Women Scholars of Religion & Theology

Kirsten Abbott

completed her MTheol at the University of Auckland in 2004. Her thesis was on the rhetoric of the monstrous in Job. She is an Anglican priest. At the time of writing, she was working in a parish in Wellington.

Helen Bergin

at the time of writing, belonged to the Catholic Institute of Theology, teaching within the School of Theology in Auckland. She especially enjoyed teaching the topics of Trinity and the Holy Spirit. Introductory courses in systematic theology and in feminist theological perspectives also offered regular, spirited challenges.

Bridget Broadbent

was a PhD student in the School of Social Science, Anthropology, Archaelogy, Criminology and Sociology at The University of Queensland, Australia. Her thesis dealt with the effects of Vatican II, the European Union and migration on the religious beliefs and practices of Irish women in Ireland and Australia.

Moeawa Callaghan

of Ngati Kahungunu, Te Whanayu-a-Apanui, and Ngati Porou, taught at St John's Theological College, Auckland. In her many years of studying theology, she developed a keen interest in contextual theology - methods, models and applied, particularly from third world and indigenous contexts. Overarching her interest in contextual theology are issues to do with justice, equity and empowerment. Out of that interest emerged an ever-growing appreciation of the relationship between theology and spirituality, particularly in the context of Aotearoa.

Yael Cameron-Klangwisan

at the time of writing, was a Senior Lecturer in Education at Laidlaw College in Auckland, New Zealand, teaching Cultural and Human Development studies as well as Hebrew. She completed an interdisciplinary, creative works PhD exploring the Song of Songs through the lens of French feminist literary theory and creative writing at Auckland University of Technology. Her research interests are eclectic but mainly involve intersections between critical theory, philosophy and biblical literature. She was working on 2 book projects: the first a Cixauldian reading of the Song of Songs; the second, a novella on astronomy, love and a dying star.

English teacher, post-graduate researcher and mother of five children was born in England but moved to Australia as a child and, although travelling extensively both locally and internationally, has lived most of her life there. In 2004, Diane was awarded the Faculty Medal for English from The University of Newcastle and in 2010 was offered an APA scholarship to complete a doctoral project, The Mandorla. This thesis entailed writing a spiritual memoir as well as researching autobiographical genres, particularly women’s contemporary memoir exploring liminal time and space and a re-storying of self.

Elizabeth Dowling RSM

at the time of writing, lectured in Biblical Studies within the School of Theology, Australian Catholic University. She is the author of Taking Away the Pound: Women, Theology and the Parable of the Pounds in the Gospel of Luke (T&T Clark International, 2007). Elizabeth's research interests include the Gospels and slavery. She employs a feminist hermeneutic in her writing and was developing an interest in ecological approaches.

Anne Elvey

has a Masters in Theology through the Melbourne College of Divinity and a PhD in Women's Studies through Monash University awarded in 2000. Her PhD thesis was entitled "Gestations of the Sacred: Ecological Feminist Readings from the Gospel of Luke". Anne was an Honorary Research Associate in the Centre for Women's Studies and Gender Research at Monash University and a facilitator at The Grove: Wholistic Centre for Spirituality Inc., in East Brunswick, Victoria. Her research interests are in the areas of biblical studies, feminist studies, ecotheology and ecocriticism.

Ann Gilroy

was Director of Undergraduate Studies in the School of Theology of the University of Auckland. Her teaching and research is primarily in the interdisciplinary area of Spirituality where the Christian traditions of spirituality engage with contemporary contexts, their perspectives, beliefs and values, issues and expressions. Ann has a special interest in feminist theories and theologies.

Frances Gray

lectured in philosophy at the University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia. Her specific interests are in philosophy of religion, philosophy of gender, myth/folk tales, and poetics.

holds a Ph. D. in Biblical Studies by the Graduate Theological Union and is a visiting scholar at Claremont School of Theology. Her research interests include contextual interpretations of sacred scriptures, interdisciplinary and cross-cultural studies of the Bible in conversation with Asian religious and cultural traditions, feminist/womanist approaches to the Bible, Asian and Asian American hermeneutics and postcolonial hermeneutics. Her Asian feminist biblical scholarship has been shaped by her struggles in Confucian Korean culture and her experience as a racial and ethnic minority in the US.

Anna Halafoff

at time of writing, was a Research Fellow at the Centre for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University. Previously, she was a lecturer at the School of Political and Social Inquiry, and researcher for the UNESCO Chair in Interreligious and Intercultural Relations - Asia Pacific, Monash University (2005-2012). Anna's research interests have included intercultural and interreligious relations, multiculturalism, community engagement and countering violent extremism, education about religion and beliefs, Buddhism and gender, and Buddhism in Australia. In 2011, Anna was named a United Nations Alliance of Civilisations Global Expert in the fields of multifaith relations, religion and peace-building.

Sarah L. Hart

at time of writing, was honorary post-doctoral associate, MCD University of Divinity, Melbourne, Australia. She was active in biblical studies circles in New Zealand and Australia. Her research interests have included the Pentateuch/Torah, Israelite cult, oral and written factors behind the biblical texts. She was working on a book provisionally titled "The Tabernacle Tent: A Virtual Israelite Cultic World". After many years in Vienna, Austria, Sarah returned to New Zealand. She was a violinist with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. She regularly made and performed chamber music with musicians in different groups, at home and when she travelled. Her hobbies includes discussing life with friends, hiking, kayaking, cycling and Tai Chi.

is a Professional Staff Member at the University of Newcastle in the Library for over 18 years. In 2014 she received a Vice-Chancellors Team award for professional staff excellence for her contribution to sustainability initiatives in the working environment. Loraine has an undergraduate degree from the University of Newcastle in English, film, history and ancient history. She is a Masters in Theology student with the University of Newcastle and the Broken Bay Institute and has taught Sunday school for 22 years. Her interest is in the creation accounts in Genesis and Ecofeminist Theology. Loraine would like to continue to publish in this area of religion and film and would like to explore the possibility of a career in this exciting field.

Laurel Lanner

completed her doctorate in the Hebrew Bible at the University of Otago, Aotearoa New Zealand. Her thesis explored the presence of the feminine in the book of Nahum, using theories of the literary fantastic to examine the possible meanings and purposes of those feminine elements.

Veronica Lawson RSM

is a Sister of Mercy who taught at Australian Catholic University and its predecessor institutions for 26 years. She now works as a biblical consultant/educator, writing weekly online gospel reflections and conducting workshops in a variety of contexts within Australia and overseas.

Judith McKinlay

lectured in biblical studies at Otago. Her research interests included exploring conversations between gender and context in the texts of the Hebrew Bible.

Kathleen McPhillips

lectures in sociology and anthropology at the University of Newcastle, NSW. Prior to this she held positions at Western Sydney University and ANU, Canberra. Kathleen has published extensively in the field of women and religion and currently teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students across feminist theology, the sociology of religion and gender, and sociological methodologies and post-secular politics. She has been an editor of the Journal for the Academic Studies in Religion (2000-2009), President of the Australian Association for the Study of Religion (2008) and is on the International Editorial board of the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion and Women-Church: An Australian Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion (1996-2004). Kathleen was Treasurer of the Australian Feminist Theology Foundation (2000-2006)  and on the Executive Committee of Women Scholars of Religion and Theology. She is currently Managing Editor of Seachanges journal.

Pat(ricia) Mullins

has held leadership positions, both paid and voluntary, in a wide range of Church movements and organisations devoted to lay leadership, renewal and mission. She is a freelance writer and speaker, committed to increasing the status of women in the Catholic Church. Married for 42 years with 10 adult children, she gained a Bachelor of Theology with Honours in 1992 (on the topic of marriage imagery in the Bible from a woman's perspective), and was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (Theology) in 1998. An adaptation of her dissertation has been published under the title Becoming Married: Towards a Theology of Marriage from a Woman's Perspective.

Anne Musso RSM

lectured in Religion Studies with the Faculty of Education and Creative Arts, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton. Her research interests included feminist theology, gender studies and religious education. He doctoral thesis, "Rainbows of Possibilities", focussed on the theologising of a small group of Australian Catholic women during the period from June s1994 to January 1997. Participants (including Anne) had come together to support one another and share stories of their experiences as women members of the Catholic Church. In the thesis, Anne explored the presence of difference in these women's nomadic feminist (re)negotiations of dominant canonical Catholic discourses.

is currently the Sustainability Educator at Rahamim Ecology Centre, Bathurst, NSW, and is a Masters in Theology candidate with the Broken Bay Institute and the University of Newcastle. She has been a Religious Education Coordinator in Melbourne where she designed blended curriculum in ecological spirituality and global issues resolution. She has been a regular participant in EarthSong programs since 2014.  This ethnography was written from her own perspective as a participant observer, with the assistance of EarthSong’s coordinating team and their participants.

Marie Porter

undertook her PhD at The University of Queensland on Australian mothering in the 1950s and 1960. She had had several articles published and involved in the promotion of the academic study of mothers/mothering/motherhood. She was a member of the International Association for Research on Mothering based at York University, Toronto. She was a member of the organising committee for the first Australian academic conference on mothering in Brisbane in July 2001.

is a Masters of Arts student from the University of the South Pacific, Fiji. Her research looks at nineteenth century women travel writers in Fiji, a subject that combines her interest in literature and history of the South Pacific particularly in the early colonial period. History of missionaries in the Pacific became an interest after volunteering at Mission Houses Museum, Honolulu while living there and was developed while living and studying in Fiji. She now lives in Hong Kong with her family.

is a PhD candidate and Flechtheim Scholar at University of Newcastle, Australia. Her thesis focusses on the potential contribution of Bonhoeffer’s thought to address the climate crisis. Her earlier research has been in public health and social policy in Australia and the Pacific.

Kathleen Rushton RSM

lives in Aotearoa New Zealand. Her PhD focussed on the Gospel of John, a continuing research focus. She tutored for the Ecumenical Institute of Distance Theological Studies and continues to enjoy working with a variety of groups to make sound scholarship accessible.

Paula Smith RSM

is a Sister of Mercy who has served as a member of the Leadership Team for the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of Australia. She holds a PhD from James Cook University, Townsville, Australia. Her research has mainly been in the areas of women's subjectivity through post-structuralist feminism, expecially the theory and writings of Helene Cixous. She comes from the central west of NSW and is an educator who has worked in both secondary and tertiary fields.

Susan Smith

PhD (Auckland), BA (Canterbury), DipHabTheol (Rome), MTheol (Maryknoll, NY), of the Congregation of Our Lady of the Missions, was a faculty member of the School of Theology, the University of Auckland where she lectured in New Testament and Missiology. She has has considerable expertise in adult education and pastoral ministry both overseas and within Aotearoa New Zealand. Her research interests have included the stories of Christian women in mission, and how changing theologies have led to changing roles representing movement beyond their former ancillary status. Her hobbies have included gardening, walking, reading and talking with friends.

Diane Strevens

BA (Auckland), MTheol (Melbourne) is a retired lecturer in Church History at the University of Auckland, and retired Co-ordinator of the Continuing Faith Education program at the Catholic Institute of Theology in Auckland. She worked on writing the history of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart in Aotearoa New Zealand, and was a member of the Josephite Associate Leadership Team. In between those activities, she has made time for skiiing, tramping and her marriage to Bob.

Nancy Victorin-Vangerud

was Lecturer of Systematic Theology at Murdoch University and the Perth Theolgoical Hall of the Uniting Church. She published a book on a feminist maternal refiguration of the Spirit entitled The Raging Hearth: Spirit in the Household of God (Chalice Press 2000). Avid body-surfers, Nancy and her family spent as much tikme as possible at the beach. She moved from Perth to become the Executive Director of the ARC Ecumenical Retreat Center in Stanchfield, Minnesota, USA. The center offers hospitality for people seeking a simple lifestyle through the focus on prayer, peace with justice, ecumenism and sustainability.

Elaine Wainwright RSM

Elaine Wainwright is Professor Emerita of the University of Auckland where she lectured in biblical studies, in particular New Testament and a range of interpretive perspectives including feminist, postcolonial and ecological. She is also committed to the development of biblical studies in the regions of Oceania and Asia as a founding member of OBSA (Oceania Biblical Studies Association) and currently the President of SABS (Society of Asian Biblical Studies). She is a member of the Editorial Board of The Bible and Critical Theory. Her most recent research is an ecological commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Habitat, Human and Holy, which will be published by Sheffield Phoenix. She was a founding and ongoing member of WSRT and a member of the Editorial Board of Seachanges, its journal.

Val Webb

(nee Skerman) completed a graduate degree in Microbiology at The University of Queensland before moving to Rochester, Minnesota, USA, when her husband joined the Mayo Clinic staff. In Rochester, Val operated Val Webb Galleries marketing her artwork and other international artists, and raised 3 children. Returning to Brisbane in 1981, Val established The Wesley Hospital's Communication and Resources Department, and was founding Chair of Education and Communication for The Uniting Church in Australia (Qld Synod). She also began Religious Studies at The University of Queensland, completing a PhD in Systematic Theology at Luther Seminary, St Paul when her family moved back to Rochester. Val was adjunct faculty at the University of Minnesota and Augsburg College, and a visiting lecturer in Australia. Her books include Why We're Equal: Introducing Feminist Theology (Chalice Press 1999), John's Message: Good News for the New Millenium (Abingdon Press 1999), In Defense of Doubt: An Invitation to Adventure (Chalice Press, 1995), Twin Cities Sketchbook (Johnson Co. 1977) and Rochester Sketchbook (Johnson Co. 1976).

Judith Woodward

held the position of Lecturer in History at the University of Western Australia for 31 years (1968-1999). After her retirement, she completed a Master of Theology by coursework through the University of Notre Dame, Australia, graduating in June 2004. From there, she enrolled in a doctorate of Pastoral Theology in 2005.

is a PhD candidate at the Religion and Society Research Centre at the University of Western Sydney where she also teaches in both the School of Social Sciences and Psychology and the School of Humanities and Communication Arts. In 2013 she was a visiting scholar at the City University of New York Graduate Center while she undertook her PhD fieldwork. Her PhD research investigates the social implications of practices in progressive Muslim communities in North America.