Doctorate Theses

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Grounding a Religious Education Approach to Social Transformation
(1993) Kelly, Michael
Karl Barth's Theology of Joy
(1998) Capper, John
Joy is a recurrent theme in the Church Dogmatics of Karl Barth but it is one which is under-explored. In order to ascertain reasons for this lack, the work of six scholars is explored with regard to the theme of joy, employing the useful though limited “motifs” suggested by Hunsinger. That the revelation of God has a trinitarian framework, as demonstrated by Barth in CD I, and that God as Trinity is joyful, helps to explain Barth’s understanding of theology as a “joyful science”. By close attention to Barth’s treatment of the perfections of God (CD II.1), the link which Barth makes with glory and eternity is explored, noting the far-reaching sweep which joy is allowed by contrast with the related theme of beauty. Divine joy is discerned as the response to glory in the inner life of the Trinity, and as such is the quality of God being truly Godself. Joy is seen to be “more than a perfection” and is basic to God’s self-revelation and human response. A dialogue with Jonathan Edwards challenges Barth’s restricted use of beauty in his theology, and highlights the innovation Barth makes by including election in his doctrine of God. In the context of Barth’s anthropology, paying close attention to his treatment of “being in encounter” (CD III.2), there is an examination of the significance of gladness as the response to divine glory in the life of humanity, and as the crowning of full and free humanness. The study then culminates in a consideration of the role which joy plays in Barth’s doctrine of reconciliation (CD IV) with particular reference to the “Easter event”. A range of critical issues arises from this, and these, together with others gathered from previous chapters, suggests a brief concluding list of questions to Barth.
Set pools of silence in this thirsty land: Developing Retreat ministry in the Australian landscape
(2005) Pryor, Robin J
This study on the development of Retreat ministry in the Australian landscape is about the very physicality of the created and ever-evolving landscape of deserts, mountains, and lush coastal fringes, which invite exploration of their outer terrain, even while we seek our bearings for the inner journey of the Spirit. It is about the specific opportunities provided by spiritual Retreats to begin to unlock and celebrate some of the mysteries of the presence of the Incarnate Word in this land, centred on and empowered by God’s unconditional Love.
REFLECTIONS ON AUSTRALIAN CONTEXTUAL MODELS OF PASTORAL MINISTRY
(2005) Cronshaw, Darren
Australian historical images – for example, the Aborigine, convict, bushman, gold digger, Anzac ‘digger’, and migrant – are a fruitful source for theological reflection to develop models of ministry. These images and their historical contexts helped shape Australian culture and so shape context for ministry. A conversation between historical themes and Christian tradition suggests a number of complementary models for pastoral ministry in Australia. Spiritual companions, for example, help people relate faith to their journey in everyday life. This model resonates with Aboriginal listening and sensitivity to the sacred, and is at home with the Australian longing for everyday spirituality as articulated by contemporary social commentators such as Michael Leunig. Chaplains get alongside people in the midst of their lives, although colonial chaplains were seen more as distant moral policemen and their role in evangelism was limited by their government employment. As settlement spread through the bush, ministry as shepherding with clergy who cared for their flocks replaced or supplemented chaplaincy. Shepherding, an image rich in nurturing and care, was at home in the rural setting of the colonies, and continues to meaningfully express the pastoral care aspects of local church ministry. The labour movement and the Australian value of a fair go for the underdog suggest a place for ministry as prophetic advocacy; and ministry as service fits Australian humanitarianism, the Anzac spirit and servant leadership popular today even in business circles. Finally, ministers as community hosts reflect both God’s hospitality and the multicultural ethos of Australia that draws people together from different cultures and backgrounds. The pastoral ministry can be imagined and expressed by various models which describe different emphases of ministry, and the most effective models for pastoral ministry in Australia will derive from and critique Australian culture and historical images.
A model for the development of catechetical practices within the life of Camberwell Baptist Church
(2008-10) Menzies, Andrew
The goal of this project was to develop, test and benchmark through a praxis- theory-praxis model, four catechetical practices within the life of local nodes of Camberwell Baptist Church. These practices were created so that the church could develop ways of intentional formation of the whole person in order that, as a body, it would mature towards a greater and more effective missional transformation. Through an examination of Camberwell Baptist Church’s particular context, both church and local community, this project examines how adult Christian education has been attempted previously. The results of the study then lead to analysis of the effects of modernity, theological reflection, and context. Each must be considered in the development of appropriate models for catechesis. This project also specifically considers the roles of geography, pedagogy, and praxis for modern catechetical methods. This project develops a basic theological and theoretical framework for the nature of mission and the church’s participation in it. The framework centers around creation, Christology, Trinity and ecclesiology, especially in light of current understandings of the missio Dei. Most importantly, it gives place to the nature of transition within an established church through models of innovation and change. The project documents how two specific local nodes were successfully created for the purpose of catechetical formation of the participants. Formation was attempted through four catechetical practices being employed in local geographic localities within the life of the nodes. These included: regular table fellowship and breaking of bread, deep listening, hospitality to the stranger, and discernment. The participants found these practices very hard to follow because they required applied behaviour rather than abstract discussion. This research found the node that was most willing to participate initially ended up disbanding while the node that started most cautiously ended up as the sign of greatest hope for future catechesis at Camberwell Baptist Church.
De-Centred Ministry: A Diaconal View of Mission and Church.
(2009-04-08) McRae, Alison
This thesis, based on surveys of diaconal ministry in the Uniting Church, contends that the ministry of deacon lies at the heart of ecclesial identity. Diaconal ministry, which is a ‘ministry on the margins’, is more than humble servanthood and is instead representative of the diakonia of the whole church.
Interfaith Engagement: Interreligious Dailogue in the life and work of the World Council of Churches and the Vatican, c1960-2000
(2009-05-01) Pratt, Douglas
This thesis investigates the emergence, features and outcomes of interreligious dialogue as a Christian ecclesial endeavour within the World Council of Churches and the Roman Catholic Church. It is argued, among other things, that the term ‘interfaith engagement’ is preferable to ‘interreligious dialogue’ and better encapsulates the requirements of future interactions.
1 Corinthians 1-4: A Rhetorical and Social Analysis and its Evaluation from a Korean-Confucian Christian Context
(2009-05-08) Kwon, Oh-Young
This thesis investigates 1 Corinthians 1-4 and argues that a divisive culture of rhetorical and patronal elitism lies behind the schisms identified by Paul. Further, that this culture was influenced by Greco-Roman wisdom literature. Pauline critique of Roman wisdom traditions shapes a critical reflection on similar dynamics amongst 21st Century Korean Christians.
The Moral Status of the Human Person in Bioethics: An Orthodox perspective with special reference to human cloning
(2009-05-08) Daniel, Varghese
Advances in medicine due to the adoption of scientific and technological innovations are significant, and such applications in human beings deserve a unique ethical justification. In contrast to the Western bioethical illumination that rationality and brain function are the key criteria to personhood, the author highlights the Eastern anthropological affirmation that all human beings are the image of God, and grow towards theosis. This concept attributes personhood to all humans, irrespective of their physical and cognitive capacities. The research unveils the scenario in bioethics where the application of ethical theories such as deontology (a priori agapeic) and utilitarianism (a posterioriagapeic) leads the question about the moral status of human beings, in the particular context of cloning debate, into two extreme positions. Hence, the author launches a middle path holistic (eucharistic agapeic) approach which could be more obliging in bioethics. This theory considers the human scientific pursuit as epinoia rather than cataloguing it as “playing God”, and it could be utilised for the benefits of humanity without being over impressed or mesmerised by it. However, the author argues that it is indispensable to adopt a global perspective with a love of wisdom.
Fashioning a Dialogical Vision for Catholic Education through Analysis, Critique and Contemporisation of Paulo Freire's Education as the Practice of Freedom
(2009-05-08) Loughnane, Michéal
Through an exploration of Paulo Freires vision for education as the practice of freedom, this thesis articulates the conviction that Catholic educators can best express their mission as liberating educators by engaging in constructive dialogue between the secular critical tradition and the contemplative trajectory of the Catholic tradition.
Reading the Kingdom Teaching of Matthew from the Context of Myanmar
(2009-05-08) Dah, Ner
Following an analysis of the sectarian tensions within the Matthean community, and the polemics that the Gospel writer employs in response to those tensions, this thesis explores the socio-political context of Myanmar, and illustrates how Jesus’ Kingdom teaching in Matthew’s Gospel is similarly applicable to the persecuted Myanmar Christian community.
Eschatological Living in John Wesley's Theology: a doctrinal analysis and contextual reflection
(2009-05-08) Wong, Tik-Wah
This thesis aims to establish that eschatological living in Wesley's thoughts is a lifestyle which takes peaceful relationship with the triune God as its foundational basis and ultimate End. At the same time, it receives the Kingdom of Grace and the future Kingdom of Glory as its eschatological-teleological vision. This End and vision in turn shape our eschatological pilgrimage between the Kingdom of Grace and the Kingdom of Glory. Eschatological living begins as a new creation in God's justifying grace and continues until we are perfected in God's sanctifying grace. It is a development of faith in God's grace with our responsible participation till we are made glorious in the new heaven and new earth. It is an effort to live out the beauty of the Kingdom's values through responsible stewardship, through our love for God, love for our neighbours and other God's creatures in our social context.
Retrieving Michael Ramsey's Paschal Ecclesiology
(2009-05-08) Fishburn, Ross
This thesis critically examines the ecclesiology of Michael Ramsey in the context of the contemporary koinonia ecclesiology. It is grounded in a critical account The Gospel and the Catholic Church (1936). The ecclesiological themes of his subsequent works, and his “lived ecclesiology” demonstrated in his leadership of the Church of England’s exploration of possible union with the Methodist Church between 1955 and 1972 are also considered. Ramsey’s ecclesiology is seen to be paschal in its shape and thrust, being centred upon and shaped by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The thesis brings Ramsey’s paschal ecclesiology into dialogue with three exemplars of koinonia ecclesiology: John Zizioulas, Miroslav Volf and Jean-Marie Tillard, focussing on the key areas of paschal ecclesiology, and evaluating the enduring value of Ramsey’s ecclesiology. The thesis concludes by examining the ecumenical value of Ramsey’s ecclesiology by bringing it into dialogue with two contemporary Australian ecumenical dialogues.
The Virgin Heads South: Northern Catholic Refugees in South Vietnam, 1954-1964
(2009-05-08) Hansen, Peter
This thesis examines the flight of the baéc di cö after 1954, and their evolution as a distinctive micro-culture within the Vietnamese Catholic Church. It examines why Northern Catholics fled south, the influences on their decision to do so, and records their rise to predominance within their southern host Church.
The Theology and Spirituality of the Body in the Writings of Heloise of the Paraclete.
(2009-05-08) Posa, Carmel
This thesis explores Heloise of the Paraclete’s writings on the topic of ‘the body’, from the perspective of feminist paradigms, to illustrate that her distinctively “incarnational form of language” not only holds theological significance for our day but also marks her out as a key figure within Middle Ages spirituality.
The Shaping of Things Now: Mission and Innovation in Four Emerging Churches in Melbourne
(2009-05-08) Cronshaw, Darren
‘Emerging churches’ claim they express new forms of mission and innovation appropriate for post-Christendom. Using a case study approach with participant observation, interviews and surveys, this study analyses four such churches in Melbourne: Connection, Eastern Hills, Urban Life and Solace. Drawing on Peter Senge’s organisational analysis, this study concludes that at their best they are ‘learning organisations’ that foster incarnational mission, inclusive community, empowering leadership and planned change. In some areas their reality does not match the kind of rhetoric found, for example, in Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, The Shaping of Things to Come. Significantly, the four emerging churches are not reaching as many unchurched people as their ideals suggest and some of their decision processes are haphazard. This gap between ideals and experience provides creative tension that invites ongoing evaluation and learning about the shaping of mission and leadership for 21st-century churches.
Disarming the Bible-Bashers: Claiming the Bible for Australian Abuse Survivors.
(2009-05-08) Hill, Fiona D.
Drawing on South African Contextual Bible Study and narrative therapy praxis, this thesis develops a biblical hermeneutic of abuse, applied to four Hebrew Bible texts in which abuse occurs. The methodological objective is to liberate, transform and re-empower those who have been abused within and by Australian religious institutions.
Priestly Christology and the Gospel of Mark
(2009-05-08) Cheeseman, Mark
The Christology of the Gospel of Mark incorporates a priestly dimension. This has often been neglected due to a bias against priests and a lack of appreciation of the significance of priestly messianism in second temple Judaism. As an investigation into messianic expectations illustrates, there was a substantial ongoing tradition of messianic expectation on which to draw by the first century C.E. Jesus' cleansing of the leper and healing of the paralytic portray him functioning as a priestly figure, first taking the place of the priest in purifying the leper, then functioning as a priestly messianic agent in mediating divine forgiveness. Jesus' time in Jerusalem portrays him as appropriating the role of the existing priesthood as national leaders and teachers. Subsequently, Jesus' appearance before the high priest portrays a stand-off between the existing high priest and Jesus, who claims the high priest's authority.
The Existential Grammar of the Good News: Truth, Epistemology and Encounter
(2009-05-08) Godfrey, James P.
When a Christian notion of truth is understood as a life, rather than a fact, idea, or tenet of doctrine, the tools for delineation, or the grammar, must be revised. Existential philosophy assists in the development of a revised grammar by restoring to the concept of truth, the fact of existing. Drawing upon the writings of Ludwig Wittgenstein, Gabriel Marcel, and Søren Kierkegaard, an epistemological framework is developed that responds and reveals the fundamentally incarnate character of a Christian notion of truth.
Globalized Media in India: Towards a Pneumatological Understanding for Christian Mission.
(2009-05-09) Devanur, Ezekiel S. S.
This thesis adopts a pneumatological paradigm of mission, to suggest creative ways in which the Church might understand its role as advocate and critic in the globalized media reality of the 21st Century. Particular note is taken of the Indian context, where satellite and cable technology are enabling mass communication possibilities.

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