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Professor Robert Gascoigne
Helping the Church to help liberal society tell its better story
The Church and liberal society
- Professor Gascoigne is the author of a number of theological texts including The Public Forum and Christian Ethics (Cambridge University Press 2001), and The Church and Secularity - Two Stories of Liberal Society (Georgetown University Press, 2009, forthcoming).
- recipient of the Alexander Von Humboldt Fellowship, an international award for researchers from abroad to carry out research in Germany
- seeks to raise and refine questions that will lead to lines of research that can contribute to the development of theology.
Professor Gascoigne has long been interested in the relationship between Christian faith and modern secular society, and his latest book on this topic will be released as part of a series entitled Moral Traditions.
“Liberal society can tell two stories,” he said. “One story is about the abuse of individual freedom to exploit other people, and the other is about using individual freedom to build community. What I’m looking at is how the Church might be able to help liberal society tell its better story.”
Drawing from the classic text of St Augustine of Hippo, The City of God, Professor Gascoigne considers the use of freedom in modern society as inspired either by love of self, or love of God and neighbour.
“In particular I look at the question of what I call non-instrumental relationships, relationships where people don’t exploit each other, but treat each other with respect,” he said.
“I look at what the virtues are in those sorts of relationships. How do people develop the ways of thinking, feeling and acting that help them not to treat other people as instruments?
“Christian teaching can be of enormous value to a modern liberal society with its view of the dignity of a person as made in the image and likeness of God. I look at how we can relate personal autonomy in a modern society to community and cooperation.”
Professional Background
Professor Gascoigne has a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) from the University of Sydney, and received a scholarship to complete a Doctor of Philosophy at Oxford University.
After returning to Australia in 1982, Professor Gascoigne taught at two of ACU’s predecessor colleges, Signadou College of Education in Canberra, and the Catholic College of Education in Sydney. He has been teaching at the University’s Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary) since 1986 and was recently appointed Head of School of Theology under the new Faculty of Theology and Philosophy.
