Welcome

Welcome to the website of the Centre for Public Theology, a research initiative located in the Faculty of Theology at Huron University College, at the University of Western Ontario.

Over the next few months, this site will be changing. Keep checking back, or consider contacting us for email updates.

Public Theology in the Canadian Context

Public theology in the most general sense is systematic reflection on issues relating to public life, carried out in the light of theological conviction and with the aid of the theological disciplines. Theology in this context is understood as the systematic reflection of faith communities, as they navigate their own histories, traditions and texts in specific historical and cultural contexts. As such, public theology is scarcely a new subject, but it is one that has a growing profile in theology internationally, and one that is of potentially great importance geopolitically. 

The Centre for Public Theology accordingly aims to foster non-partisan and open theological research, both from its roots deep within the Christian tradition and together with other religions. We value dialogue with other university disciplines, and the involvement of both traditional and non-traditional stakeholders in conversation concerning issues of public concern in contemporary Canada.

The Centre for Public Theology is Canadian-focused, but aware that Canada and Canadian perspectives are related to the global context and must often be set in terms of a local-global interaction. 

Our Mission

Our goal is not advocacy so much as intelligence – in a better informed academy, in a more discerning church and other religious institutions, and finally, in a public that is better educated in the religious and ethical dimensions of societal issues, in full view of a world in which religious conviction is of massive and increasing public importance.

The Centre's intention is thus to promote critical theological research and publication on issues of concern facing our society in an increasingly globalized world. A cycle of topics relating to politics and justice, human life, and the environment will be examined. Over the next three years, these topics will come to focus in the following: Canada's role in Afghanistan; HIV infection and AIDS; and finally, the threat of climate change and the question of energy policy. Follow the links above or at the right for more information.