Wollaston Research Seminar

Please join us for two short papers on May 5 either in-person or by Zoom.

The Rev’d Dr Christy Capper to present: Can vocation be redeemed? Vocational awe and spiritual abuse

Abstract: “It’s a vocation”, I was told. They meant that “you should just put up with an excessive workload and do what you are told.”

For many clergy the comment “it’s a vocation”, is used to justify: unsafe environments; low, late or non-existent payments; long working hours; not getting a day off; and bullying by congregation members.

If “vocation” language is used to support and justify unsafe environments and unjust practices, what does this mean for considerations of a call to a particular kind of work – be it ministry or secular? In a 2018 paper, Fobazi Ettarh discusses the concept of “vocational awe” and relates this to burnout and disenfranchising of workers (in this case, in theological librarians).

This paper will apply Ettarh’s understanding of “vocational awe” to church work more directly and ask how the myths behind the vocational awe – myths about the church and ministry work, contribute to the continued burnout, stress and abuse of those who work in this field. It will argue that language and understanding of vocation will need to change if the church is to heal trauma, become a safe place, and create flourishing environments for its members and the wider culture.

The Rev’d Dr Evan Pederick to present: Being and Becoming in Origen, Maximus and Eriugena

Abstract: The paper traces the development of Christian neo-Platonism between the third and ninth centuries, by examining the contributions of Origen, Maximus, and Eriugena. The theological engagement with Middle Platonism by the Alexandrian school emerges within the context of the refutation of Gnostic Christianity and is characterised by a positive evaluation of the material creation, the assimilation of the Platonic Logos to Christ, and the adoption of the Platonic ideas (forms) within the theology of creation. Early Christian neo-Platonism is concerned primarily with a true Christian gnosis and the problem of salvation; however with Maximus the Confessor the whole of creation is seen as being in process towards God (theosis) and rational creatures are afforded a role in the well-being of the whole created order. With Eriugena in the 9th century, a dialectic of transcendence that foreshadows Hegel is introduced as an engine of theosis in the natural order. The paper identifies the potential of a mature Christian neo-Platonism for a contemporary eco-theology that recognises human participation in creation and responsibility for the natural order within a communio creatorum.

Join our mailing list by contacting research@wollaston.edu.au. Zoom invitations and pre-reading will be distributed to this list in advance.

Event details

• Monday 5 May 2025
• 2:00-3:30pm (Perth local time)
• This event is offered in-person and online (via Zoom).

All in-person seminars are held in the Gerald New Room, Wollaston Theological College, Mt Claremont 6010.