Why take this course?
Are you frustrated that there are so few voices articulating a positive, biblical perspective on the big issues in society and culture? Do you long for God’s wisdom for all of life to be seen and heard in the public square?
Perhaps you keep up-to-date on current affairs and news comment, but despite the Bible teaching you’ve already received, you’re still unsure how your faith connects to the hot topics of the day. Is it really possible to develop a thoughtful, biblical perspective on issues like coronavirus, national debt, the climate crisis, populism or AI?
If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, then the Jubilee Centre's Bible and Public Life course is for you. The course has been carefully designed to help you deepen your faith and develop in your own calling to engage with public life today.
We’ve distilled over 30 years of our own research at the Jubilee Centre, and curated some of the best resources from leading Christian thinkers to guide you through each module.
You don’t need to hold a degree in theology or the social sciences to be able to engage with the lessons provided. Anyone with a university education will be able to access a wealth of biblical insight, teaching and wisdom on some of the economic, social and political challenges facing our nations in the 2020s.
Curriculum
Course structure and content
The Bible and Public Life is made up of eight independent modules (sometimes called courses on this platform), each having four units. A unit generally includes two brief videos, two short articles and two long essays. You will typically need 3-4 hours to work through a unit, and so a complete module will require 12-16 hours of your time. The modules are:
- Foundations (we suggest you take this one first)
- Politics
- Justice & Law
- The Arts
- Science & Technology
- Family & Sex
- The Economy
- Welfare
The Bible & Public Life online course is not currently open to new registrants.
Learn by yourself, but it's better together!
The Bible and Public Life course is designed for independent study online, but learning together significantly enriches the learning experience. The course is ideal material for small groups or friends who share a common interest in public engagement; each unit’s resources offer a shared basis for discussion and debate.
The Bible & Public Life Course is not currently open to new users. Thank you for your understanding!
"The Bible and Public Life course was not only stimulating but helped me to foster a more robust, rigorous Christian worldview and engagement with different spheres of society. I particularly loved the contextualisation of learning; the balance between academic and biblical thought and the relevance of teaching to contemporary issues. I would highly recommend it!’
Sarah Haynes, Growth Business Advisor (Pre-scale) at GC Business Growth Hub
About Jubilee Centre
The Jubilee Centre helps active and thoughtful Christians connect their faith with public life. We offer high quality research, training and publications that give a biblical perspective on culture and society, and drive social change.
Course Creator
The Bible and Public Life course was designed and created by Philip Powell, who led Jubilee Centre’s training initiatives from 2013-21. Philip first encountered the Jubilee Centre when he was browsing in a second hand bookshop and found a selection of Jubilee Centre’s Cambridge Papers from the 1990s. It was the first time he had read such careful biblical analysis of a wide range of political and social issues; they made such an impression on him that he was determined to find out more. He subscribed to the Cambridge Papers, attended Jubilee Centre’s Winter School in 2008, and was subsequently invited by Jubilee Centre’s director, Jonathan Tame, to develop an online course.
Philip grew up in Chennai, India, but has lived in England for 20 years. He has a master’s degree in Politics and International Relations, and is married to Renate, from the Netherlands.