Place of theology in the training of the clergy
From the Revd Charles Read
Madam,— Bishop Stephen Platten writes with passion — and some despair — about the need for theology in ministerial education (Comment, 8 May). As someone who has been involved in delivering such training for 27 years or more, I wholeheartedly share both his passion and despair.
As he notes, theological colleges and courses have never been adequately funded — though, at least, now that is acknowledged by the national Ministry Council. Lack of funding puts stress on theological education institutions (TEIs) such that they waste time and energy just trying to balance the budget and generally feel unwanted and unvalued.
It is a pity, therefore, that Bishop Platten takes a sideswipe at regional courses part-way through his article. I have taught in a residential college (Cranmer Hall) and now on a regional course (the Eastern Region Ministry Course). Like others who have taught in both sectors, I can attest that there is no difference in formational ability or engagement with serious theological thinking between the two. Under the Common Awards programme, it is possible to see that students in colleges and courses achieve the same range of marks in academic work.
The argument about time spent in studying which Bishop Platten employs is not as straightforward as he supposes. Students on regional courses are not “non-residential”, as is often said. We prefer to say that we are providing “part-residential” training. Ordinands (and sometimes LLM students) come together for intensive periods of community life — usually a summer school of about eight days and five or six weekends away (plus weekly evening classes, which often begin with shared worship and a meal).
I observe that the community forms very quickly at the start of, say, a weekend away. The depth of theological reflection is no less that I saw in a residential college. The acquisition of habits of prayer through daily worship happens intensively. Indeed, ERMC students attend chapel seven times over a typical weekend, which is exactly as often as what students at Cranmer Hall did over a typical week when I taught there.
Of course, students on regional courses have big gaps between weekends away, in which they have to sustain a disciplined pattern of prayer in the midst of busy daily lives and ministries — just as they will have to do after ordination or admission as an LLM. But the experience of shared worship, meals, and community life is there.
When regional courses first began (with the Southwark Ordination Course, now St Augustine’s College), it was because the pattern of formation provided by the colleges did not work for all the candidates for ordination whom the Church had discerned were called. The courses were quick to see, however, that the value of college-based formation was preserved as much as it could be by providing significant periods of residence. We are now seeing financial pressures forcing courses to slim down some residence provision.
We need formation that works for each candidate. For some, they will be best served by attending a college full-time. For others, a part-residential course works better. The decision should be made according to what the candidate needs, not according to what is the cheapest option. Heaven forbid that someone might benefit for time in a college and also time on a course: that is nearly impossible to provide, owing to the competitive market into which TEIs are pushed.
There is indeed a shocking lack of serious theological engagement in Church of England reports, in decision-making, and, sadly, sometimes in ministerial training. Bishop Platten is right to see theology nudged out by managerialism. We need our colleges and courses — both are to be valued — but we need to resource them responsibly.
CHARLES READ
Norwich
From Canon Anthony Phillips
Madam, — The Church Times (8 May) contained the call from Bishop Platten not to “let theology wither” in the training of ordinands, and a plea from Canon Tilby for more bishops like Richard Harries (Comment); two letters from Professor Robinson and Dr Horne about the importance of university chaplains; and Fr Walker’s letter concerning the attempt by Truro diocese “to turn the entire deanery of 21 churches into a single benefice’.
Without a theologically educated clergy able to produce an episcopate able to confront the many serious political and ethical issues of our times, and a laity properly cared for both theologically and pastorally, the Church of England will itself wither into an irrelevant Protestant sect.
A radical rethink is required in the deployment of the Church’s resources. More management is not the answer.
ANTHONY PHILLIPS
Oxford
From Canon Nigel Rooms
Madam, — I feel I must respond to Bishop Platten’s heartfelt plea for theology. I agree about the importance of theology, and that it is seriously under threat in the higher-education sector. Nevertheless, as a very part-time tutor in two Anglican theological colleges, an honorary research fellow in another, and familiar with many English colleges and courses, I do not recognise the binary, presented in the article, between theology and “hard skills”.
In a post-colonial world, the hermeneutic circle connects systematic theology, biblical studies, and engagement with tradition to experience and practice, society and culture. Wisdom suggests that one can join the circle at any point, and that the task is never-ending. This is what I see happening in theological education in most of the varied pathways available now. I think of ground-breaking doctoral theological research by a friend, undertaken during ordination training. It was into the experience of Iranian refugee converts in the eucharist.
Understanding that the best theology results in good (skilled) practice and vice versa makes lifelong learning a possibility not just for the clergy, but also might return the locus of theology to the local church (supported by expertise in the academy) where it truly belongs to all God’s people.
NIGEL ROOMS
Leicester
From the Revd Susannah Brasier
Madam, — Bishop Platten’s excellent article says that there is one sentence from Irenaeus on the memorial plaque of Archbishop Michael Ramsey, “The glory of God is a living man.” In fact, the plaque includes the further clause, “the life of man is the vision of God’, which indeed follows in Adversus Haereses IV.20.7. While the first phrase is commonly quoted without the inclusion of the second, the second surely provides vital clarification of what it means to be truly alive — and adds further weight to the call to retain an approach to theology which is true to theology’s most literal meaning.
SUSANNAH BRASIER
Upminster
Worship songs in light of the Soul Survivor scandal
From the Revd Jenny Heinink
Madam, — I understand Dr Lucy Sixsmith’s concerns raised by her upbringing in Soul Survivor circles and the way in which worship songs have at times been used to manipulate atmospheres and impressionable youngsters (Feature, 1 May). Nevertheless, should the fact that fallible human beings have misused these songs necessarily invalidate them?
I regard myself as reasonably theologically literate. Dr Sixsmith quotes songs that in the past have spoken into a place of need in me and that today I use both in private worship and when leading worship in my church (not overtly Charismatic) and a Christian retreat centre.
It seemed very relevant and worshipful to finish our Maundy service singing “Lost in Wonder” (“You chose the cross”), one of the songs specifically mentioned in the article. Dr Sixsmith is concerned about the frequency of songs expressing full surrender to God, but so do many of our traditional hymns. For example, does she have the same concern about the singing of “Take my life and let it be”, in which each verse surrenders an aspect of our lives to God?
JENNY HEININK
Battle, East Sussex
More to Wittgenstein’s legacy than the Tractatus
From the Revd Dr Philip Goggin
Madam, — Canon Rod Garner’s celebration of the life and thinking of Ludwig Wittgenstein (Faith, 24 April) captured the spirit and times of this towering 20th-century figure, but hardly did justice to his profound influence on theology.
Probably, that was because there was little if any reference to Investigations (1953). So, we missed Wittgenstein’s later thinking, which eschewed demanding empirical or logical proof for any proposition, in favour of a recognition that language can be meaningful in particular contexts — such as a religious context. We didn’t read of “language games” and “forms of life”, each with their internal logic.
Although such terms are not always used, they were seminal for Rowan Williams, Ian Ramsey, D. Z. Phillips, George Lindbeck, and countless others. Thus, for example, Lord Williams argues that we never start from a blank slate, but always find ourselves already within a story, a culture, and a set of relationships which Christians would call the Church.
The many who have been influenced by Wittgenstein would probably emphasise practice and participation in a faith community rather than intellectual assent to propositions.
There is a pertinent illustration of this principle in Canon Stephen Mitchell’s letter (same issue). We can relate to Christ’s resurrection body, he writes, with conviction without “saying how or whether such a glorified body could possibly exist”. So, he concludes, “we seek . . . to live the resurrection life within our world and our communities and find the risen Christ in the lives of those around us.”
PHILIP GOGGIN
Wistaton, Crewe
Truro reorganisation is the way we are managing
From Mr David Watters
Madam, — I write as a churchwarden and licensed lay minister in the diocese of Truro. I find it interesting that our way of coping with the 21st-century reality of being the living body of Christ attracts comment from so many whose experience is clearly very different from our reality (News, 1 May; Letters, 8 and 15 May).
We have lived in Cornwall for more than 30 years. When we came, there was a priest, it appeared, in every village and town in our deanery — possibly more than 20. One would have hoped that this would lay the foundation for thriving churches. Sadly, it was not so. When we came to look at the fruitfulness and sustainability of our deanery in the present day, we discovered that we could afford only three oversight ministers and one house-for-duty priest. How do we cope with that reality?
Well, we recognised that we could not continue as we were, and we set about recognising the ministry of Jesus involves everyone: developing strong lay leadership and forming ministry teams in a way that would have been considered unacceptable to the eucharistic movement of the 1950s. This involved change on a large scale. In our deanery, we now have a benefice of 13 parishes, two eucharistic services each week, and several services of morning worship, with a monthly service when we meet together for a larger, more meaningful, act of worship.
I doff my hat to the successive bishops and archdeacons as they encourage us in a new and different time from the one that your correspondents seem to recall.
DAVID WATTERS
Downderry, Torpoint, Cornwall
Chester safeguarding
From the Bishop and the Interim Diocesan Secretary of Chester
Madam, — We write in response to the letter from Emma Ash and the Revd Robert Thompson (15 May) to make it clear that the delays mentioned are due to a backlog in INEQE’s work rather than any action (or inaction) on the part of the diocese of Chester. We have not yet received the report and share your correspondents’ frustration and the profound concern that we offer the best safeguarding provision possible.
For our part, we remain grateful for INEQE’s thorough and professional work, and have worked in partnership with them to keep the diocese informed concerning the delayed publication at every stage.
MARK CESTR:
SEÁN AUGUSTIN
Daresbury, Warrington
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