Christian Socialist Movement > News > CSM News > Archive > CSM Basics Course Now Available Online
  
 Articles in this group 
A NIGHT OF CELEBRATION - CSM at 50
Review of the 50th Anniversary reception. More ...
Great things happen when men and mountains meet
Article about Dave Canning's extreme three peaks challenge. More ...
BUDGET REVIEW
A Budget summary from the NEF More ...
RETURN THE ROCK
Chuka Umunna asks for support for his EDM calling for the remutualisation of Northern Rock More ...
7:14 Prayer Outside Parliament
Visit the Re-launched Members' Area
Andy Flannagan is Silent For 48hrs
Keep Andy Quiet... CSM Director to take on Sponsored Blackout
CSM Director Spreads the Message
New CSM Branches: Manchester and Peterborough
CSM welcomes election of new Labour leader
Labour's new leader praises CSM
Radical action on banks to be urged at Labour Conference
CSM at Labour Party Conference in Manchester 26-30 September 2010
Cruddas plugs 'Labour Neighbours'
Carwyn Jones, Leader of Welsh Labour to Address CSM and Wales affiliates
CSM member Gavin Shuker defies national trend in Luton South
Campaigning with the Australian Labor Party
CSM meets Jesse Jackson at Labour Party Headquarters
Gordon Brown: More than a Market Place
CSM Basics Course Now Available Online
CSM Executive Committee Elections 2010
Gordon Brown: CSM in forefront of family debate
Italian Newspaper Declares, Andy Flannagan 'Does God'
Call for nominations and Elections Timetable
Andy Flannagan and guitar do battle for Valerie Shawcross' campaign!
CSM Events at Labour Party Conference 2009
New CSM branches
Christian Socialists appoint new Director
 
 

CSM Basics Course Now Available Online


The CSM Basics Course is designed to empower and equip Christians to get involved in politics and their local community and to 'be Jesus' in this world. It focuses on five aspects of Christian Socialism, not just 'religious topics' but covering a range of subjects in the political sphere.

Rev’d Dr James Walters says in his foreward:

"One of the biggest frustrations for Christians engaged in campaigning for justice and peace in our world today is the ease with which the interface between politics and the churches can become dominated by issues of immediate concern to the faith communities themselves:
faith schools, equality legislation, assisted dying etc.

It’s as if we’ve conceded that Christianity is merely one aspect of how a minority of people live their lives and to make any more significant contribution to political life would be undemocratic.
But the Christian Socialist tradition has always proposed a “big picture” of how the Gospel might be lived out in the political and economic structures of society. And Christian Socialism offers that big picture, not in order to defend some Christian privilege in an increasingly secular or multi-faith society, but as its gift to the wider conversation about how all people can come together to tackle the problems of poverty and inequality, violence and climate change that plague our society.

This short course considers five aspects of that big picture through the exploration of scripture, our historic heroes, and other political and social thinkers. Inevitably it will raise many unanswered questions. But in our somewhat stagnant political culture, in which politicians of all colours are struggling to address the financial, ecological and social problems that affect us all, perhaps raising difficult questions is another part of our gift to the conversation. And perhaps some of you who are meeting together to discuss these questions will be motivated to find some answers and, in so doing, renew the Christian Socialist contribution to political debate in the twenty-first century."

To read the whole course please click here.


CSM, 16/02/2010