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Dr Allan Davis

Lecturer in Theology (Spanish Language)
  • Biography

    Allan has lived in several different cultures and has expertise in cross-cultural communication and acculturation studies, in particular in relation to migrant and humanitarian settlement. He has a strong interest in the early Church and older Christian movements, having lived and worked in the Middle East. His doctoral thesis explored the current state and future of the ancient Syriac Orthodox Church in diaspora in the West, in the context of ongoing conflicts in its countries of origin. He has also written on the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church (based in India). Allan teaches courses on Christians in leadership, Christian doctrine, and missions in Australia and overseas. A Spanish-speaker, he has taught Church History and Christ & Salvation and anchored other courses (including Spirit-Led Leadership and the Trinity & the Christian Life), for the Bogota, Colombia campus of Alphacrucis.

    Prior to his doctoral studies, Allan had a 45 year career with the Australian Government, including diplomatic postings in Peru, Venezuela, Spain, Lebanon, Singapore and Kenya. He also worked extensively (in parallel) as an ordained Pentecostal Christian minister and local pastor.

    Qualifications

    Doctor of Philosophy (Alphacrucis College)
    Dissertation Title What is successful religious acculturation? A case study of the Syriac Orthodox Church in diaspora in Australia 2019

    Master of Arts (Charles Sturt University) 2002

    Bachelor of Biblical Theology (ICI University) 2000

    Bachelor of Arts (Australian National University) 1998

  • Research Interests

  • Research Publications

    Book Chapters

    • 2023
      • Davis, A (2023). Interfaith and Intra-Faith Engagement of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Diaspora in Australia In Adis Duderija, Denise A. Austin, Johannes M. Luetz, Interfaith Engagement Beyond the Divide: Approaches, Experiences, and Practices (pp. 181-202). Springer Nature Singapore.
  • Scholarship

    Presentations

    • 2019
      • (with Arasaratnam-Smith, L.) The Tension Between Acculturation and Tradition: The Case of the Syrian Orthodox Diaspora in Australia (2019), 10th biennial conference of the International Academy for Intercultural Research, New York City, USA, 28 Aug 2019
    • 2018
      • How can successful acculturation of migrants and refugees be better understood and help shape cultural policy? The case of the Syriac Orthodox Church in diaspora in secularist Australia (2018), International Conference on Cultural Policy Research, Tallinn, Estonia, 23 Aug 2018
      • What is “successful” religious acculturation? A case study of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East in diaspora in Australia. (2018), AC Colloquia, Parramatta, Australia, 03 Apr 2018

    Engagement Publications


    Books
    • 2019
      • Davis, A. W.(2019). What is successful religious acculturation? : a case study of the Syriac Orthodox Church in diaspora in Australia. Alphacrucis College: Parramatta.

  • Teaching

    Not currently teaching
  • Supervision