Module 4 — Faith and Belief Perspectives on ForB (I): Judaism & Christian Traditions

Week 4 of the Certificate Programme in Freedom of Religion or Belief · 15 notional learning hours.

Each tradition presents, in its own voice, how it understands religious freedom: scriptural and doctrinal sources, historical development, internal debates and contemporary stance.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this module you will be able to:

• Summarise the Catholic, Protestant/Evangelical, Orthodox and Jewish positions on ForB
• Identify the key texts and authorities each tradition draws upon
• Recognise internal diversity and debate within each tradition
• Engage respectfully across confessional differences

Key topics

• Catholic: Dignitatis Humanae; social teaching; the Document on Human Fraternity (2019)
• Protestant & Evangelical: liberty of conscience, priesthood of all believers, Free Church tradition
• Orthodox: conciliarity, symphonia of church and state, engagement with pluralism
• Jewish: covenant, the Noahide framework, minority experience, conscience and coexistence
• Ecumenical convergences: shared scriptural roots, the Golden Rule, joint witness for the persecuted

How this course is delivered

• A live session (90–120 minutes) on Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams, with a subject lead
• An interfaith panel addressing the theme from several traditions
• Recorded micro-lectures, readings and resources you can download (low-bandwidth friendly)
• A practical assessment activity

You can take this module on its own, or follow all eight modules through the full Certificate Programme.