The Religion and Theology program hosts a series of seminars that engage the work in progress of distinguished scholars.

Talks examine ancient, medieval, and modern materials for their contemporary theological and ethical significance. Topics range from Dante’s theology, Kant’s relationship to God, and whether there would be disability in a life after death.

2022 Online Research Seminar series

We are pleased to announce an exciting series of online events in 2022 sponsored by the Religion and Theology area of the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry (IRCI) at Australian Catholic University. Through these events we are aiming to explore broad disciplinary questions about approaches to the study of religion and theology from a range of institutional and methodological perspectives. We hope you can join the conversation.

Professor Christopher Insole
Public Lecture - Now Live-streamed

5:30pm Tuesday 26 April 2022

Title: Redeeming Autonomy

ACU Melbourne Campus
Now live-streaming via Zoom
Please register at : ReligionTheology.seminar@acu.edu.au

Learn more (PDF, 248 KB)

Dante The Theologian
Three Lectures by Professor Denys Turner

Co-sponsored by IRCI’s programs in Medieval and Early Modern Studies and Religion & Theology; and by Harvard University’s Mahindra Humanities Center Medieval Studies Seminar and the Committee on the Study of Religion.

Tuesday 22 March

Lecture 1: ‘Dante, Purgatory and the Earthly Paradise’
Time: 8am (Melbourne, Australia) | Monday 21st 9pm (London) | Monday 21st 5pm (Boston)

Chair: Peter Howard (Australian Catholic University)
Respondent: Nicholas Watson (Harvard University)

Wednesday 23 March

Lecture 2: ‘Dante and Learning to Speak Paradisal’
Time: 8am (Melbourne, Australia) | Tuesday 22nd 9pm (London) | Tuesday 22nd 5pm (Boston)

Chair: Megan Cassidy-Welch (Australian Catholic University)
Respondent: Rachel Teubner (Australian Catholic University)

Thursday 24 March

Lecture 3: ‘Dante and the End of Poetry’
Time: 8am (Melbourne, Australia) | Wednesday 23rd 9pm (London) | Wednesday 23rd 5pm (Boston)

Chair: Ambrogio Camozzi Pistoja (Harvard University )
Respondent: Vittorio Montemaggi (Kings College London, University of Cambridge)

Event contact: rachel.teubner@acu.edu.au

2021 Online Research Seminar series

Professor Emmanuel Katongole, University of Notre Dame
10 November (Melbourne)

Title: ‘Summoned (back) to the Margins’

Time: 9am Melbourne, Australia | 10pm Tuesday 9 November (London) | 5pm Tuesday 9 November (New York)

Contact: ReligionTheology.seminar@acu.edu.au

From Vatican II to Fratelli Tutti: Catholicism Encountering the World
29 October (Melbourne)

This online conversation will explore how Fratelli Tutti—as an expression of Vatican II’s call to renewal—illumines contexts and methods for deepening genuine dialogue within an increasingly fractured church and world. The panellists have produced three ten-minute video presentations, which participants will be able to view and reflect on in advance of the discussion. The live event will make space for participants to dialogue with the panel as together we seek ways of living out the vision of Fratelli Tutti.

Panel: Amanda C. Osheim, Loras College Dubuque | Richard R. Gaillardetz, Boston College | Ormond Rush, Australian Catholic University

Time: Friday 29 October 8am Melbourne | Thursday 28 October 22:00 (London) | Thursday 28 October 23:00 (Rome) | Thursday 28 Oct 17:00 (Boston)

Contact: ReligionTheology.seminar@acu.edu.au

Professor Lieven Boeve (KU Leuven) hosted by Associate Professor Robyn Horner(ACU)
3 June 2021

Title: ‘Mutual Interruption: Toward a Productive Tension between Theology and Religious Studies. Updating the Discussion’

Time: 5pm Melbourne, Australia | Thursday 3 June 8:00am (London) | Thursday 3 June 9am (Brussels/Paris/Rome) | Thursday 3 June 12:00 midnight (LA, USA)

Contact: ReligionTheology.seminar@acu.edu.au

'Discussion of the Religion and Theology project on Redeeming Autonomy' hosted by Ben DeSpain (ACU)
13 May 2021

Panel: Christopher Insole | David Kirchhoffer | Jennifer Herdt | Kristin Heyer | Yves De Maeseneer

Time: 8-9:30pm Melbourne, Australia | Thursday 13 May 11am-12:30pm (London) | Thursday 13 May 6-7:30am (New York, USA)

Contact: ReligionTheology.seminar@acu.edu.au

Foregrounding Form: Interdisciplinary Conversation' hosted by Lexi Eikelbloom and Jack Norman (ACU)
1st April 2021

Panel: Jonathan Anderson (Duke University) | Lacey Jones (Yale University) | Carmody Grey (Durham University) | Oliver-Thomas Venard (Ecole Biblique)

Contact: ReligionTheology.seminar@acu.edu.au

Tal Lewis (Brown University) hosted by David Newheiser (ACU)
10 March 2021

Title: A discussion on recent paper in JAAR

Time: 11am-12:30pm Melbourne, Australia | Wednesday 24 February 12:00 - 1:30am (London) | Tuesday 23 February 7pm- 8:30pm (New York, USA)

Contact: ReligionTheology.seminar@acu.edu.au

An Yountae (Assistant Professor at California State University, Northridge) hosted by Dr. Alda Balthrop-Lewis (ACU)
24 February 2021

Title: 'A Decolonial Theory of Religion'

Time: 11am-12:30pm Melbourne, Australia | Wednesday 24 February 12:00 - 1:30am (London) | Tuesday 23 February 7pm- 8:30pm (New York, USA)

Recognising Religion(s): The Cultural Dynamics of Religious Encounters and Interactions in Historical Perspective
5/6 October 2020

Title: "Situating World Religions in Modern Islam"

Speakers: Zvi Ben-Dor Benite (NYU) and Esmat Elhalaby (UC Davis), moderated by Taneli Kukkonen (NYU/AD)

Chris Insole (Durham University / Australian Catholic University)
4 June 2020

‘Kant and the Divine’ (a Retrospective)

Contact: Benjamin.despain@acu.edu.au

Denys Turner
(Three-part series) 24-26 June 2020

'Dante, Theologian-Poet’
‘Dante, Augustine, and Confession’
‘Dante, Aquinas, and Hell’

Contact: lexi.eikelboom@acu.edu.au /Rachel.davies@acu.edu.au

Professor Lewis Ayres (Durham University/Australian Catholic University)
29 July 2020

‘The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Work of the Theologian’

Religion & Theology Seminar Program presents a panel on
Hope in a Secular Age by David Newheiser
24 August 2020

Time: 11pm-12:30am Monday 24th August (Melbourne) / 2:00-3:30pm (London) / 9:00-10:30am (New York)

Contact: ReligionTheology.Seminar@acu.edu.au

Sarah Coakley (Australian Catholic University)
17 September 2020

Time: 7:30am Thursday 17th September (Melbourne) / 5:30pm Wednesday 16th September (Washington, USA) / 10:30pm Wednesday 16th September (London, UK)

Title: "Sensing God"? Retrieving Patristic and Ressourcement Theories of "Spiritual Sensation" for Contemporary Theology and Ethics

Contact: ReligionTheology.seminar@acu.edu.au

Recognising Religion(s): The Cultural Dynamics of Religious Encounters and Interactions in Historical Perspective
5 October 2020 (Amended)

Time: Melbourne 3:30am (Tue 6th Oct) | Perth 12:30am (Tues 6th Oct) | Abu Dhabi 20:30 (Mon 5th Oct) | Berlin 18:30 (Mon 5th Oct) | London 17:30 (Mon 5th Oct) | San Francisco 9:30am (Mon 5th Oct)
Title: "Situating World Religions in Modern Islam" with Zvi Ben-Dor Benite NYU) and Esmat Elhalaby (UC Davis), moderated by Taneli Kukkonen (NYU/AD)

Dr Paul Kollman (University of Notre Dame)
29/30 October 2020

Time: Melbourne 10am Friday 30 Oct | New York 7pm Thursday 29 Oct | London 11pm Thusday 29 Oct |
Title: "If we did not have them, we would need a lot of workers": Slavery and Catholic mission in eastern Africa

Professor Eleonore Stump (Saint Louis University/Australian Catholic University)
17 November 2020

Time: 11:00am-12:30pm Tuesday 17th November (Melbourne) | Tuesday 17 November 12:00am-1:30am (London, UK) | Monday 16 November 6:00-7:30pm (St Louis, USA)

Title: ‘Life After Death and the True Self’

Contact: ReligionTheology.Seminar@acu.edu.au

Professor Chris Insole
Professorial Fellow, ACU

Book launch

Wednesday 18 November 2020

Title: 'Kant and the Divine from Contemplation to the Moral Law'

Time: 4.30-5.45pm GMT, via Zoom

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