CASE News August 2015

September 20, 2016

From the Director

I hope that you find this edition of CASE News helpful. You will note that we have a new edition of Case Quarterly out this week that has the theme 'The Bible's Story'. We've wanted to explore this topic for a while. In it you will find a varied collection of articles that unpack the story of what the Bible is, how it was written. It took many years for the hundreds of thousands of words in the Bible to be composed, written down, painstakingly copied, preserved, passed around, tested, accepted, collected together, bound into book form and translated to give us the Bibles we have available to us today. What is it's story? If you'd like to know more you can see my introduction to it on the CASE blog and download an article free on the CASE website. As well, if you don't subscribe think about it, we think it's great value and perfect to share with others. Single copies are always available and you might find this edition perfect to share with members of your Bible study or a friend interested in the origin of the Bible.

In this newsletter we also have information on a great conference for chaplains that we are running with Anglicaire in September and a joint event with ISCAST also in September. I hope you enjoy the new format for our newsletter as well as the content included.

Professor Trevor Cairney
Director, Centre for Apologetic Scholarship and Education (CASE)

Case #42 – The Bible’s Story

The Bible has come a long way. In the beginning was the Word, but it took a while for the hundreds of thousands of words in the Bible to be composed, written down, painstakingly copied, preserved, passed around, tested, accepted, collected together, bound into book form and translated to give us the Bibles we have available to us today. Where did it come from? Is it genuine? Who wrote it and when? How consistent is it with other sources from antiquity? Why are there so many different versions? Is there any coherence to its diverse elements? How does it relate to Jewish and Islamic sacred texts? The latest issue of Case Magazine sheds light on these issues as it explores the Bible’s story.

check out 'The Bible's Story' (two articles are free to download).

The way Christians practise pastoral care reflects their beliefs and values about this important aspect of Christian ministry. Individuals, churches and Christian organisations that take the time to immerse themselves in a solid theological framework for pastoral care are better prepared to identify needs and provide practical and sensitive support when opportunities arise. Theological assumptions affect, for better or worse, the decisions that Christians make about which pastoral opportunities to seize and which skills to develop.

Powerful Words is a conference that will help Christians develop a deeper understanding of how to minister to people at times of special need, loss and vulnerability, and offer a safe place to explore issues of meaning and belonging. The keynote address by Dr Rhys Bezzant, topical seminars and a live radio-play will explore how faith, love and hope inform pastoral relationships and practices.

The Powerful Words conference will be helpful for Christians seeking to provide pastoral care in their community, workplace or church and for those working as an official chaplain. Register yourself or a group for the Powerful Words conference and invest in your capacity to provide effective pastoral care.

Keynote Address by Dr Rhys Bezzant
'Our Days and God’s Years: Pastoral Care in Times of Change'
In Psalm 102, the fleeting days of human life are set in the context of God’s timing and his power to make a difference. With reflection on the importance of individual care in the course of Christian history, in this talk from Rhys Bezzant we will learn how to value our opportunities to serve our neighbour in pastoral settings.

CASE Study & Seminar Leaders

Seminar 1 - David Pettett (Prisons)
Seminar 2 - Peter Ellem (Hospitals)
Seminar 3 - Peter Frith (Mental Health Chaplain & Disaster Recovery Chaplain)A radio-play performed live 'The Job Verbatim: What not to say' based on The Bible – Book of Job and produced by Kate Bradford.

Cost: $65 per ticket

Your ticket gets you:
Admission to all sessions of the conference
Coffee on arrival, morning tea and lunch
Bookings close on Tuesday 22nd September.

For more information visit newcollege.unsw.edu.au/events or email case@newcollege.unsw.edu.au or phone the CASE Office at New College on 02 9381 1999

Joint CASE-ISCAST Lecture by Prof Tom McLeish

Faith in Science? On the relationship between faith, wisdom and science

Date: Thursday 17th September 2015 at 7.30 pm.

Speaker: Professor Tom McLeish, MA, PhD, FRS

Lecture Title: Faith in Science? On the relationship between faith, wisdom and science
During his Australian visit, he will be giving lectures in Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney, before going on to New Zealand.

Venue: Main Common Room, New College, UNSW, (H6; see map, which can be downloaded from the ISCAST website entrance at 330 Anzac Pde, Kensington

RSVPs to (Em. Prof) Peter Barry [email: p.barry@unsw.edu.au] would be much appreciated, but are not mandatory. There will be some light refreshments after the lecture. For further information and any updates see above ISCAST lecture link or contact Peter preferably by email, or mob. 0419 243 685.

Parking is available on nearby suburban streets or in the Western Campus Carpark (G2) between the New College Village (H3) and NIDA (E2), which is free after 6.30 pm and is accessed via Day Ave (see separate map pdf via above ISCAST lecture link)

Cost: Donations of $15 ($5 for pensioners and students) towards expenses of meetings etc., including speaker travel and costs, would be much appreciated.

Abstract: Tom McLeish will discuss themes from his recently published book Faith and Wisdom in Science (Oxford University Press, 2014). In this book, Tom takes a scientist’s reading of the Old Testament’s Book of Job and uses this ancient text as a centrepiece to make the case for science as a deeply human and ancient activity, embedded in some of the oldest stories told about the human desire to understand the natural world. Drawing on stories from the modern science of chaos and uncertainty, alongside medieval, patristic, classical and Biblical sources, Faith and Wisdom in Science challenges much of the current “science and religion” debate as operating with the wrong assumptions and in the wrong space.

Latest posts on the CASE Blog

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