01. Theology

Theology ("God-talk") or faith reflection comes in many forms.  My principal foci are "contextual theology" and "practical theology" using an inductive methodology starting with the experience of a particular community.  Recently I have been researching the faith experience of people in Papua New Guinea, particularly the Enga Province of the Highlands. I have taught several times for a semmester at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, and for ten years I was teaching a course on "The Churches in Oceania and Emerging Theologies" at the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila.  In that course I treated the whole of Oceania including Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, and the Pacific (Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia). I am a member of the Association for Practical Theology in Oceania. Themes emerging prominently are theologies of land, sea and "life".  For example, see my article on Emerging Indigenous Theologies in Oceania in Concilium 2010/5. For other theological works, see the "Writings" tab on this website - for example: "Forces of Death and the Promise of Life in Papua New Guinea" (2009).

You can also watch the video Easter in Kandep (http://www.vimeo.com/14766303) (Film is linked below)

Recently I have been involved in a project led by Missio Aachen on Theology from a "South-South" perspective.  In that project we have input not only from the wider Oceania, but also Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East.