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Study Theology? That couldn’t be for me – could it?

Pine Hills By on Jul 4, 2017 in Blog |

Some thoughts from Zoe Barr, KST graduate:

 

zoeCS Lewis the famous author and theologian is quoted as saying “If you don’t listen to theology, that won’t mean you have no ideas about God, it will mean you have a lot of wrong ones”.  Growing up in a Christian family and being in church my entire life has been a huge blessing to me in my own faith. However, even some years into my faith I have found myself looking for a deeper understanding of God and some tools to tackle some of the more difficult questions that life throws at us.
In 2013, I heard about Kings School of Theology (KST), a part time theology course run by the Salt and Light Network which Life Church is a part of. “The courses are aimed at those who want to deepen their Christian faith through study, lead with more depth, think with more clarity, serve with greater purpose, and know more of God. Courses last for three years and combine five teaching weekends per year, local mentoring and personal study facilitated through an online forum. Teaching weekends take place in centres around the Midlands (e.g. Derby, Oxford) and low-cost accommodation can be provided. KST is an affordable option for those who want to grow in their Christian faith through study.” (KST website)
When you enrol on KST you are given the option to pick a particular bias to your study and these include Biblical Studies, Transforming Mission or Worship and Spirituality. This means you can tailor your learning to your interests or things you’d like to grow in. I chose the Transforming Mission track and I had the opportunity to learn about how Christians can engage with culture, transform communities, and make disciples. We spent time looking at the challenges of communicating the gospel in our current culture. Following this track helped keep my learning closely linked to a practical application rather than just learning for learning’s sake.
Studying theology led me to ask a lot of questions about things I’d often avoided thinking about! Initially this questioning felt uncomfortable, something to be endured, tolerated at best. However, one of the things God has been teaching me is to find joy in the process of questioning. Having the freedom to discuss, challenge and explore ideas in the context of the KST learning community brought encouragement, even when there weren’t clear answers. I was surprised by the fact that most of the time I found the process of studying and applying my mind to theology both life giving and enjoyable.
Why not consider studying theology, you never know it might even be fun! KST are open for applications now.

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Mark Norridge

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