Our Summer Institute 2023 will explore how the Bible is read contextually throughout the world – in church, in politics, in the home, with children, in work and much more.

We will welcome theological students, educators, researchers and any Christian interested in learning about Christianity in other parts of the world.

We will focus on how the Bible is understood, engaged and lived in different parts of the world and how this helps churches and their communities to face the many ongoing challenges in the world.

We will explore

• the joys of Bible engagement in everyday life
• challenges whilst applying the Bible message in day-to-day contexts
• responses to different interpretations of the Bible
• reading the Bible in relation to other scriptures and literature

We will listen attentively to God and to each other while we consider working together to create better societies built on the biblical values of care, courage, compassion and justice.

We will worship and eat together daily, have opportunities to see the Centre’s renowned library and archives, and have time to discover the delights of Cambridge.

THE REVD PROF. JOHN BARTON FBA is Emeritus Oriel & Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture at the University of Oxford. His research focus is in the areas of Biblical canon, biblical ethics, prophets, hermeneutics, and history of biblical scholarship. He is Editor-in-chief, Oxford Research Encyclopaedia of Religion. His recent books include The Word: On the Translation of the Bible (2022), A History of the Bible: The Book and Its Faiths (2019), and The Bible: The Basics (2018).

THE REVD PROF ISRAEL DAVID is a theological educator from the Church of South India Rayalaseema Diocese, and is currently the Chairperson of the Department of Christian Ministry at the United Theological College, Bangalore, India. His areas of specialization include pastoral theology, pastoral psychology and Pastoral Counselling with subaltern communities. He has previously worked for several years as chaplain of CSI mission hospitals. He is widely published and is the author of Maslow’s Self Actualisation and Ambedkar’s Dalits: Re-imagining Pastoral Care and Counselling (2019).

DR HAVILAH DHARAMRAJ is the Head of the Department of Biblical Studies at the South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS), Bangalore, India.  She earned her PhD in Old Testament from the University of Durham, UK. Her areas of academic interest are Old Testament narrative, reception-centred intertextuality that engages texts across the biblical canon, and comparative literature which converses biblical texts with the sacred texts of other faiths. Her books include Ruth: A Pastoral and Contextual Commentary (2019), Altogether Lovely: A Thematic and Intertextual Reading of the Song of Songs (2018), and A Prophet Like Moses?: A Narrative-Theological Reading of the Elijah Cycle (2011).

THE REVD DR A KATHERINE GRIEB is the Director of the Center for Anglican Communion Studies (CACS). She has served the Anglican Communion in many roles. She has taught at Virginia Theological Seminary as Professor of Biblical Interpretation and New Testament since 1994 and now combines her duties at CACS with teaching Biblical Greek and New Testament Interpretation. Her books include, The Story of Romans: A Narrative Defense of God’s Righteousness (2002) which is widely used in seminaries, and Conversations with Scripture: Hebrews (2007). She has written extensively about preaching and has preached at Canterbury Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and many Episcopal parishes in the United States.

DR JÖRG HAUSTEIN is Associate Professor for World Christianities at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He is an expert on Pentecostal and Charismatic movements worldwide, with a particular interest in Ethiopia and Africa more generally, and has published widely in this area. He has also recently completed a major study on colonialism and Islam in German East Africa, which maps out the German colonial conversation on Islam and Christianity in Africa, including missionary discussions about language and Bible translations (forthcoming, Palgrave Macmillan, 2023). He is a co-editor of Brill’s Encyclopedia of Global Pentecostalism (2021), and The Pentecostal World (Routledge, 2023)

DR PAVLÍNA KAŠPAROVÁ is an Academic Coordinator at The Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide and a Research Associate with The Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology. Her research interest is in applying art practice for theological scholarship. As a practising artist, she combines practice-based research methods and theological reflection to observe and test the human’s ability to understand, express and share knowledge outside of the linguistic frameworks. Her PhD thesis on Art as a Living Theology: Exploring Artist’s Vocation introduced a methodology of ‘theological visualisation’ which equips theologians as well as ministers and pastoral leaders with a creative approach to theology and religious practices. Ultimately, this approach can be applied by any practising believers to communicate their religious experience within and outside their traditions and cultures.

DR CHEE-CHIEW LEE is Associate Professor of New Testament and Senior Dean of Programme Development and Dean of Advanced Studies at Singapore Bible College. She teaches courses in research writing, hermeneutics and New Testament at the graduate and postgraduate levels. Her passion is studying the Word of God and sharing its life-transforming message to help people face the challenges of our times by living the Word. As such, the channels of her sharing, in both English and Chinese, include publishing her research (through books and articles) and ministering to churches (through pulpit ministry, seminars, podcasts and Sunday school series).

DR JUNG-SOOK LEE is Professor of Church History at the Torch Trinity Graduate University, Seoul, South Korea where she has served as academic dean, vice president and president until 2019. She received her PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary. She became the first woman president for the Church History Society in Korea, and for the Korea Association of Accredited Theological Schools. Internationally she serves as a presidium member for the International Congress for Calvin Research, vice president for the Asia Theological Association, and council member for Oxford Centre for Mission Studies. She is ordained and married to a systematic theologian and presbyterian pastor, and they have two grown-up children.

DR NAZIK MATTY is lecturer at Babel College for Philosophy and Theology in Erbil/Iraq. She teaches Bible: Introduction to New Testament, Introduction to Historical Books, and Biblical Greek Language. Also, she teaches Biblical at the Domuni Universitas, an online university offering distance learning courses, at graduate and postgraduate level. Additionally, she teaches History of Syriac Literature at Syriac Department/ Salahidden University. Author of Sennacherib’s Campaign Against Judah and Jerusalem in 701 B.C. A Historical Reconstruction; in which she offers a reconstruction of the campaign comparing Biblical and Akkadian accounts.

DR GIRMA MOHAMMED is Tutor and Senior Research Fellow at International Bible Advocacy Centre and visiting lecturer at the University of Roehampton. He is the author of Understanding Religion and Social Change in Ethiopia (Palgrave, 2012) and editor of The Healing of Memories (Rowan and Littlefield, 2019) and co-editor of Christian Citizenship (JKP, 2017). He has also published numerous journal articles and book chapters. He is passionate about the religion-politics nexus and the role and positive impact of the Bible in the African public sphere.

DR JOSEPH M. MUNYUA is adjunct lecturer and researcher at St. Paul’s University, Limuru, Kenya. He is also the Director of Training and Development in the Anglican Diocese of Thika, Kenya. He is a well-read African theologian in Kenya. He is a scholar of Systematic Theology who is well knowledgeable in Protestant and Roman Catholic theologies. He has earned his PhD in Theology with specialization in Dogmatic Theology. He is particularly interested in developing the realms of theology and evangelization.

DR ANNA KASAFI PERKINS is Senior Programme Officer with the Quality Assurance Unit in The University of the West Indies (UWI), Jamaica, and adjunct faculty at St Michael’s Theological College, Jamaica. She teaches and researches in ethics, justice, popular culture, sexuality, theology, scripture, and quality assurance.  She is a published author of books, book chapters and journal articles.  Her most recent publications are Ethics Amidst COVID-19: A Brief Ethics Handbook for Caribbean Policymakers and Leaders (2020), co-authored with Professor R. Clive Landis and Rough Riding: Tanya Stephens and the Power of Music to Transform Society (2021), co-edited with Adwoa Onuora and Ajamu Nangwaya.

THE REVD CANON DR JOHN JOSHVA RAJA is an ordained clergy from the Church of South India, and was an Associate Professor at United Theological College, Bangalore. He served as a tutor at the Selly Oak Centre for Mission Studies, Queens Foundation, Birmingham. After leading the Oxford Centre for Religion and Public Life for a few years, he now works for the British and Foreign Bible Society as the Head of International Bible Advocacy Centre. The Centre provides training for the leaders around the globe empowering them to relate Bible in everyday life and thus transform the everyday contexts with the Bible values. He is widely published in the areas of Christian communication, theological education and contextual theologies.

DR GIFFORD RHAMIE is the founder and Lead Executive Consultant of Rockstone Consultancy, a leadership development consultancy, committed to the transformative practice of dismantling structural inequalities in organisations and opening up innovative spaces for inclusive performance and growth. He is an intersectional biblical scholar, focussing on how culture impacted and shaped the emergence of Christianity in antiquity. He is a guest lecturer at Newbold College at Higher Education where for over 24 years he was formerly a Senior Lecturer in Ethnicity & Culture in Early Christianity & Contemporary Praxis, and Director of Field Education.

THE REVD CANON DR STEPHEN SPENCER is Adviser for Theological Education at the Anglican Communion Office, London. He was previously vice principal of St Hild College in Yorkshire. He has experience as a parish priest and has written several theological books, including Archbishop William Temple: A Study in Servant Leadership (2022), Anglicanism (SCM Study Guide, 2021), Theology Reforming Society: Revisiting Anglican Social Theology (2017), and Christian Mission (SCM Study Guide, 2007). He is co-editor of three Preparing for Lambeth Conference books: Walking Together (on reconciliation) (2019), Witnessing Together (on evangelism) (2019), and Listening Together (on prayer) (2020). He is an Honorary Research Fellow at the Dept of Religion and Theology, Durham University.

THE REVD DR MUTHURAJ SWAMY is Director of the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide. Muthuraj (PhD, University of Edinburgh) moved to Cambridge in 2018. Previously, he worked as Associate Professor, Dean of Theology, and Dean of Postgraduate Studies at the Union Biblical Seminary (Serampore University) in India. As CCCW Director, Muthuraj teaches in the Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge, and in the Cambridge Theological Federation. Muthuraj is also a Visiting Fellow at St. John’s College, Durham University, and Project Manager for Theological Education for Mission in the Anglican Communion. 

DR PAULO UETI is a Latin American Theologian and Biblical Scholar, working with Anglican Alliance and the Theological Education in the Anglican Communion Office. He collaborates with USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel) with FeAST (Fellowship of Anglican Scholars of Theology). He is a former lecturer at the University of Brasilia, UnB, Brazil, and is a member of the Ecumenical Centre for Biblical Studies working with Contextual Bible Studies (CEBI), SBL (Society for Biblical Literature) and ABIB (Brazilian Association for Biblical Research).