Rev. Bec Lindsay will be one of the presenters at United Theological College’s next research colloquium on Friday, 15 July.
Rev. Lindsay told Insights she will present part of the research from her PhD.
Rachelle Gilmore will also present a paper at the colloquium.
“My interest is thinking about the Bible within the context of settler colonial Australia,” Rev. Lindsay said.
“If the Bible has been part of the process of colonisation, how might it be part of the processes of decolonisation. This particular paper reads Ruth 3 and looks at the character of Ruth and the other women from the Hebrew Bible whose stories resonate in this text.”
“Alongside of this I think about Grandmother stories within Australia, particularly learning from Narungga poet and academic Natalie Harkin and Eualeyai and Kamilaroi academic and writer Larissa Behrendt about their process of learning about the lives of their grandmothers.”
Rev. Lindsay said that her work is at an advanced state and that she hopes to be, “on the home stretch of what has been a long, part-time PhD process.”
“I’m learning a lot about these lands now called Australia, their history and present, how to live with this knowledge as a “second person” or “settler descendant,” and how that might shape my discipleship,” she said.
Rev. Lindsay recommends people listen to, and learn from, Aboriginal theologians and teachers, such as Rev. Dr Aunty Denise Champion through her books Yartha Wandatha and Anaditj, Dr Anne Pattel-Gray through her book The Great White Flood, and Rev. Dr Garry Deverell through his book Gondwana Theology and his blog at uncommonprayers.blogspot.com.”
“These ideas are also explored in the monthly webinar Black Lives Matter and its implications for Australia hosted by Rev. Dr Katalina Tahaafe-Williams, Rev. Tau’alofa Anga’aelang, and Rev. Liam Miller.”
United Theological College’s next research colloquium takes place on Friday, 15 July from 1:30pm. People can attend in person or participate via Zoom.