Becoming Ordinary Theologians

Trevor Cooling’s Grove booklet offers educationalists an affirming and practical invitation to think and act as ‘ordinary theologians’.

It is hard to believe that ten years have passed since the Church of England published Deeply Christian, Serving the Common Good. That vision has been pivotal in shaping an educational landscape that continues to evolve, enabling theology to inform every aspect of school leadership and community life. For lay leaders, developing a theologically informed vision may initially have felt overwhelming. Yet, as Cooling notes the approach of Deeply Christian, Serving the Common Good ‘empowers ordinary theologians’ - a phrase that describes the vast majority of us! 

Whether you were involved before the 2016 vision statement or have joined church-school leadership since, this booklet offers affirmation and reassurance, alongside fresh sparks to keep the fire burning. It invites us to ponder the ordinary, practical theology that continually feeds, energises and inspires the vision and strategy of our church schools.

As leaders in church schools, or as Christian leaders in community schools, we seek each day to live out a practical theology. Cooling recalls John Stott’s description of this approach as ‘double listening’, listening carefully to the world around us and listening carefully to Scripture. He then focuses on a vital question: how can school leaders create a culture in which teaching and learning are theologically rooted?

Chapters 2 and 3 took me back to my own experience as a mathematics teacher, when I explored the Australian What If Learning resources and also used the lesson plans and worksheets that came out of the Charis project (run by Stapleford Centre). The challenge was always to integrate theology naturally rather than make it another item to tick off a ‘top ten’ lesson checklist. Consider, for example, the idea that subtracting a negative number is equivalent to adding it: if I take away your debt, I am effectively giving that amount to you. Could that become a natural bridge to thinking about Jesus taking away our debt and asking what, therefore, he gives us?

I was also reminded of a poem I once learned for Poetry Day: ‘God is still making up numbers, ’cos numbers go on and on; just when you think he has finished, he adds on another one!’ Mathematics, like every other subject, offers so many moments of awe and wonder in which to pause and reflect. Cooling brings us back to the importance of using the Bible responsibly and provides two brief examples of an educational hermeneutic (an approach to interpreting and understanding written texts and spoken language in educational contexts).

This Grove booklet is a real gem. It is not one to flick through and then place on the shelf. It deserves intentional time: time to ruminate, to ‘chew the cud’, and to consider how you already operate, and might develop further, as an ordinary theologian in your own role and context. If I were back in school, I would consider buying a copy for every member of the senior leadership team and inviting colleagues to take turns leading a short reflection on the key ideas in each of the five chapters at the start of a meeting. Equally, I would ring-fence a couple of hours in my diary for personal nourishment and reflection. However, you choose to engage with it, Theologically Rooted Leading and Teaching is well worth your time.