University of DivinityIssued by Professor Megan Cassidy-Welch, Dean of Research Strategy, 1 September 2026
Recent events, presentations and conferences
A very successful ISBL meeting was held at Adelaide in early July with many attendees, presenters and participants from UD. Some 150 sessions over 4 days included more than 60 papers being presented by UD affiliated staff and students. Congratulations to all!
The History Discipline Group hosted a History Student Research Seminar on 28th August. Four doctoral and one coursework student presented original research. All the papers were beautifully timed and clearly presented — an important skill. Chris Phillips (Pilgrim) presented on Presbyterian and Methodist church land grants in Northcote in relation to Yoorrook Justice Recommendations. Matt Cairns’ (EBC) paper was on early Salvation Army attitudes to First Nations people, focusing on the story of ‘Black Nobbie Neville’. Tim Hender (ALC) introduced his preliminary work on the connections between industry and mission in Melanesia in the late 1800s, and comparisons with the PALM scheme. Deidre Sheeran (YTU) took us on a journey through the animated landscape of medieval Conques, exploring the historical soundscape. Marc Billimoria (Trinity) presented on the Church Missionary Society’s work to establish a synodical and autonomous Anglican Church in Ceylon. The History Discipline group was thrilled to see increased student numbers this year, and we hope to run another event in 2027!
Daniel Sihombing (Pilgrim) presented at the Talanoa Oceania Conference, 9-11 April, Melbourne, on ‘Jesus’ Feet Cemented: An Indonesian Ecofeminist Christology’. His paper ‘The Christological Surplus in the Basis of Union: An Indonesian Contribution’ is being published in Receiving Creeds and Confessions Down Under, ed. by Geoff Thompson and Paul Goh (Eugene: Wipf & Stock). He is book reviews editor of Critical Research on Religion (https://journals.sagepub.com/home/crr ).
Kyle Moffitt (Pilgrim) presented at the History Research Seminar of the UD on 28 August 2025, on ‘Between Reproach and Silence: Girardian Discernment for Australian Church Leaders Responding to the Rise of Christian Nationalism’. His paper is being published in a forthcoming collection edited by Sue Holdsworth.
‘Living Law’, a symposium discussing the question of political theology in conversation with Miguel Vatter’s Living Law: Jewish Political Theology from Hermann Cohen to Hannah Arendt was hosted by Trinity on August 28. Speakers included Mark Brett, Miguel Vatter, Janice McRandal, and Scott Kirkland.
Thanks to all who participated in another excellent celebration of the University’s research at Research Day in June. We heard 19 papers and were pleased to support the inclusion of 2 panel discussions as part of the program (one, convened by Glen O’Brien on ‘Ecumenism in Action’, and one convened by Brad Watson on his book ‘The Experience of LGBTIQA+ Clergy: Queer Blood and Fire). Associate Professor Robyn Wrigley-Carr delivered this year’s keynote on ‘Attentiveness to Eternity: Underhill, von Hügel and Dementia’. We hosted the 3 Minute Thesis competition during the day and it was wonderful to hear about some fascinating HDR research and to see so many staff and students gather in the hall to support our postgraduates. Congratulations to the winner, Joan Wright-Howie!
Liz Lee (Pilgrim) presented twice at the Society of Biblical Literature Conference, 5-9 July, Adelaide, on ‘Perpetrators in the Church: A Lawyer and a Theologian Confront “Forgiveness”’ as well as ‘When Safeguarding ¹ 70 x 7’.
Lisa Agaiby (SAC) Chaired at the13th International Congress of Coptic Studies, Göttingen, 27 July-1 August 2026 . Her two recent books: First in the Desert and Coptic Studies from Egypt to Los Angeles (festschrift for Hany Takla) received many mentions and commendations throughout the conference. Lisa also presented “Between Charisma and Service: The Exercise of Authority within the Community” at the XXXII Convegno Ecumenico Internazionale di Spiritualità Ortodossa on Abba Pachomius at the Origins of Community Life, Monastero di Bose, Italy, 8-11 September 2026 (monasterodibose.it/images/stories/ospitalita/convegni-spiritualita-ortodossa/2026/2026_CEISO_pacomio.pdf)
Stephen Burns (Pilgrim) presented at the Climate & Intersectionality Conference, 9-10 Jan., Sydney on ‘Terranean Mystery’.
Wendy Elson (Pilgrim) presented at the Gendered Violence Conference, 11-13 February, on ‘“A missionary, his friends and a slave girl walk into a public space”, But What Really Happens Next in Acts 16:16-18?’, and at the Society for Asian Biblical Studies, 23-27 July, Jakarta, on ‘The Slave Girl in Acts 16:16-18 Calls Out: Disability Rights, Cultural Safety, and Meaningful Contribution to Society’.
Katherin Papadopoulos (SAC) presented “Asymmetrical Memory. The Persian Martyr Acts as Counter-Archives” at the SBL International/ANZATS, Adelaide, 4-7 July 2026.
Robyn Whitaker (Pilgrim) presented at the Society of Biblical Literature Conference, 5-9 July, Adelaide, on ‘“The authority of scorpions”: Military Iconography and Visual Rhetoric in Revelation 9:1-11’,
Sally Douglas (Pilgrim) presented at the Society of Biblical Literature Conference, 5-9 July, Adelaide, on ‘“Talking with Jesus” (Mark 9.4): John, Elijah, Jesus and the Collapse of Time and Space in Mark’s Gospel’. Sally also delivered two recent keynote addresses at the Future Church Conference, Parramatta Town Hall 28 May, Sydney 2026 and at the Wisdom Conference of Trinity College in Brisbane in February.
Cameron Forbes (CTC), presented at the CTC seminar on June 7, on ‘The Ethical Challenges of Artificial Intelligence’.
Jake Mudge (CTC) has delivered a number of presentations, including:
- Presented a workshop to the priests and pastoral care teams of the Diocese of Cairns on “Pastoral Care of the Dying”
- Presented a workshop to the priests of the Diocese of Ballarat on “Pastoral Care of the Dying” and “Wellbeing of Priests”
- Presented a seminar to the priests and pastoral care teams of the Diocese of Newcastle-Maitland on “Pastoral Care of the Dying”
- Lead a four-day conference for seminarians of Corpus Christ College and Vianney College on human development and formation
- Presented a paper at the 2026 International Safeguarding Conference (Rome, June 2026) titled “Safeguarding and Interculturality: an exploration across contexts”
Joseph Vnuk OP (CTC), presented at the ACBA conference in July on ‘Why Transubstantiation’.
Callan Ledsham (CTC), “Chaucer’s Bradwardine, All Things Happen of Necessity, and Infinite Crowned Men: Recent Scholarship on Fourteenth-Century 13 August 2026, Work in progress workshop, History and Classics, University of Western Australia)
Bryan Cones (Pilgrim) presented at the Emerging Critical Resources Seminar of the North American Academy of Liturgy, 2-5 January 2026, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, on ‘A Welcome Table? The Many Facets of Eucharistic “Hospitality”’, and the Australian Academy of Liturgy, Conference 26-28 September, Sydney, on ‘‘“Put All Things in Subjection Under Your Christ”: Colonisation and Anglican Liturgical Imagination’. His ‘Creative Tension: Joyce Zimmermann’ is being published in Doing Liturgical Theology: Method in Context, ed. by Jason McFarland et al (Leuven: Peeters). He is the editor of the Australian Journal of Liturgy(https://atfpress.com/category/australian-journal-of-liturgy/ ).
U-Wen Low (Pilgrim) presented at the Society of Biblical Literature Conference, 5-9 July, Adelaide, on ‘Performance Decisions and Exegetical Explorations in Revelation 13–14’,
Publications
Jason Goroncy (Whitley ), ‘How Christianity both creates and can resolve the problem of monoculturalism’, ABC Religion and Ethics, July 20, 2026
Sean Winter (Whitley), Keith Dyer and Graeme Garrett (both former member of Whitley Faculty) joined with academic colleagues from across the world to present Prof Terry Falla with a volume of essays, published on the occasion of his 86th birthday. The volume is entitled I say it just Begins to live That day: Essays in Honour of Terry Falla, ed. by Charbel El-Khaissi, Janet W. Dyk, Daniel King, and is published by Gorgias Press. Keith and Sean also both have essays published in the volume. Keith’s is entitled ‘Paul’s Salvation and Cosmic Renewal,’ Graeme wrote on ‘Hand to Hand Encounter with God,’ and Sean’s study of 2 Corinthians is called ‘Clusivity at Corinth: Another Look at Paul’s First-Person Plurals in 2 Corinthians.’
Fergus King (Trinity) and Naomi Wolfe (OVC), eds., Resonance between Creation Narratives: Comparison of Christian and Indigenous Traditions around the World (De Gruyter, Oct 19 2026).
Robyn Whitaker (Pilgrim) published ‘The Violence of Hell’ in The Bible and Violence, ed. by Joanna Stiebert et al (Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2026).
Kate Gardiner (St Francis), “An Asexual Aromantic Reading of Song of Songs 5.2–6: Queering the Tradition”. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament OnlineFirst (2026).
https://journals.sagepub.com/share/VQI8DSFTFK9M4HNBVQJ7?target=10.1177/03090892251412424
This article began as Kate’s BTh capstone project. Many congratulations to Kate for publishing her work in this prestigious journal!
Glen O’Brien (EBC), ‘British Methodist Politics after John Wesley,’ Wesley and Methodist Studies 18:2 (July 2026): 111–132. https://doi.org/10.5325/weslmethstud.18.2.0111
Sue Holdsworth (EBC) and Glen O’Brien are in the copyediting stage of Christian Nationalism and the Australian Church which is contracted with Coventry Press and is the result of the UD webinar they ran on the topic. There are numerous chapters from UD academics in the volume which will be published before the end of 2026.
Kylie Crabbe (Pilgrim) published ‘The Stone that Will Crush (Luke 20.18): Insights from Daniel in Luke/Acts’ in Luke and Acts with(in) Judaism, ed. by Isaac Oliver et al (Berlin: de Gruyter) and ‘Temporalities in the Ancient Mediterranean’, in The World of the New Testament: Encountering Texts in Context, ed. by David Cielontko et al (Minneapolis: Fortress Press).
Philip Hughes (Pilgrim) published (with other colleagues) ‘The Christian Faith and Meaning in Life at the Council of Nicaea and Now’, Journal of Contemporary Ministry 11:1. Philip is also the acting editor of the Journal of Contemporary Ministry (https://www.journalofcontemporaryministry.com/index.php/jcm )
Sally Douglas (Pilgrim) published ‘Home in Time for Dinner: Family and the Call to Discipleship within Mark’s Gospel’, in Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Vol. 48.3 (2026): 611-29.
Stephen Burns (Pilgrim) published ‘Ann Loades: Liturgy in a Larger Context’, in Doing Liturgical Theology: Method in Context, ed. by Jason McFarland et al (Leuven: Peeters) and (with John Flett) ‘Christ, The Earth’s Womb, and the Tree of Life’ in Uniting Church Studies 28.1. He is co-editor (with Victoria Turner) of Modern Believing (https://journal.equinoxpub.com/MB).
U-Wen Low (Pilgrim) published ‘Postcolonial Interpretation | Visual Arts’, in Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception, ed. by Brennan Breed et al (Berlin: De Gruyter).
Rosemary Canavan (CTC) presented at the ACBA Conference in July on ‘This is my Body: Eucharistic and Living’ and at the Society for Study of Early Christianity in May on “The Women at the Cross and Tomb in the Gospel of Matthew: Disciples and Witnesses” at Macquarie University.
John Dupuche (CTC), ‘Interplay of Christianity and Kashmir Shaivism’ in Catherine Cornille, Sacred Encounters: Stories of Christian Pioneers of Interreligious Dialogue, Orbis Books, 2026.
Sally Douglas (Pilgrim), Rewilding Prayer: God Beyond Gender, Faith Beyond Formulas (Cascade Books, 2025)
Opportunities
The Journal of Anglican Studies (JAS) provides a serious scholarly conversation on all aspects of Anglicanism and is published by Cambridge University Press. In the last five years JAS has been a Q1 journal for three years and a Q2 journal for two years. A distinguished editorial board assists the work of JAS (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-anglican-studies/information/about-this-journal/editorial-board).
JAS embraces history, theology, worship, ethics, scripture, canon law, aesthetics and education. Anglicans live enmeshed in many different cultural contexts. How their faith is expressed in the particular and how it is shared across the globe is a fundamental issue in this tradition. With its international reach, JAS is able to focus on this question and by doing so offers a distinctive and unique contribution to our understanding of Anglicanism today.
JAS welcomes articles in a diverse range of subjects and is not exclusively for Anglicans. All scholars are invited to submit an article that may have relevance for the broad area of Anglican Studies. Scholars of the University of Divinity are welcome to submit an article to the journal. The Editor of JAS is the Rev’d Professor Brian Douglas who teaches at St Barnabas College, Adelaide, a college of the University of Divinity and is also a Research Professor at the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, Charles Sturt University, Canberra. Brian’s email is brian.douglas@mac.comand he encourages potential authors to contact him. The web address of JAS is https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-anglican-studies
Whitley College
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