The Conference and my Studies

fI was trying to work out what to blog about today, and the long suffering wife has suggested that my write-up about the conference might be seen as somewhat...well "lacking" is the expression she used.

The difficulty with trying to talk about the conference is – that let's be honest – you don’t care. Do you really want to know about a lecture I attended given by the very brilliant Dr Hannah Holtschneider of the University of Edinburgh ‘Regarding the Pain of Others reflections on the use of photography in Holocaust musems.’? No, if you were that fussed, you would have been there, or have all ready done some reading on the subject. Even if you did decide from my description of it that this is a topic you want to know more about, I wouldn’t necessarily be the best person to ask...she would.

I suspect then my wife is suggesting that I talk about the room I was sleeping in – (it had a bed and sink) or about how wonderful Cambridge is as a city (very) ..or… you see, the problem is, I really am not sure what small talk I can make from all this, and even how worth while doing so would be.

Having returned – panic still high about money, working 8.30-6pm in a 9-5 job (so to speak), I am ever more certain that this is not where I want to be – that I would love to be studying full time, that I would love to be learning and with that learning, hopefully, changing. This brings me onto my new Degree course. This is a course which approaches theology not as just an academic discipline in which one can develop an ever better argument, and attempt to answer the question, for example “”Is there a God?”, or “What does God require of humanity”, but rather “How will I become what God requires me to be”. This is a substantial shift for me – not because I don’t look for the application of knowledge, but, up to this point, if I was to submit a paper which revealed a “faith biais” I would have been dragged over burning coals while academics pointed at me while murmuring “shame”. My new course is designed to consider the application of learning not in the presentation of a compelling paper (although that is gladly recived) but in the application of these principles.

This raises an interesting question about the course in my mind as a “Degree”. Please don’t get me wrong – I believe that the focous is a good and positive one – it is training for ministry that the course aims to provide after all – but should training of this type – which requires a particular religious belief within the practical ministrial modules – be termed as an academic degree?

Yours as ever,

Studiously, the broken man

The last few days..

I have spent the last few days at a symposium on Jewish-Christian Relations in Cambridge , an event which was attended by some people with intellects and levels of experience which completely dazzle me. The subject for the conference was “Memory in a Memory-less age” and involved scholars from a huge range of fields. It was truly humbling to be walking the corridors of Cambridge , and very scary for someone as unlearned as me to be in the presence of so much greatness.

The conversations which had the most significance for me were those in the bar after papers had been presented. I have made some contacts which I hope will be sustained, as some of those I spoke with are addressing areas that I find fascinating and challenging.

I was also very pleased to be the receipt of The Steinberg Award. This is given to the most promising student each year in the field of Jewish-Christian relations. Note – not the best student – but the most promising. I really am very chuffed indeed.


Yours as ever,


The humbled Broken Man