movement Building at FaithInvest.
Week 4: October 6th
Lord Jim Wallace and Ross Greer (MSP): Green Politics and the Church
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Jim Wallace is a politician and former leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, who now serves as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
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Ross Greer is the Scottish Greens MSP (Member of the Scottish Parliament) for West Scotland and the party's spokesperson for schools and higher education institutions.
Week 5: October 13th
Sanjee Perera: COP26 and Racial Justice
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Sanjee Perera is the Archbishops' Adviser on Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns for the Church of England and an adviser on inclusion and diversity to the Church of England's Setting God's People Free programme.
Week 6: October 20th
James Buchanan and Bokani Tshidzu: Towards Fossil Free Churches
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James Buchanan and Bokani Tshidzu both work for Operation Noah, a Christian charity working with the Church to inspire action on the climate crisis. Operation Noah's Bright Now campaign works alongside churches and enables them to divest from fossil fuels and invest in clean alternatives
Week 7: October 27th
Katharine Hayhoe & Ruth Padilla DeBorst: What's the ask for COP26? (pre-recorded)
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Katharine Hayhoe is a climate change scientist and chief scientist for the Nature Conservancy. Katharine's TED Talk “The Most Important Thing You Can Do to Fight Climate Change: Talk About It” has been viewed over 5 million times. Her latest book: Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World is available to order now.
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Ruth Padilla DeBorst is a well-known liberation theologian, missiologist, educator, and story-teller. Her work is extensive and includes (but is not limited to): serving on the board of A Rocha, the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, the American Society of Missiology, coordinating the Networking Team of INFEMIT (International Fellowship for Mission as Transformation)—all whilst living with her husband in Costa Rica as members of the community Casa Adobe!