Resources from the Centre for Theology and Public Issues, Centre for Theology and Public Issues

This section contains resources produced by the Centre, articles and talks given by the Director and associates of the Centre, and other useful links.

Publications

Podcasts

Lectures, conversations and discussions organised by the Centre, featuring visitors to the Centre, can be found on our podcast webpages. Please scroll down to find the podcasts you are looking for.

The Centre for Theology and Public Issues podcasts on YouTube

The Theology playlist, including Centre for Theology and Public Issues videos from 2023 onwards

Talks and articles by Centre Director Professor David Tombs

A number of talks presented by Professor Tombs can be found on the Centre's YouTube playlist.

The Centre for Theology and Public Issues podcasts on YouTube

David Tombs, Panel discussion: The End of Life Choice Act 2019 Referendum (8 September 2020)

David Tombs, 'James Cone, the Cross and the Lynching Tree', Faith Thinking by Zoom, (30 June 2020)

David Tombs, 'Seeing His Innocence, I See My Innocence: Responses to Jesus as a Victim of Sexual Abuse', Faith Thinking on Zoom (7 April 2020)

Jayme R. Reaves and David Tombs, '#MeToo Jesus: Naming Jesus as a victim of sexual abuse', Review & Expositor 117.2 (2020 May), pp. 204-221.

Rocío Figueroa and David Tombs, 'Recognising Jesus as a Victim of Sexual Abuse: Responses from Sodalicio Survivors in Peru', Religion and Gender 10.1 (June 2020), pp. 57-75. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/18785417-01001003

David Tombs, 'When Did We See You Naked?', Joint Learning Initiative Gender-Based Violence Hub Webinar, Unit for Research on Religion and Development Research, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, 12 June 2019.

David Tombs, 'Princeton Research on Religion And Sexual Violence: Podcasts', The Shiloh Project (19 April 2019)

David Tombs, 'Jesus sexually abused when stripped, crucified, theologian says', Morning Report, Radio New Zealand (18 April 2019)
Audio of discussion with Radio New Zealand (4mins):

David Tombs, 'How Recognising Jesus as a victim of sexual abuse might help shift Catholic culture', The Conversation (13 March 2019)

Ramona Boodoosingh, Melanie Beres and David Tombs, 'Research Briefing: Violence Against Women in Samoa', Women's Studies Journal Aotearoa Vol. 32 No. 1/2 (December 2018), pp. 32-55.

David Tombs, Crucifixion, State Terror, and Sexual Abuse: Text and Context. Dunedin: University of Otago, Centre for Theology and Public Issues, 2018. OUR archive.

David Tombs, 'Lord When Did I See You Naked', Anglican Taonga, (Winter 2018), pp. 22-23.

Katie Edwards and David Tombs, '#HimToo – why Jesus should be recognised as a victim of sexual violence'. The Conversation, 23 March 2018

David Tombs, 'Should the stripping of Jesus be labelled sexual abuse?', Otago Daily Times, 16 February 2017

David Tombs and Jayme Reaves, BBC Radio Sheffield interview with Kat Cowan on '#MeToo Jesus', 21 January 2018

David Tombs and Jayme Reaves, '#MeToo Jesus: Why Naming Jesus as a Victim of Sexual Abuse Matters', Shiloh Lecture, Sheffield Institute for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies (SIIBS) 16 January 2018

Interview for 16 Days of Activism: Day 11, http://shiloh-project.group.shef.ac.uk/?p=1917 5 December 2017

Archibald Baxter's Christian Faith and Conscientious Objection, - 23 November 2017

'Abandonment, Rape, And Second Abandonment: Hannah Baker In 13 Reasons Why And King David's Concubines In 2 Samuel 15-20' - 18 October 2017

Review of John Granger Cook, Crucifixion in the Mediterranean World, - 20 March 2017

ODT: 'Confronting sexual abuse in the Catholic Church' - 17 February 2017

Tui Motu: The Spiritual Impact of Sexual Abuses (with Rocio Figueroa Alvear) - February 2017

ODT: 'Trump's religious beliefs hard to pin down' - 16 December 2016

'The Many Faces of Love' A Conversation on Social Services Sunday, St. Paul's Cathedral. Dunedin, 24 July 2016 http://octagonnotes.blogspot.co.nz/

'Acknowledging Jesus as Victim of Sexual Abuse'. Humanities Public Lecture, University of Auckland, 20 July 2016 https://aucklandtheology.wordpress.com/category/david-tombs/

'Making a Mutual Connection: Deepening the Conversations between Theology and Public Issues', presentation at St John's Presbyterian Church in the City, Wellington - 7 June 2016

ODT: 'Medically assisted dying' might not be the way to go - 17 June 2016

'Be not afraid: Changing Church Attitudes to Sexual Violence', Anglican Taonga, pp. 16-17. - December 2015

ODT Opinion piece: 'Days of Activism Starting Point for Anti-violence Action' - 20 November, 2015

Archibald Baxter Memorial Trust Peace Lecture - 'The Politics of Torture: The Findings of the US Senate Intelligence Committee Report on Torture' - 21 September, 2015
The notes from the lecture may also be viewed on the Archibald Baxter Memorial Trust website

David Tombs, Inaugural Professorial Lecture, 'Latin American Liberation Theology and its Ongoing Legacy' - 8 September 2015

ODT 'Killing Jesus' a gateway to deeper historical discussion - 17 April, 2015

'Silent No More: Sexual Violence in Conflict as a Challenge to the Worldwide Church' - 2014

Talks and articles by Dr Greg Marcar

Greg Marcar, “Temporal Goods, Divine Love and the Poverty of Christ.” Participatio: Journal of the Thomas F. Torrance Theological Fellowship 5.2 (2019): 102-26.
View/download a pdf of the article (PDF)

Greg Marcar, 'Revisiting Death's Difference: The Philosophical Anthropology of the U.S. Death Penalty and the Impossibility of Capital Due Process', British Journal of American Legal Studies, 9(1) (2020), DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/bjals-2020-0003

Greg Marcar, 'Maintaining our sense of solidarity', Faith & Reason Column, Otago Daily Times (20 March 2020)

Greg Marcar, 'Believing in the Death Penalty?' in Talk About: Law and Religion, (19 May 2020)

Greg Marcar, 'All Manner of Things Will Be Well', Tui Motu Interislands Magazine 248 (May 2020)