Apologetics for the New Evangelisation
Summer School: Monday 3rd – Thursday 6th August 2015
Deep in their hearts the people of our time still desire the meaning, truth and love which only Christ and the Catholic faith can give them. This is true despite the media driven world of our times, in which the voices that attack religious faith are loud and strident. The First Letter of St Peter tells us ‘Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.’(1 Peter 3:15) Apologetics is a crucial part of the new Evangelisation promoted so strongly by St John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. A sound Apologetics should try to support people in their move towards faith by answering in clarity and charity the real questions and objections they have heard against embracing the Catholic Faith.
In this summer school we will help you understand the need for an Apologetics for Catholic Faith that is relevant to the concerns of people today and the approach such an Apologetics should take.
In the lectures and discussions at the summer school we shall look at the following areas:
1) Catholic Apologetics for today: the method and approach of Apologetics today. This will reflect on the Church’s recent teaching on Apologetics for the new Evangelisation and will look at some of the best practice that is current among Catholic Apologists. Apologetics must reach out to people with their concerns and questions in a way that Evangelizes through charity and intellectual rigour and clarity.
2) Science and Religion: Turning to some of the particular topics with which current Catholic Apologetics must be concerned, we will look firstly at the area of science and religion. According to some voices in the secular media today science has shown Christian faith to be a myth for the weak minded. We will see how Apologetics, making use the best resources of scholarship, philosophy and Catholic theology can help people to see: a) How modern science in its history arises from the Catholic worldview; b) How Catholic theology sees no clash, but harmony between the best established results of science and the Catholic worldview; c) the limitations of scientific methods itself and how these limitations are important when we are dealing with areas of concern to the truths of faith.
3) Apologetics and the Christ of History: Another particular area for current Catholic Apologetics concerns the confusion often found in the media and popular culture regarding the historical truth and basis of Catholic faith in Christ’s own life and teaching. We shall see how the Catholic faith has always stressed the need for faith and reason as working in harmony in this area: we accept in faith the truths of the Creed about Christ, his life, teaching and miracles. But also the Church encourages us make use of the best historical scholarship on our Lord’s life and teaching which, as we shall see, truly gives the support of historical reason to our faith.
Cost: £325 including full board and lodging at Buckfast Abbey, or £60 per day (including refreshments and lunch). There is also a non-refundable £20 registration fee payable upon your application.
There is a reduction for those who wish to participate in two Summer Schools. The cost for two Summer Schools is £575. This price does not include the £20 registration fee for each of the Summer Schools.
Cancellation Rights:
You have a 14 day cooling off period which starts from the date of application.
Course leader: Dr Andrew Beards
The summer school begins at 5.30pm on the first day and finishes at lunch time on the last day. The Summer School is designed to include lectures and seminars in the context of experiencing the rhythm of daily prayer of the resident Benedictine monastic community.
Download an application form here.