Print this page
Rev. Dr. Clive Pearson

Assoc Prof Dr Clive Pearson

BA(hons), BD, PhD

Principal, Lecturer in Theology

About me:      

I grew up in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Following a degree in history I worked in the  United Kingdom for 4 years in a range of caring agencies. For two years I was second in charge of a Church of Scotland hostel for the rehabilitation of  alcoholics. On my return to New Zealand I studied for the ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Once I had completed my doctoral work in Cambridge I became the minister of St. Ninians in Christchurch. From 1994 to 1996 I was Professor of Systematic Theology at the Theological Hall, Knox College, Dunedin. I arrived in Sydney at 1 pm on the 1 January, 1997 to take a teaching  position at UTC. I became the Principal of the College in February 2007 after 18 months of being ‘acting’.

I am married to Mary (who is a mental health chaplain) and have a teenage son, Andrew.

My passion:

I believe that the church requires its very best theological thinking in the present time. I am deeply worried at the tendency for faith to be reduced to a form of religious simplism and become somewhat introverted. I want people to be able to give an account of the hope that is within them, for Christ’s sake, and to become more familiar with how they make up their moral mind.

Present Positions:      

  1. United Theological College:
    • Principal: United Theological College, Sydney
  2. School of Theology, Charles Sturt University:
    • Associate Professor: Associate Head of School of Theology.
    • Associated Director: PaCT (Centre for Research on Public and Contextual Theologies),  Charles Sturt University.
    • Co-ordinator of Higher Research Degrees. 

Current Memberships

  • Member, National Assembly Reference Committee  on Multiculturalism  Uniting Church in Australia]; 1997-
  • Member, Doctrine Committee, Uniting Church in Australia, 1999-
  • Member,  Ministry Education Commission Executive, Uniting Church in Australia.
  • Member, Council of Synod, NSW.

 

Current Editorial Memberships

  • Member of editorial advisory board of Ecotheology (London , 1996- ).
  • Member of editorial board of Political Theology (London, 2004- )
  • Member of editorial board, Uniting Church Studies, (Sydney, 1997-)
  • Associated editor, International Journal of Public Theology  (Leiden, 2006-)
  • Foundation editor for the proposed journal, Cross-Culture, (2007- )

Teaching Areas:               

Theology, Ethics.

I  have been teaching the core courses in a systematic theology:

  • Introduction to Theology;
  • Christ and Creation;
  • Spirit, Church and the Christian Life.

These courses are taught in a way that is designed to place an emphasis upon method and help students negotiate their way through a diversity of perspective. The courses mediate writings and insights from a range of cultures, theological persuasions, gender and age.

 

The electives I teach reflect my interest in the following areas:

  • Contextual Theology,
  • Ecotheology,
  • Public Theology,
  • Theological Ethics,
  • Theology and  Youth,
  • Diasporic and Migrant Theologies
  • Reformed Theology.

I believe that students should be subject to a wide range of theologies. I like to work closely with students and help them discover their own theology.  I have a deep commitment to developing the theological leadership of those who come  after me.

I have a particular interest in theology’s ‘ecology of responsibility’ by which I mean how does theology address the church, the academy and the public domain.

I frequently lead theological discussions in the life of congregations and small groups.

Current Research Activities:        

I am presently writing a book on what constitutes a public theology  in the Australian context. Once that has been completed I have in mind a manuscript on “The Public Christ”

I am editing a collection of papers from the ‘Faith in a Hyphen’ conference held  at the college in December 2006.      One of the other pivotal areas of interest at the moment is thinking through what kind of theologies might be required in the local neighbourhood, the postcards in which we live, work and play. The reason why I have an interest here is because of he cultural pluralism and the level of interfaith encounter here in Sydney.

Current Supervision

I supervise research work at a number of levels. I have a number of doctoral students working in the areas of:

  • theology and climate change,
  • cross-cultural, diasporic and remigrant theologies, 
  • the hermeneutics of discipleship / followship,
  • a Christian theology of other faiths.          

Publications:   (Last 5 years).

  1. Series editor 
    1. Cross Cultural Theology Series with Jione Havea and Andrew Reddie, Equinox, London.
      1. Volumes published:
        • Leonardo Boff,    Global Civilisation  (2005)
        • Andreas Andreopoulos, Art as Theology (2007).
        • Anthony Reddie, Dramatizing Theologies: A Participative Approach to Black God-Talk (2007).
      2. Forthcoming:
        • Michael Jagessar and Anthony Reddie, Black Theology in Britain, (2007).
        • Michael Grimshaw,  Bibles and Baedekers: Tourism, Travel, Exile and God, (2007).
  2. Recent Books
    1. Faith in a Hyphen: Doing Cross Cultural Theologies Down Under [ed]  Open Book [Adelaide] UTC Publications  [Sydney] 2004 / 2006.
    2. Thirty Years of Korean Ministry in Australia, ed. with Myong Duk Yang, [in English and Korean], UTC Publications [Sydney], printed in Korean and English by Presbyterian Church of  Korea [Seoul], 2004
    3. Scholarship and Fierce Sincerity: Henry D.A. Major: The Face of Anglican Modernism, Polygraphia , Auckland, 2006.
  3. Forthcoming books
    1. Out of Place, edited with Jione Havea, Equinox, London.
  4. Chapters
    1. “Australian Contextual Theologies”, Asian Christian Theologies: A Research Guide to Authors, Movements, Sources, Volume 1, ed. J. England, Publishers: ISPCK [Delhi], Claretian  Publishers [Quezon City] and Orbis Books [New York], 2002; pp. 599-657.
    2. “Coming to our Senses”,  Christians, the Environment and Justice, ed. Bloore, C.G., Social Justice  Workgroup, Knox Church, Dunedin, 2005; pp. 23-32.
    3. Hyphenated Identity of Second Generation and Migrant Churches’ [bilingual text] Thirty Years of Korean  Ministry in Australia, UTC Publications,  Sydney /  Presbyterian Church Press, Seoul, 2004. pp 123-138 {Korean} pp. 368-387 {English}.
    4. “Losing Ground?”, Christians, the Environment and Justice, ed. Bloore, C.G., Social Justice , Workgroup, Knox Church, Dunedin, 2005; pp. 7-16.
    5. “In Praise of Exile”,  Reforming the Reformation, ed. I. Breward, Australian Scholarly Press,  Melbourne, 2004.; pp. 213-236.
    6. 'Teaching in a Cross Cultural Environment’, Multicultural Ministry, ed. S. Yoo-Crowe and C. Crowe,  Inform, Sydney, 2002, pp. 53-61.
  5. Forthcoming Chapters
    1. “For Christ’s Sake: Confessing the Lordship of Christ Down Under”,  Confessing Christ As Lord Today : Voices from Around the World, ed. Peter  McEnhill, Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press, August 2007].
    2. “Imagining Being Reformed Down Under” , [Stellenbosch Conference, ed. Michael Welker,  Grand  Rapids: Eerdmans,].
    3. Entry on Christologies in the Pacific and Australia for The Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity edited by  Daniel Patte [2007]
  6. Refereed Articles
    1. “A Kick in the Theological Shins”,  Journal of Youth and Theology, Oxford. April, 2002.
    2. “Ballyhooing around in Public”, Uniting Church  Studies, August,  2004.
    3. "Ecclesiology in a Minor Key", Push, Volume 2, 2002, pp. 26-43.
    4. “Electing Ecotheology”, Ecotheology, 9:1, April, 2004; pp. 7-28.
    5. “Encountering Christ in a Hyphen”, CTC Bulletin, Hong Kong, Volume XX, Number 1, April,        2004; pp.18-33.
    6. “ For Christ’s Sake: From Expletive to Confession”, Pacifica, Volume 17, Number 2, 2004; pp. 197-215.
    7. ‘From Terra Australis to Terror Australis’.Eremos November, 2003
    8. “On Being Ad Hoc About a Theology of Youth  Ministry”,  Uniting Church Studies, March 2002, pp. 43-61.
    9. “On Being Public about Ecotheology”, Ecotheology July 2001-January 2002, pp. 42-59.
    10. “Report on the Christchurch Conference, July 2000”, Ecotheology July 2001-January 2002, pp. 205-208.
    11. “Telling Tales”,  Studies in World Christianity, Edinburgh, Volume 10 Number 2, October, 2004; pp. 6-24.
    12. ‘The Face of Theology’, Crossing Borders: Shaping Faith, Ministry and Identity in Multicultural Australia, ed. Helen Richmond and Myong Duk Yang, Sydney, UCA Assembly and NSW Board of Mission, 2006; pp. 204-217
  7. Forthcoming Refereed Articles
    1. ‘The Quest for a Glocal Public Theology’,  International Journal of Public Theology, [late 2007].
  8. Reviews
    1. God and the Future, C, Mostert in Uniting Church Studies, August 2003; pp. 75-83.
    2. Set in a Long Place, M. Andrew, in Pacifica, February 2002, pp. 114-117.
  9. Non-print media
    1. “The Changing Nature of Easter”, Radio 2GB, Sydney, 26 March 2005.
    2. "Corporate Tango", 25 March, 2001, Encounter, National Radio., Australia.
    3. "Citizenship and the Corporate Culture", 13 April, 2001, Encounter, National Radio Australia.
    4. “Touchstone: Heaven and Hell: Part 5”,  Radio New Zealand, 16th November 2003.
    5. “World Environment Day and Theology”, 16 June, 2002, National Radio Australia.
    6. ‘Good Friday’, ‘Pope John Paul II’, ‘The Devil’,    2GB, April 2005.

Favourite sitings:

  1. See websites for Equinox book series on Cross-Cultural theologies, edited by Clive Pearson, Jione Havea and Anthony Reddie; http://www.equinoxpub.com
  2. See website for Centre for Public and Contextual Theologies, Charles Sturt Universities. http://www.csu.edu.au/faculty/arts/theology/pact/

Top of page