On-site library and internet access to Staffordshire University Library
PCs with standard suite of University software providing access to e-mail, the internet, word processing, etc.
Rooms with access for disabled students, and suitable for group work

Day, D. (2005), Embodying the Word: A preacher's guide, London: SPCK.
Lucas, E. (2003), Exploring the Old Testament, vol. 3: The Psalms and Wisdom Literature, London: SPCK.
McConville, J.G. (2002), Exploring the Old Testament, vol. 4: The Prophets, London: SPCK.
Pattison, S., Cooling, M. and Cooling, T. (2007), Using the Bible in Christian Ministry: A Workbook, London: Darton, Longman & Todd, units 4-7, 14.
Satterthwaite, P.E., and McConville, J.G. (2007), Exploring the Old Testament, vol. 2: The Histories, London: SPCK.
Wenham, G. (2003), Exploring the Old Testament, vol 1: The Pentateuch, London: SPCK.

150 hours, of which 20 will be lectures, tutorials and learning groups, a minimum of 40 fieldwork hours, and the rest directed/independent study. Lectures will involve a range of interactive teaching methods.

An essay discussing how a particular section or genre of Old Testament literature may be used with integrity in Christian teaching. (Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3)

This module begins with an introduction to books known as the Old Testament by Christians (as the Tanakh to Jews). The use of these books in the Christian Church has been much contested and students are therefore invited to reflect critically upon this use, with reference to specific texts such as the Psalms. This is followed by a focus, successively, on three specific genres of Old Testament literature: narrative books, wisdom literature and prophecy, and appropriate ways of reading and understanding them as Christians. This leads to wider discussion about biblical authority and the history of biblical interpretation, building on the introductory material in The Bible in Christian Ministry 1 by adopting a more critical and questioning approach to various ways of understanding the nature of Scripture and approaches to interpreting it. A comparison is made between the attitudes to their Scriptures of the three Abrahamic faiths, seeking to promote an understanding of and respect for the differences. Three full sessions are then devoted to the art of communicating Scripture in various settings. One session is devoted to the art of `biblical storytelling', in view of the widely-
recognized power of narrative to connect and re-connect with groups of all kinds. Two sessions are devoted to situations of more formal communication: one concentrating on church settings (such as a youth meeting, or church service, or all-age worship) and one concentrating on out-of-church settings (such as school assemblies). These build not only on the principles of biblical interpretation explored in The Bible in Christian Ministry 1 & 2 but also on the introduction to communication skills in Introduction to Christian Ministry. A thematic session on the vital topic of the Old Testament's view of God and humanity then precedes a final session in which students give an assessed presentation (see above).