End of term and end of an era

This week saw the last lectures in term 2: Virtual Theology (Level 3), Themes in Christian Theology (Level M) and Christian Faith in History (Level 1) have each in their own way challenged me, and I'm happy to look back on a busy term well completed. So I spent the rest oif this week at work compiling the paperwork for next term's modules: Elements of Christian Worship (Level 1) and Theology & Local Communities (Level M). There's always a rather breathless fear attached to a new module, which spurs me to enormous efforts to get it up and running smoothly. I always so very badly want students to be as excited about a new topic as I am.

This week also saw what will probably be the last reunion of the class of 98. The year I started my PhD study, there was only one other student. He is now coming to the end of his writing up, and it was rather pleasing to discover that our year group is the only one that will have had a 100% completion rate, with no drop-outs. This is partly, of course, because we've both worked jolly hard, but I like to think it's also because we've supported one another through the difficult processes of research and writing up.

I'm also getting to grips with the module I'm teaching at another institution in May, and I'm re-writing a distance learning undergrad module for yet another, so I'm in a very creative period right now. What doesn't make it into a new course ends up in the bin, though not one as aptly labelled as this I found behind Broomhill Methodist Church in Sheffield a couple of years ago.

At the back of my mind, I have a research project cooking, which involves applying some of my PhD findings in a different environment and trying to insert some Christology into the Trinitarian stuff I was doing then. But first I have some serious work to do networking, because I could use some funding for this. There is the possibility of some funded work on e-learning in the air, and if that materialises, I may have to put all else on hold for a while.

I received the notification that I have completed all the formal stages to graduate in Summer now, so it looks as if I shall be getting doctored in mid-July alongside a popular and very gorgeous local actor who is being awarded an honorary DLitt at the same ceremony. I'm not sure if the kids' enthusiasm for my ceremony is about me or about him - I fear the latter.

It's been a good week in terms of play as well as work. I've had company for a couple of evenings in, which is an unusual treat. I lost custody of a painting recently, and I had a day out and discovered a fabulous Tapas restaurant in Manchester while buying a picture to replace it.

Faith as Social Capital and other social things

I was planning to write more last week, but life gets in the way of art. Is this art, I wonder? No matter.

This past week was dominated by a trip to London to the launch of the Rowntree Foundation Report Faith as Social Capital on Wednesday. I documented my personal response in an email to another delegate at the launch:

"...it's inevitable that as an academic and primarily as an educator, I welcome this kind of research for all sorts of mixed reasons. It's really pleasing to see this kind of cross-disciplinary social research into practical matters of faith, and as with all Rowntree projects, it's an exemplary piece of research in terms of methodology and presentation. For that alone, it feeds into my teaching, quite apart from its acute relevance to modules we teach on urban and community theology.

But I'm always slightly frustrated that there's no clear focus on the *reception* of the report: who is going to take in on board, how, for what purposes, and how successful will they be? It would be good to have a chronicle of the immediate, medium term and long term impact of this sort of project, and I'd like a piece of research to start now, seeking to identify some of those things. I suspect that it *does* have an impact, in some fields and areas, and at some levels. But I don't think we really know how far LSPs and the like actually *use* this kind of research. [...]

I'd also like to see series of formal responses from interested organisations etc, detailing what parts, if any, are useful, and what parts are up for discussion/ challenge. It's good that we can discuss it: how much more useful it would be if this topic were up for discussion in much more public, institutional ways. I'd like to see the Urban Bishops' Panel produce a written, published response: ditto other representative faith organisations, local, regional and central government and people like yourselves, Regional Commissions, regeneration bodies and so on.

There is also the question of how this relates to the CULF report, with which it is closely associated, not least because Rob Furbey was involved with both. I'll be keeping in touch with Rob in any case, and he may be able to respond to some of these concerns."

There were some quite lovely aspects of the day. The launch itself was very well done, with reponses from several people, most notably Lord Parekh who did a masterly critique of the agenda and the intellectual and social context of the report. Robert was there, and it turned out he knew well someone I know only from Christians on the Internet (COIN). There were at least two other internet acquaintances present, and a UTU MPhil student, and of course, Rob Furbey, the author of the report.

After the launch, Robert and I met Maddi for coffee. It's rare that my daughter allows me to treat her, so it was an unusual pleasure for me. Robert then went off carrying my packs from the launch (How nice it is to go to a good "do" and still go off to do things empty handed!) and Maddi and I decided to forego the delights of high culture (Tate Modern) for consumer lust (Hamleys, the Mac shop and Selfridges), before drinking immoderate amounts of chianti on the terrace of Carluccios in the sun (but with the benefit of a heater) until the end of the rush hour.

The evening with William and Laura (wine bar) was entirely pleasant too, and the next morning William and I breakfasted in a little Italian deli/cafe in Crouch End. As Uncle Martin commented when I told him all about it, "how very nice to be in the company of those who will lead you out to make an occasion of a simple meal."

Visitors in Church

Another week over - or should that be, another week about to start? Well, it was a good one, as they go. On Monday I was offered a full time post with enough additional incentives to convince me that moving to another institution would be a silly idea. There are all sorts of reasons why I turned down the chance of a *very* well paid position that would have been less demanding in favour of this one. The main reason, though, is that I like the buzz of working at the cutting edge of academic theology in a maverick kind of way, and I could never have done that in the other college.

One Thursday I drove down to Oxford for the NoATE consultation the following day, and to have a meeting with colleagues there about some contract work. I had a delightful evening chez Alison, with takeaway pizza and wine in front of a roaring fire. The consultation was very good indeed - my paper was pitched just about right and fitted in with the day well, though much of that is down to excellent planning by the organisers. I learnt a huge amount, and made some useful contacts in the field of e-learning. Home via a monstrous traffic jam on the A43 at Towcester and patchy snow, so didn't get in till rather later than planned.

Meanwhile, it's taken me all week to shake off the worst of the cold, and I still have a nagging cough which will be a nuisance when I'm lecturing tomorrow and Tuesday. I think the strain of the last month or so is beginning to take its toll, and I may well take a week off after the end of term to catch up with myself. The next couple of weeks are busy, with meetings in York and London as well as the weekly round of lectures and tutorials, but then it settles down a bit. I could use a bit of time to deal with a tendency to self-pity that has crept up of late!

Oh, yes, the visitors. Silas had broken the eyepiece of his radio-controlled dalek, and Robert very kindly repaired it and brought it to church with him this morning. His son insisted on bringing theirs, so we had two daleks wandering up the aisle before the service. We did wonder what kind of response they'd get, but we need not have worried: they evinced a smile or a chuckle from everbody, from the very small children to the elderly. Robert's comment is notable: "...did you notice how everyone of whatever age hailed the Daleks' presence in Church this morning? Doctor Who is as trans-generational as the Church itself, and there aren't many other things you can say that about". He's right, too.