Theology and Religious Studies Research Webinars

The Birth of Jesus - Most people first come across the story of the birth of Jesus through the traditional Nativity play. However, Jesus’ birth is found in only two of the four gospels—Matthew and Luke—and while there are a few elements in common, both tell the story quite differently. In this session we will ask what, if anything, can we know about Jesus’ birth, and examine the theological convictions that help explain why Matthew and Luke composed their accounts in the way they did.

Paul is Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity and works on violence and martyrdom in early Christian communities.

Minorities in Islam - This session explores the question of sectarian difference in Islam, focusing on a Muslim minority group in the Middle East who differ considerably from normative Sunni theology and practice. It investigates religious pluralism in a Muslim context, revealing the social and political tensions that can arise from religious heterogeneity in Islam. 

Caroline is Professor of the Anthropology of Islam, specialising in religion, society and the state in modern Turkey.

Is Theodicy Evil - The problem of evil is a well-known topic in the philosophy of religion and modern theology. Most students of these subjects are familiar with concepts of the ‘inconsistent triad’ and some attempts to resolve it by way of the free-will defense, the ‘soul-making’ theodicy, and so on. But what if the very project of defending the goodness of an omnipotent, omniscient God in this way is itself a cause of harm? We’ll be exploring that question and some alternative ways of thinking about evil in modern philosophy and theology.

Ben is Senior Lecturer in Systematic Theology and specialises in modern and historical Christian Theology.

Is Christianity Sexist? - Mary Daly was one of the most influential feminist philosophers and theologians of the 20th century. This webinar addresses the central question underpinning most of her work: the extent to which Christianity sanctions sexism and misogyny. We will look specifically at her position on the maleness of Christian theological God-talk and ask if Daly is right to condemn Christianity as irrecoverably sexist.  

Hannah is Professor of Feminist Theology and works on Christian Thought, especially how it intersects with the lives of women.

How not to talk about God - A number of challenges to religious language argue that talk about God is fundamentally meaningless, and best left in silence. This talk will explore how religious thinkers have accepted that language is inadequate in relation to God, and who argue instead that as God is beyond human concepts, talk about God is paradoxical, but not meaningless: that in speaking of God we learn how not to speak about God.

Deborah is Lecturer in the Philosophy of Religion and works in particular on 19th and 20th century philosophical movements.

Watch our collection of 2022 recordings here.

Dr Dhivan Jones delivers 'It's Wrong so Don't do it!'- An Introduction to Metaethics in this webinar.

His research is in early Buddhist philosophy, and on the reception of ideas from Buddhist philosophy into western Buddhism. He works with texts in source languages, such as Pāli and Sanskrit, using comparative philological methods, and draws on the history of western philosophy to find ways to interpret Buddhist philosophical concepts in a modern western context.

Dr Ben Fulford delivers Symbol, Metaphor and Story in Religious language in this webinar.

He is Associate Professor of Christian Theology in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Chester, where he is also Senior Lecturer in Systematic Theology. He provides oversight of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Theology and Religious Studies as part of the leadership team of the School, leading an interdisciplinary team to deliver high quality, engaging teaching and supervision in a supportive and friendly learning community, informed by excellent research and scholarship.

Check out all of our recordings for our 2020 webinars.