SCM Study Guide – serie

Peter Stevenson provides an introduction to the practice of preaching. It is designed for people from various church traditions, in the early stages of ministerial formation. Preaching is a complex and challenging business requiring a demanding mixture of skills. People listening to a sermon have the right to expect that a person who stands up to preach, can interpret the Bible competently, has a grasp of core Christian beliefs, and believes what they preach. They also expect someone who has the necessary range of communication skills to put the message across in an accessible way. Such a range of expectations presents daunting challenges to the most experienced preacher. Including practical exercises which could be used by individuals or by groups, this book is suitable for introductory courses in preaching or for modules which consider preaching within an overall focus upon leading public worship.

Providing the level one student with all they will need to know to understand their course fully, "SCM Study Guide: Christian Ethics" is full of helpful features to aid memory and learning and pointers for further reading and further study. The book covers the major areas of ethical theory and methodology that are key to any introductory course, including the use of the Bible in Christian ethics, natural law, conscience, various philosophical approaches to ethics and the influence of liberation theologies. In addition, three methodological topics often neglected in textbooks in this area but included here, are Christian ethics and science, Christian ethics and pastoral care and the relationship between Christian ethics and the wider public debates in ethics. The book also covers a wide range of topics in practical Christian ethics, all introduced by case studies, ranging from abortion, euthanasia, human genetic manipulation, health care rationing, divorce and remarriage, homosexuality, capital punishment, just war and "humanitarian intervention" GM crops, the environment, employment and globalisation.

SCM Studyguide to Biblical Hermeneutics offers entry-level undergraduates a framework for interpreting the Bible. The book goes beyond offering guidance on how to do exegesis, and is intended as a practical tool to help readers develop good interpretative strategies for themselves. As such it features pedagogical tools such as Try it Out boxes to assist students to develop a tested and thought - through overall interpretative strategy of their own. Market-tested to ensure a good coverage of the typical topics found on a standard level-one hermeneutics course, this "Studyguide" is designed as a practical and comprehensive companion to coursework, be that within a secular institution, a theological institution or within Church reading groups. The authors set out from the beginning to make clear that interpretation of the Bible is largely affected by the reader's own situation and therefore, the text is designed to guide the reader through the myriad of accepted methods of interpretation, no matter what the reader's own perspective or situation may be.

The SCM Study Guide to "New Testament Interpretation", together with its companion volume on "New Testament Books", offers an up-to-date, accessible introduction to this fast-changing area of theological study. Aimed at level one students, it encourages interaction with the New Testament texts and provides pointers for further reading and learning. It covers the main areas tackled in introductory New Testament courses, such as the contents and diversity of the New Testament, how the texts came to be written and collected, their relationship to Jesus of Nazareth, and the nature of the canon. In particular, it introduces the main interpretative approaches used by scholars in an accessible way, avoiding unnecessary jargon, and helping the student apply them to specific New Testament passages, so is full of practical examples and accessible learning techniques for the beginner.

The SCM Studyguide Christian Doctrine engages readers by developing theological conversations between his or her own ‘ordinary theology’, on the one hand, and the theological resources of ecclesiastical and academic theology, on the other. Students get a clear view of the wide canvas of Christian doctrine, including a range of different theological positions. This study of doctrine helps those who are seeking a form of Christian thinking and spirituality – and possibly ministry – that is true to their own lives, and takes their own hesitations and doubts seriously.  Each chapter is broken up into sections and interspersed with boxes which introduce pertinent extracts from classical and contemporary theologians, together with short exercises or aids to reading these texts, or provide explanations of technical theological terms. Each chapter has questions for reflection and/or discussion, together with suggestions for further reading.

The SCM Studyguide: Practical Skills for Ministry offers a practical introduction for those who are training for ministry, both lay and ordained, within the church. The book answers the questions asked by those preparing for ministry and by those who have recently started and found gaps in the way they have been prepared. The author uses real examples drawn from his experience of over 20 years of pastoral ministry, together with work in chaplaincy and broadcasting and the shared experience of others. The book covers all those aspects of ministry required within the more practical contextual areas of the course of preparation for ministry in use by mainstream denominations, such as baptisms, weddings, working with others, communication, meetings and funerals. It provides practical guidance which is soundly theologically and pastorally based.

The SCM Studyguide to Pastoral Theology designed to support undergraduate courses for the training of clergy and lay pastoral workers at an accessible introductory level. The book aims to develop pastoral wisdom and integrity through a critical integration of theology and the human sciences. Introducing key themes in theological anthropology and pastoral practice, it shapes a creative pastoral vision which is deeply rooted in a Christian vision of what it means to be human and what it takes to care. Working with case studies, the book will introduce broad frameworks of understanding of issues such as growth, loss, and sexuality, together with critical perspectives on important aspects of practice such as language, power and boundaries.The book provides an accessible overview of key concepts in pastoral theology, offering key entry points for further discussion and study. Each chapter includes discussion questions and/or reflective exercises at the end of each chapter together with a short bibliography. Throughout the text, key summaries of learning will be indicated by boxed Practice Points.

No sooner have they mastered the basics than students of theology can quickly find themselves in over their heads. They are bombarded with claim and counter-claim as soon as they want to tackle anything topical. The contentious subjects tend to be the historical Jesus, gender and sexuality, or the atonement. Other subjects might be less contentious but attract an astonishing excess of literature. Take the vast literature tackling the subject of the Church, for instance, or the bloated body of tomes on various aspects of Pneumatology. This book tries to provide the bewildered and intimidated student with a primer that is at once introductory and incisive; approachable and informative. It will help those training for ministry to recover their fascination for the subject of theology and how it could apply to their future ministry.Subjects covered include- The Quests for the Historical Jesus - Third Article Theology- The Missional Church- Liberation Theology- Feminist, LGBT and Queer Approaches- Postmodern Faith and the Emerging Church- Nonviolent Atonement

Written by liturgists – pastoral and academic – who make up the Liturgical Formation Sub-Committee of the Department for Christian Life and Worship of the Roman Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, this studyguide offers an introduction to Catholic Liturgy. Covering the history, content and debates around the use of liturgy in the Catholic church, each chapter includes points for reflection, end of chapter questions, and an indication of further reading. A book-wide glossary is also provided.

The SCM Studyguide: Liturgy, 2nd Edition is an introduction to liturgy that considers the basic 'building blocks' needed to grasp the subject area. It outlines the essential shape and content of Christian worship and explores a range of liturgical dynamics of which both students of liturgy and leaders of liturgy need to be aware.This 2nd edition of the popular Studyguide is fully revised, updated and expanded. The book takes account of new developments in scholarship, engages with new contexts for liturgical celebration (notably, fresh expressions as part of a mixed economy of church), encompasses recent revisions in liturgy and seeks to broaden the engagement beyond the British context to consider the wider global context.

For most of us, learning abstract philosophical concepts involves literally learning a new language, a language that the initiated converse in with ease but which leaves the rest of us baffled. The SCM Studyguide to Philosophy and Christian Faith aims to meet a need for an accessible treatment of the intersection between philosophy and theology. It deals with some of the loftiest concepts ever conceived by the human race, and yet makes these easy to grasp and applicable.A must-have primer, the book offers students an overview of the history of Western philosophy, and equips them to understand more deeply the culture-shaping beliefs that are driving the kinds of questions, both past and present, which our culture brings to the Christian faith.

The SCM Studyguide: Biblical Hermenuetics offers entry-level undergraduates a framework for interpreting the Bible. The book goes beyond offering guidance on how to do exegesis, and is intended as a practical tool to help readers develop good interpretative strategies for themselves. As such it features pedagogical tools such as Try-it-Out boxes to assist students to develop a tested and thought - through overall interpretative strategy of their own. This fully updated 2nd edition takes into account the changing church and world context, and the new challenges this context brings as students seek to read the Bible with attentiveness, integrity and faithfulness.

It is increasingly being acknowledged that current generation of church leaders are inundated with well-intentioned but nonetheless economically-defined leadership measures and strategies which threaten to corrupt the basic thrust of ministry and pervert the common life known as church. Reflecting theologically on the nature of leadership at the same time as considering the reality of its practicalities, this Study Guide seeks to call it back to theological essentials, locate it in the unique context of the Church, and then re-address modern pressures and needs from within a decidedly Christian framework. Resisting the urge to instruct with a more polemical voice, the SCM Studyguide to Church Leadership will encourage ordinands and trainee church leaders to reassess modern pressures and priorities and to re-orient creatively around the callings, giftings, and approaches that are suitable to Christ and particular to the Church.

Spiritual, religious, sacred, or mystical experiences may be broadly defined as subjective human experiences that appear to the person undergoing them, or to others, to convey or imply contact with or knowledge about a transcendent power, presence, or superior reality beyond the realm of the physical. Research has shown that these forms of awareness of ‘something beyond’ are of considerable significance in the ordinary lives of very many people, as well as being elements of signal importance in the origin and development of religion: not least by deepening characteristically spiritual or religious attitudes, emotions, beliefs, values and practices, along with fundamental orientations of life and quests for meaning. This Studyguide provides a succinct and lucid introduction to the subject for those studying and teaching religion at both undergraduate and GCE AS/A level. By exploring the key areas of both the empirical and theoretical study of religious and spiritual experience, the Studyguide will serve as an accessible and nonpartisan guide to enable its readers to explore the range of challenging data, debates, approaches, and issues that relate to the study of this widespread and significant phenomenon.