Our Semester 1 2026 subjects provide a balanced entry into theological study, combining ecological theology with core units in biblical interpretation and early Christian writings. Together, they offer students a strong and engaging start to the academic year. Some of the subjects offered include:
Ecotheology
We’re pleased to announce that Ecotheology, last offered in 2023, will be returning this year. This unit invites students to explore one of the most urgent questions of our time: what does it mean to be a creature?
Across the semester, participants will reflect on what it means to belong to an immense and diverse creation and how seeing ourselves as creatures—rather than separate from or above the natural world—reshapes our understanding of faith, responsibility, and hope.
The course encourages students to think ecologically, examining not only the beauty and complexity of the world we inhabit, but also the ways Christian theology has sometimes contributed to the problems we now face. With the ecological crisis recognised as one of the most pressing social and existential issues today, this unit offers space to wrestle honestly with the challenges before us.
A key focus will be exploring how Christian faith can help us name these issues clearly and engage meaningfully in addressing them with integrity, humility, and hope.
Ecotheology invites anyone who wants to think deeply about creation, justice, and the future we share. All are welcome to take part.
Reading the Bible 1
Reading the Bible 1 is where the journey into biblical study truly begins—a subject designed to help students engage Scripture with curiosity, honesty, and depth. It invites us to slow down and pay attention not only to what the Bible says, but to the many worlds that shape how we read it.
At the heart of the subject is a simple but transformative insight: every time we open the Bible, we step into three interconnected worlds. First is the world of the text itself—the words on the page, the stories, poetry, laws, and letters that have shaped the faith of countless communities. Students learn how to notice what the text actually says, how it says it, and what features of the writing invite deeper reflection. The second world is the world behind the text: the people who wrote these books, the times they lived in, the questions they faced, and the cultures that formed them. Because the Bible spans thousands of years, understanding its historical backdrop is essential. This unit helps students explore why a text was written, what was happening in the world at the time, and how those contexts influence its meaning. The third world is the world in front of the text—our world. We all come to Scripture with assumptions, hopes, fears, values, and experiences that shape our reading. Rather than ignoring that, this subject encourages students to acknowledge it, recognising that who we are forms part of the interpretive conversation.
Taken together, these three worlds allow readers to approach Scripture with rigour and openness. Reading the Bible 1 takes seriously that the Bible is both a collection of ancient texts and sacred Scripture, holding academic study and faith in creative tension. This is what makes the subject important. By giving students tools to read well, it builds confidence, clarity, and a deeper sense of connection with the biblical story.
For anyone wanting a stronger foundation for preaching, study, ministry, or personal exploration, this unit offers a thoughtful and accessible starting point. It opens up the rich landscape of biblical interpretation and invites students to discover new ways of engaging with the text that are both grounded and life‑giving.
The Letters of the New Testament
The Letters of the New Testament offers students an engaging look into some of the earliest Christian writings. Many of these letters were written before the Gospels, giving us our first window into the lives, questions, and struggles of emerging Christian communities. Unlike academic works, they often functioned as personal correspondence—more like thoughtful emails sent to congregations navigating real issues. Written to be read aloud, they helped shape the shared identity and practice of each community.
Throughout the unit, students explore the authorship and historical context of these letters, considering who wrote them, why they were written, and what was happening in the world of the Near East and the Roman Empire at the time. The course also looks at how these texts came to be included in the New Testament canon, examining their theological and historical significance.
A key focus of the subject is the literary form and rhetorical style of the letters: how they argue, persuade, encourage, and challenge. This highlights the ways they differ from the Gospels and other biblical texts, and how they contributed to shaping the life and thought of the early church.
The unit also encourages students to reflect on the continuing relevance of these writings. Though nearly two thousand years old, the letters—especially those attributed to Paul—still influence Christian theology, community life, and ethical reflection today, much like how a well‑timed message can still clarify thinking or draw a community back to what matters most.
The Letters of the New Testament is an enriching subject for anyone wanting to understand the early church more deeply and appreciate the lasting significance of these foundational texts.
Telling History
Telling History is our introductory church history unit for the semester, taught by Dr Katherin Papadopoulos. The subject begins with some grounding questions: What is history? How do we study it in a theological context? And how can understanding the past help us make sense of the church today? Students learn the basic tools of reading, thinking, and writing as historians while tracing key moments that have shaped Christian life across two thousand years.
A central feature of the unit is learning to meet people from the past through what they left behind—their stories, their objects, and their art. This way of working not only builds practical historical skills but opens up a vivid sense of how Christians have lived, believed, and adapted in many different contexts.
This subject is especially important because history helps us see our own time with clearer eyes. As Katherin reminds us, the past is neither simply a version of the present nor a distant world with nothing to teach us. It challenges our assumptions, widens our perspective, and connects us to those who have navigated change, conflict, hope, and renewal before us. And in turbulent times like ours, when the pace of events can feel overwhelming, history offers grounding and wisdom we urgently need.
Telling History is a thoughtful and accessible way to begin exploring how the church’s story has unfolded—and why it still shapes our life and faith today. If you’re looking for a subject that combines insight, perspective, and practical skills, this is a great place to start. You’re warmly invited to join us this semester.