The ministry of understanding

Now that I’m a teacher, my faith only gets mentioned incidentally in my profession.

I’ll never hide that I worked for a church for over a decade, and this will periodically become relevant in the history and geography syllabus.

The importance of cathedrals in Medieval Europe.

The reasons for the Crusades.

The reasons that the Vikings raided the monasteries.

An overview of Buddhism and its significance for Ancient Japan and Ancient China.

But, I’m attempting to launch a new senior subject at my current school - Studies of Religion.

In part, the reason I’m able to teach this subject is my past.

I have an understanding of the nature of faith.

I’ve been trained by a religious institution.

I’ve been educated by a religious institution.

I’ve worked in the midst of a religious institution.

This blog will show you that I’ve been pondering the nature and outworking of faith since at least 2008.

But, I’ve been very careful in the way that I’ve been pitching my new subject to next year’s potential cohort.

For, Studies of Religion is not about conversion.

It is not about convincing.

It is about understanding.

Understanding a world full of religions and the religious.

No matter where you fall on the spectrum of faith - atheist, agnostic, deist, theist, monotheist, polytheist - my role is to help you understand.

Understand how faith is developed.

Understanding how faith shapes the way people view the world.

Understanding how faith shapes the way people view themselves.

Understanding how faith shapes the way people view others.

Understanding how faith shapes the way people make decisions.

Understanding how the majority of the world - the religious - think.

And, understanding how those of no-religion fit into a religious world.

This, hopefully, will be my role now.

And, if I truely believe that following Jesus makes sense, then faithfully and accurately outlining the elements of other faiths alongside Christianity, shouldn’t be a threat.

This can be my ministry now.