It was cause for great celebration on the evening of 11th May at Wollaston Theological College as three books written by the College’s academic staff were successfully launched.
The first book to be launched, The Theological Imperative to Authenticity by the Rev’d Dr Christy Capper (Lecturer in Systematic Theology and Academic Dean), explores the junction between the philosophical existential idea of the authentic self and its cultural appropriation.
In launching the book, the Most Rev’d Kay Goldsworthy AO, Archbishop of Perth, endorsed it as a timely and “important contribution to our theological tool kit and ministry thinking”.
“If we’re not thinking about what it is and means to be authentic as people of faith, we’ve really missed the boat as we seek to speak and live the Christian mission challenge of this part of the 21st century.” The book develops “with real clarity the research, scholarly thinking and approaches” towards this quest for—and theological imperative—toward authenticity.
The second book to be launched, Happy: LGBTQ+ Experiences of Australian Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity written by Dr Mark Jennings (Senior Lecturer in Religion and Continuing Education Coordinator), was introduced by Dr Duc Dau.
A work based on in-depth qualitative interviews with LGBTQ+ people who have had to navigate conflict between their experiences of queerness and religious belief, Dr Dau summed up the importance of the work as having “the potential to save lives”.
“Mark writes with humility, empathy, insight, and tenderness about the lives of the marginalised, of people who bear the scars of religious trauma…..My hope is that people who do not accept LGBTQ adherents in their midst will encounter this book and undergo their own conversion or road to Damascus experience in relation to LGBTQ acceptance…. ‘Happy’ sits with pride on my bookshelf, and may it sit proudly on yours!”
The third book to be launched was Jesus: A Life in Class Conflict co-authored by Dr Robert Myles (Senior Lecturer in New Testament and Director of Research) and Professor James Crossley (Research Professor at MF Oslo).
In applauding the book, Dr Richard Hamilton from the University of Notre Dame indicated it is already looking set to have a sizable impact on discussions of the historical Jesus.
Drawing from his own interests in philosophical Marxism, Dr Hamilton observed: “an essential theoretical insight of the Marxist tradition is its emphasis on contradictory social forces as driving historical change. This book, a work of impressive and rigorous scholarship, shows how the figure of Jesus was himself caught up in these contradictory forces.”
Dr Myles will join his co-author Professor Crossley for the international launch of their book at the Marx Memorial Library in London next month.
Wollaston Theological College, the theological college of the Anglican Diocese of Perth, became a college of the University of Divinity in late 2022. These publications represent the College’s “first fruits” that will contribute towards the University’s long tradition of world-class research across several theological disciplines.
Wollaston Theological College helps all members to become confident, passionate and equipped members of the Body of Christ, willing and able to engage dynamically and effectively with society.
Kerrie Burn
Pilgrim Theological College
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