Interculturality, mission and interfaith engagement are vital research fields, especially in today’s increasingly interconnected world. This research cluster involves understanding and navigating the complexities of different cultural, ethnic, and worldview contexts. Such research aligns with the biblical call to love our neighbours. Developing intercultural competence enables effective and respectful relationships across cultural divides. It involves a commitment to understanding and respecting cultural, ethnic and religious differences while faithfully loving God and neighbours. Research in areas of interculturality, mission and interfaith engagement can contribute to fostering a more harmonious and just world, thus witnessing to the inclusive and redemptive love of Christ.
Crucially, engagement in these areas may redress distortions of religious mis- and dis-information, and construct inter-religious common ground. Many global challenges facing humanity today can only be mastered if humans from diverse cultures, ethnicities, religious backgrounds and faith traditions can meaningfully collaborate on issues of global importance, as we seek to create a world that may be equitably and enduringly shared.
Recent Publications
BOOKS
Arasaratnam-Smith, L.A., and Deardorff, D. K. (2023). Developing Intercultural Competence in Higher Education: International Students’ Stories and Self-Reflection. Routledge
Luetz, J.M., Austin D.A., A. Duderija (Eds). (2023). Interfaith Engagement Beyond the Divide: Approaches, Experiences, and Practices. Springer Nature
Luetz, J.M., Nunn, P.D. (Eds). (2023). Beyond Belief—Opportunities for Faith-Engaged Approaches to Climate-Change Adaptation in the Pacific Islands. Springer Nature
Hovey, K G (2019). Guiding Light: Contributions of Alan R. Tippett Toward the Development and Dissemination of Twentieth Century Missiology. Pickwick Publications
Hughes, P., Bilimoria, P., Bapat, J. (2019). The Indian Diaspora: Hindus and Sikhs in Australia (2nd edition). Manticore Publishing
ARTICLES
Winchester, R., Luetz, J.M., & Hovey, K. (2024). A Future Agenda for Research on In-Service Theological Training in Thailand and Beyond. International Review of Mission, 113(1), 92–114
Arasaratnam-Smith, L. A., Sousa, C., Rodriguez, N., & Carvalheiro, R., & Goncalves, G. (2023). The effect of multicultural attitude and perceived intergroup threat on attitudes towards immigrants in Portugal: A polynormal regression with response surface analysis. Psychological Reports, 0(0) 1-25. | External link
Dodds, Adam. (2023). How can Human Beings Respond to Divine Warnings and Promises? Deciphering the Puzzle of Divine Sovereignty and Human Freedom in Christianity and Islam In Eds. J. M. Luetz, D. A. Austin, & A. Duderija, Interfaith Engagement Beyond the Divide: Approaches, Experiences, and Practices (pp. 113–132). Springer. | External link
Dodds, Adam. and Shumack, Richard (2023). Jesus of the Gaps: The evangelistic use of biblical reflexes in the Qur’an. Missiology: An International Review, Volume 51 Issue 3 223-237. | External link
Dodds, Adam. (2023). Whom Does God Love? Comparing Divine Love in the Hadith and the Bible. Asia Journal of Theology, 37 (1) 23-53. | External link
Durga, P. (2023). Overcoming religious distance: Epiphanies in cross-cultural settings In Johannes M. Luetz, Denise A. Austin & Adis Duderija, Interfaith Engagement Beyond the Divide: Approaches, Experiences, and Practices (pp. 283-298). Springer Nature
Hughes, P (2023). Australians’ Attitudes to Various Religions and Interfaith Activities In Adis Duderija, Denise A. Austin, Johannes M. Luetz, Interfaith Engagement Beyond the Divide: Approaches, Experiences, and Practices (pp. 163-180). Springer
Luetz, J.M., Austin, D.A., Duderija, A. (2023). Interfaith Engagement: The State of the Art In J.M. Luetz, D.A. Austin, & A. Duderija (Eds.), Interfaith Engagement Beyond the Divide: Approaches, Experiences, and Practices (pp. 1–25, Ch. 1). Springer Nature. | External link
Luetz, J.M., Pegram, N.D., Austin, D.A., & Muqowim, Duderija, A. (2023). Character Formation in Muslim and Christian Higher Education: A Comparative Case Study Between Australia and Indonesia (Part Two) In J.M. Luetz, D.A. Austin, & A. Duderija (Eds.), Interfaith Engagement Beyond the Divide: Approaches, Experiences, and Practices (pp. 225–246; Ch. 12). Springer Nature. | External link
Luetz, J.M., Atabongwoung, G., & Austin, D.A.(2023). Invigorating Interfaith Consciousness for the Common Good: Reimagining the Role of African Religion and Pentecostalism in Contemporary South Africa. Religions, 14(4) 486. | External link
Luetz, J.M. (2023). “All Humans are Strangers—Almost Everywhere”: Reflections on Human Belonging. In J.M. Luetz, D.A. Austin, & A. Duderija (Eds.). Interfaith Engagement Beyond the Divide: Approaches, Experiences, and Practices. (Ch. 16; pp. 299–329). Springer Nature. | External link
Dodds, Adam. (2022). Theological Anthropology in the Qur'anic Narratives of the Fall: A Contrastive Study. Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, Vol. 33 Issue 3 235-254. |External link
Luetz, J.M. & Nunn, P.D. (2021). Beyond Belief. In J.M. Luetz & P.D. Nunn (Eds.), Beyond Belief—Opportunities for Faith-Engaged Approaches to Climate-Change Adaptation in the Pacific Islands (pp. 1–14). Springer Nature. | External link
Luetz, J.M. & Raman, T.A. (2021). How Does Faith Influence Pro-Environmental Practice in Schools? Examples from the Pacific Islands. In J.M. Luetz & P.D. Nunn (Eds.), Beyond Belief—Opportunities for Faith-Engaged Approaches to Climate-Change Adaptation in the Pacific Islands (pp. 313–326). Springer Nature. | External link
Luetz, J.M., Unger, J.M., Bhattarai, A., Maisch, B., & Obuhuma, J. (2021). Fostering Innovation and Intercultural Exchange During a Global Pandemic—Lessons Learned from a Virtual Design Thinking Challenge in Nepal. In W. Leal Filho (Eds.), COVID-19—Paving the Way for a More Sustainable World (World Sustainability Series) (pp. 185–209). Springer Nature. | External link
Luetz, J.M. & Nelson, W., (2021). Towards Intercultural Literacy—A Literature Review on Immersive Cross-Cultural Experiences and Intercultural Competency. In J.M. Luetz & B. Green (Eds.), Innovating Christian Education Research—Multidisciplinary Perspectives (pp. 395–422). Springer Nature. | External link
Luetz, J.M., & Nelson, W. (2021). The Impact of Short-Term Cross-Cultural Experience on the Intercultural Competence of Participating Students—A Case Study of Australian High School Students. Social Sciences, 10(8), 313 1–28. | External link
Arasaratnam-Smith, L. A. Pepper, N., Powell, R. A.(2020). A study of cultural empathy and attitude toward diversity: The case of Australian Christian church attenders. Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, 31 251-272
Arasaratnam-Smith, L.A., Goncalves, G., Sousa, C., Rodrigues, N., & Carvalheiro, R. (2020). Intercultural communication competence scale: Invariance and construct validation in Portugal. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research. | External link
Dodds, Adam. (2019). How do conceptions of Allah’s Being in Islam compare with those of God’s Being in Christianity?. Evangelical Quarterly, Volume 90 Issue 1 38-60. | External link
HDR Theses
Adelana, Segun. African-initiated Pentecostal Churches: Towards an African Diaspora Missiology in Australia (DMin)
Coenradi, Robert. A Study of an Islamic Boarding School (Pesantren) Network in Indonesia : Patterns of Belief, Religious Practice and Identity (PhD)
Elsayed, Yasmin. Signs, wonders, and miracles in Pentecostalism and Sufism (PhD)
Fitz-Herbert, John. Becoming reconciled: A critical review of responses from the official Australian Catholic Church to Australian national indigenous Reconciliation, in light of the Catholic liturgical tradition (DMin)
Houston, Lesley. An Exploration of the Interpretations and Use of Psalms by Akha Christians (PhD)
Klar, Mariaana. A study of missiology and missionary work in Thailand (DMin)
Smith, Bette. Challenges with intercultural communication using English between second-language English speakers in the multicultural church setting in Melbourne churches (DMin)
Sue, Wolfgang. Ancestral practices and their implications for the Christian church (PhD)
Winchester, Ross. Developing Transformational Pentecostal Leaders in Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand: A Model for In-Service Leadership Training (PhD)
Norman, Murray. The value of religious education (SRE and GRE) to a multicultural Australia (PhD)
HDR Theses (Completed)
Davis, Allan. Religious acculturation of Syriac Orthodox churches in diaspora in Australia (PhD)
Henriksson, Carissa. Embracing Vulnerability: A Case Study on Educational Experiences and Social Integration of Migrants and Immigrants in a Swedish School (PhD)
Hovey, Kevin. Guiding Light: Contributions of Alan R. Tippett Toward the Development and Dissemination of Twentieth Century Missiology (PhD)
Jones, David. Foundations for justice in knowledge work: an autoethnographic account of discovering the universal pattern beneath outcome-focused conversations (PhD)
Keyhanee, Mousa. An Exercise in Comparative Theology: Light in the Bible and the Qu'ran (MPhil)
Naidoo, Jared. Decolonising Jesus: Tinyiko Maluleke’s African Jesus as Suffering Liberator (MPhil)
Smith, Susan. Sitting With Melons: A Critical Evaluation Of The Mechanisms By Which Women Exercise Public Sphere Influence In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (PhD)
Sue, Dianne. Women in Isan: How Modernisation is Changing Religious Roles (PhD)
LEAD RESEARCHERS
HDR CANDIDATES
- Segun Adelana
- Robert Coenradi
- Yasmin Elsayed
- John Fitz-Herbert
- Lesley Houston
- Mariaana Klar
- Bette Smith
- Wolfgang Sue
- Ross Winchester
- Murray Norman
HDR GRADUATES
- Dr Allan Davis
- Dr Carissa Henriksson
- Dr Kevin Hovey
- Dr David Jones
- Dr Susan Smith
- Dr Dianne Sue
- Mousa Keyhanee
- Jared Naidoo
CURRENT PROJECT
Lily Arasaratnam-Smith is currently editing a major new reference work, the Handbook of Culture and Communication, slated for publication by Edward Elgar in 2026.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
This research cluster contributes to the advancement of the following goals:
