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Theology and Culture Conference on Gendered Violence

Wednesday, 11 February 2026Friday, 13 February 2026

$180 – $250

You are invited to the inaugural Wesley Centre Theology and Culture Conference on the topic of Gendered Violence.

How can we make sense of the interaction between religion, theology, culture, and violence? How can theology be engaged to help combat gendered violence?

Religion and theology can contribute to cultures of sexism, exclusion and violence. Faith communities can also offer an important counterpoint, providing resources, practices, and communities dedicated to inclusion, justice, and healing. Recent research suggests that Christian theologies that advocate men’s headship and women’s submission can contribute to cultures of violence. Yet, National Church Life Survey data demonstrates that Australian church leadership remains predominantly male, and religion is often left unexamined in social research on gender, gendered norms, and gendered violence.

To better understand the dynamic relationship between theology, culture and gendered violence, this interdisciplinary conference, hosted by The Wesley Centre, will consider a range of questions, such as:

  • How is theology implicated in maintaining sexism, gender inequality, and violence?
  • Which religious resources support or undermine patterns of thinking that lead to gendered violence?
  • How do gendered violence, colonial violence, and theology intersect?
  • What are the challenges and opportunities presented by doing theology on Aboriginal land and in multicultural settings?

Event details

WHERE: Centre for Theology and Ministry,
29 College Crescent, Parkville, Naarm.

WHEN: 11-13th February

Note this conference is in person only.

COST:

  • Early bird rate – $220 (full cost $250)
  • Students – $180

REGISTER: Registration link coming soon!

Conference Website

 

Call for papers

This conference brings together theologians, biblical scholars, sociologists, and practitioners to explore the intersection of theology, culture, gender and violence. The organisers invite submissions for traditional research papers or workshop proposals designed to be interactive or offer practical training in any area of ministry or pastoral/ spiritual or therapeutic care.

Proposals close 25 August 2025.

Call for papers

Keynote Speakers

Maree Crabbe
She/Her
Director at It’s Time We Talked – Young people, pornography and sexuality.

Maree is the co-founder and Director of the Australian violence prevention project, It’s time we talked (formerly Reality & Risk: Pornography, young people and sexuality). She has worked with young people for over 25 years. During this time she has developed and delivered programs focusing on sexual violence prevention, sexual diversity, pornography, sexting, and the prevention of sexually transmissible infections. As apart of her work exploring the impacts of pornography on young people, she also co-Produced and co-Directed the documentary films Love and Sex in an Age of Pornography, broadcast on SBS in Australia and in fourteen other countries, and The Porn Factor, broadcast on SBS. As well as various films and resources, she has spent years developing and authoring In The Picture – a resource to support secondary schools to address the influence of explicit sexual imagery.

Emily Colgan
She/Her
Assoc Prof. of Biblical Studies Trinity Theological College.
Bible and Contemporary Social Imaginaries

Emily Colgan is a Pākehā/palagi researcher in biblical studies from Aotearoa New Zealand. She lives in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) and works at Trinity Theological College as the Academic Director and Associate Professor of Biblical Studies (Hebrew Bible). Her research focuses on the relationship between the Bible and contemporary social imaginaries, exploring the ways in which ideologies within biblical texts continue to inform communities in the present. Emily is particularly interested in ecological representations in the Bible, as well as depictions of gender and violence. She is the author of Jeremiah: An Earth Bible Commentary (forthcoming) and co-editor of The Routledge Companion to Eve (2024) and the multi-volume work, Rape Culture, Gender Violence, and Religion (2018). Emily is co-host of The Bloody Bible Podcast and co-director of The Shiloh Project.

 

Plenary Speakers

Farjana Mahbuba
She/Her
Researcher, Australian Catholic University -Religion, Gender & Culture
Sarah Wendt
She/Her
Professor of Social Work at Melbourne University-Violence Against Women
Naomi Wolfe
She/Her
Trawlwoolway Aboriginal woman & lecturer in history & theology at ACU
Geoff Thompson
He/Him
Rev. Associate Professor of Theology
Charissa Suli
She/Her
President of the Uniting Church in Australia
Steff Fenton
They/Them
Genderqueer speaker, writer, and pastor
Safina Stewart
She/Her
Storyteller and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lead at Common Grace
Rachel Kronberger
She/Her
Uniting Church minister at Wesley Church, Melbourne

You can learn more about each speaker and the conference on The Wesley Centre website.

Details

Start:
Wednesday, 11 February 2026
End:
Friday, 13 February 2026
Cost:
$180 – $250
Event Categories:
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Website:
https://thewesleycentre.org/about-1

Organiser

Wesley Centre
View Organiser Website

Venue

Pilgrim Theological College
29 College Crescent
Parkville, VIC 3052 Australia
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