Scholars from across Australia and beyond will gather at Alphacrucis University College on Thursday 5 November 2026 to examine how Christian theology understands power—and how it is exercised in the church and society.
The Theology of Power Symposium will bring biblical, historical, systematic and practical theology into conversation. Across eleven papers, presenters will explore power in creation, the cross, Christian tradition and church life, asking how power can be shared, misused, challenged and transformed.
The program will consider how God’s power is revealed through creation and creaturely agency, and how the cross reshapes ideas of strength and authority. Adam Dodds will examine Terence Fretheim’s account of divine power and human participation in creation, while Matthew Stenhouse will draw on Irenaeus to present a vision of divine power and justice expressed through nonviolent, self-giving love. Rob Robayna and Ben Myers will explore how early Christians came to see the crucified Christ as revealing God’s power.
Other papers will engage biblical texts and Christian thought to question familiar accounts of authority and sovereignty. Murray Rae will consider the cry of dereliction and the nature of divine power in Jesus’ suffering. Neil Ormerod will examine Thomas Aquinas’s views on divine power, goodness, wisdom, and love. While Christopher Holmes will analyse divine power in light of Leviticus 26:37, Joseph Kohring will investigate the complex portrayal of King Saul and the relationship between political success and faithful rule.
Several presenters will address the ways power shapes Christian communities and the lives of people within them. Maja Whitaker will bring disability theology into conversation with assumptions about agency, weakness and flourishing. Louise Gosbell, Jenny Richards and Erin Hutton will consider how a theology of empowerment can support the dignity and full participation of people with disability in the church. Jarrod McKenna will consider the influence of William Cooper, the Aboriginal pastor and activist, on Australian church practices. Ian Hussey will compare church governance models and their approaches to accountability, and Faith Girardi will propose a Pentecostal theology of public honesty in response to abuse and institutional cover-ups.
Together, the papers invite participants to consider a central question: how might Christian communities recognise and resist abusive power while practising authority in ways that reflect the character of Christ?
The symposium will be held at Alphacrucis University College in Parramatta. The keynote speaker is Greg Boyd, theologian, pastor and author whose work explores divine power through the cruciform revelation of God in Christ. It is a part of a series of events hosted at AC Parramatta. For tickets to the symposium and adjoining events – click here.
A full schedule of the symposium is available below
