In March Andrew Davison wrote an opinion piece for The Church Times setting arguing for the importance of theology and calling for a revival of attention to theology in the Church of England. You can read it below in the post entitled 'Outlining the Agenda for the Next Conference'. This week he published a follow-up article reporting on the meeting for Young Priest Theologians at Lambeth Palace at the end of March. It was a happy indication that the tide is turning. The text is below.

It’s time to build on the new hopes for theology

I am now definitively in my mid-thirties. I was therefore pleased to hear that I am still official ‘young’, at least as far as the Church of England is concerned. There was a meeting of ‘young priest theologians’ at Lambeth Palace last Monday. To fit their criteria, I had only to be under forty. This leaves me looking forward to half a decade of youth still to come.

The meeting was the Archbishop of Canterbury’s idea, and was put together by the Bishop of Worcester. I am glad to be considered young but, on a less vain note, the other part of the title is also cheering. Many readers will be pleased that the Church of England is encouraging ‘priest theologians’, young or otherwise.

I know this because of the many enthusiastic letters and emails I received in response my opinion piece last month (6 February 2009). It argued exactly what the title suggests – ‘The Church of England should nurture Theology’. My correspondents were laymen and women, parish priests, professors of theology and bishops. The idea – that the Church of England has back-peddled on theology for too long – clearly stuck a chord.

Last month I sounded a gloomy note. This month I have good news. The day at Lambeth Palace reminds us of the strong, thoroughly Anglican, tradition of the scholar priest. A highlight of the day was a brief paper from Professor Sarah Coakley. She has lived in the United States for the past fifteen years. She told us that her time abroad has given her outsider’s eyes. What she sees is an encouragement to us all: the sense that Britain is ‘on the cusp of a turn back to religion’.

If this is true, then we have to think of ways to meet it. Here Professor Coakley stressed two important resources. The first is the parish system and our commitment to staying in difficult places. The second is a renewed and growing ‘theological vigour’, especially among younger clergy. She quoted the distinguished American Roman Catholic theologian David Tracy as saying that all the most interesting theologians of this generation are Anglicans. It is an exaggeration for emphasis, no doubt, but quite a complement nonetheless.

The vicar- or curate-theologian is particularly well placed to make something of these two strengths: the parish and our theological tradition. The Lambeth meeting signals determination on the part of the church to support those with this dual vocation, as the Bishop of Worcester called it.

Neither the meeting in general, nor Professor Coakley’s comments in particular, should be taken as a cause for complacency. They are a call to action. Our scholar priests are a great asset. It is good that a hundred could be found under forty, and there are no doubt others who could not make it or who were overlooked this time.

That said, if we want to see a revival of theology in the parishes, it will be the work of parishioners as much as clergy. Studying theology works well in small groups. They foster the sort of friendly and open discussion where people can work on the implications of Christian ideas alongside their meaning.

It helps for groups to have leaders who are confident of the material, for all there should always be a sense of learning together. For this we need a church culture in which many teach and are taught, providing well-trained, well-resourced leaders. There are part-time university courses, certainly, but we should not overlook diocesan programmes, many of which are excellent. There was a diocesan certificate in Southwark when I was a curate, offering a strong introduction to the Old and New Testaments, ethics, doctrine, spirituality and liturgy.

It is also important for us to think about new methods for teaching and disseminating theology. The old fashioned vehicles remain full of life and can be highly successful when they are done well. In the last week I have heard of standing room only lectures at St Alban’s Cathedral and study groups instantly oversubscribed at the Roman Catholic cathedral at Bristol. We need more of these initiatives. Still, there are plenty of people left cold by these styles of learning. Three suggestions that occur to me are short booklets, podcasts and brief online videos.

One task is to reach Christians who are not confident or enthusiastic readers. They would be put off by a full-length ‘Christian book’, but would pick up a booklet or tract from the back of church. To see how this might work, look at the literature rack at the back of the next Roman Catholic parish church you visit.

I have recently discovered the podcast. When I walk into the centre of Oxford it may well be that I should concentrate on the birdsong, but I do not. I catch up with broadcasts from Radio Three. I listen to pundits talking about books, films and American politics on this week’s ‘slate.com cultural gabfest’. Likely enough there are people who would fill idle moments with a little doctrine, or a discussion of this week’s readings.

I am less taken by YouTube, but I know that it is a favourite filler of work tea breaks. With a data projector these videos can be used in group teaching and discussion. Already there is a growing collection of addresses by the Archbishop of Canterbury. I heard this week of a parish study group where Alister McGrath’s responses to Richard Dawkins have gone down well. The important thing is that the production values are high, and this requires money.

Supporting young priest theologians is a terrific development. I hope it indicates a return to teaching within the Church. This needs full lay involvement – it will be nothing without it. An exploration of new media would also be useful: a fresh expression of theology.