TRS4912 - Contemporary Christian Faith and Worship

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the basic tenets of the Christian faith, as set out in the Apostles’ Creed, and how these have been revealed through Scripture and other theological writings;
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the origins of Christian worship and awareness of their historical development into patterns of worship today;
Demonstrate awareness of a range of different ways in which the New Testament has been interpreted to communicate an understanding of faith, and the practical ways in which this might be expressed;
Demonstrate knowledge and awareness of some specifics of Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant liturgy and worship patterns, through study of primary sources, listening to practitioners and observing worship;
Discuss and analyse the theological significance of selected New Testament passages, ancient liturgical and other texts for contemporary Christian practice.

Content:

An introduction to the nature of Christian faith and the means by which it is revealed, experienced and interpreted by the church worldwide today. This will be introduced through the study of Christian beliefs and worship using the New Testament, creedal statements, observation of worship and encounters with contemporary practitioners. Particular attention will be given to Roman Catholic belief and practice.

The module will include the following topics:
• An outline of the basic teachings of the New Testament
• Study of the Nicene and the Apostles Creeds
• Introduction to basic articles of faith, including the virgin birth, passion and resurrection of Christ, the Trinity
• Introduction to hermeneutics through study of selected texts from different traditions and denominations
• The church and its worship, introduced from theological, historical and sociological perspectives
• Liturgy, its forms and historical origins
• Introduction to the main strands of world Christianity and ecumenical diversity
Other topics may also be included.

Learning and Teaching Information:

Learning and teaching takes place in plenary sessions and using blended learning. It may also include group activities and also opportunities for individual help through face-to-face meeting or online means. Scheduled learning activities are varied and include: lecture-style presentations by the module tutor or occasional guest speaker; seminar-style discussion of a particular topic; informal prepared presentations by students, followed by discussion; debates; and other exercises as appropriate to material and group. Students receive guidance on reading in preparation for each session and activity and learning is supported by the VLE (Moodle) and sometimes by readers and other resources. Guidance on research and essay-writing is integral to the learning and teaching process in each module and may also be supported by tutorial guidance on essay plans if requested. Where possible, learning will be supplemented with site visits and visiting lecturers. Research methods that aid fieldwork will also be considered where appropriate and, whenever possible, put into practice.

Lecture
Contact hours: 20
Intended group size: 35

Seminar, group work, tutorial, etc
Contact hours: 20
Intended group size: 3-35

Guided independent study
Hours: 160

Assessment: