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About the authors
Dr. Sara Savage writes:
'I have been training Christians for pastoral ministry at the Cambridge Theological Federation for the past 7 years. Three years ago, a new approach was sparked. One stormy night my husband and I discovered that our old river boat - a long term DIY project- had sunk. All our efforts had gone to waste. As I sat in the car, despairing, Mark got into the dark swirling river to make repairs under water. The next day, the repaired bilge pump enabled the boat to rise from the muddy river bed. This 'sinking ship' metaphor somehow turned my thinking away from training individuals as pastoral carers towards facilitating churches as caring communities. And so the idea of Beta was born.
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In my work as Senior Research Associate in the Psychology and Christianity Project, I have had the privilege of developing Beta with my colleagues. We have been encouraged to see the way Beta gives people a safe framework in which to encounter God in new ways, connect real life struggles with the Christian faith, and form authentic relationships within the church. The twelve years I spent in Christian arts ministry, prior to my research and work in psychology, has also resourced Beta's development. And so Beta offers multiple modes of teaching and learning. Our aim is summed up by a Beta participant, 'You are not replacing the church or the Bible with psychology, rather you are returning to the church what is rightfully hers'.' |
Rev. Dr. Fraser Watts writes:
'I have been a committed Christian since I was a boy, and have been involved in psychology all my professional life. Increasingly, I have devoted myself to developing a fruitful interface between the two, and the Beta course represents the culmination of years of sustained effort. The opportunity to work on this received a marvellous boost when the novelist, Susan Howatch, endowed a Lectureship in science and religion at the University of Cambridge, to which I was appointed. At a more practical level, my Christian ministry, which for some years has been in the town centre Church of St Edward in Cambridge, has given me the opportunity to test out the practical fruitfulness of a psychological approach to Christian growth. I believe that there is a deep hunger for a Christianity that relates to people's personal development and relationships, and we hope the Beta course will really help to rebuild a Christian culture.' |
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Mrs. Ruth Layzell writes:
'Coming from a Christian family, I have been immersed in the Christian faith for as long as I can remember. I made my own commitment to Christ as a teenager and since then have had a passion to relate all I do to the One who is for me my central point of reference. As I grew up I became very interested in how people tick. I trained as a social worker, a career which I pursued for ten years. In 1991, I had the opportunity to bring together my faith and my 'people interest' by joining the staff of St. John's College, Nottingham where I taught pastoral care and counselling.
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Recently I have been pursing the connection between faith and counselling in a new way, through the Institute of Pastoral Counselling, which I helped to found in 2001 and of which I am Director. Through my involvement in a variety of Christian communities, and my practice as a BACP accredited counsellor, I have been made aware of the tremendous potential for good in the Christian church, as well as its potential for harm. I welcome Beta as an opportunity for Christians to reflect on how they may live the Christian life more healthily. I hope you find Beta as exciting to be part of as I have.' |
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