Philip Arthur Bence PhD Thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText

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sources. Vital preaching emanates, most likely, from a
person in existential contact with God, the Source behind
the sources. As faith goes beyond merely the mind, so
does preaching, and, thus, preparation for
preaching. 1144 (The preacher who merely repeats
material from the sources often becomes trite or
meaninglessly academic.)
Because of the personal nature of the God-man
encounter, neither the preaching lecturer nor any other
person can directly inculcate spirituality. But, it is
possible to teach (and essential for the students to
learn) the practices which promote personal spiritual
growth. Likewise, the preaching lecturer (and to a
greater extent, the college community as a whole) can
encourage the formation of worship habits which bring the
student into personal contact with God.
The following quotations from college-published
material (from a wide spectrum of denominational and
theological settings), which lecturers provided along
with their survey responses reveal ways this principle is
implemented.
The weekly pattern of prayer and worship is a
vital part of the community, and reflects the
College's blend of tradition and radicalism.
Worship based on catholic spirituality is
cherished, but this is combined with a freedom
which allows students to develop different
forms of worship to fit varying circumstances
and places of worship. The aim is that
students should develop their prayer and
spiritu lity, and also learn more of the
meaning and ordering of worship. This, it is
hoped, will equip them to deepen their worship
and prayer life. . . .