02/07/2026 17:20 - 19:30

HALL: Parenzo - A3

Contact: Hewitt S.

Chair: Scrutton T.

Christian discourse frequently declares itself in favour of equality and human liberation. Yet how authentic is this commitment? What theological, scriptural and psychological resources might be brought to its aid? This wide-ranging panel, which discusses not only theology as such, but also its biblical underwriting and its outworking in the psychology of political agents, seeks to address these, and other, questions.


The premise of the panel is that conversations between these three subject areas - theology, biblical studies, and psychology - will prove fruitful for resourcing a Christian commitment to liberation. Particularly novel is our inclusion of psychology in the conversation. This results from a conviction that the operation of ideology at the level of thoughts, desires, and emotions is important to understand as integral to an account of how theology can promote transformation. We are interested in both explicitly religiously-inflected psychological work and in work which draws out the theologico-political implications of 'secular' psychologies.


Theologically, we want to see how the major themes of Christian theology can be brought to bear on questions of liberation and equality, as well as how theology can interact with other disciplines to this end. Biblically, insights concerning the text and historical context of biblical writings, as well as ones about the reception history and contextual reading of those writings, well help to situate our questions within Christian communities understood as reading communities.


Submissions would be welcome on theology, biblical studies or psychology - as these subjects relate to liberation and equality. Alternatively, submissions dealing with the intersection of two or more of these subject areas would be particularly welcome.