Research Profile: Deborah Guess

Research Interests

Deborah’s main research area focuses on the issues raised for Church and theology by contemporary questions of ecology and environment and the extent to which the tradition is equipped to respond to these. Within this field, Deborah has specifically focused on thinkers Sallie McFague, Charles Birch, and Thomas Berry, on Christology (especially the Incarnation), and on Anglican thinkers Arthur Peacocke, Norman Pittenger and William Temple. Current and future research is focussed on the theology of place in relation to environment, the theology of a just and ecologically sustainable peace, and the treatment of the natural world in the Christian mystical tradition. Deborah is a member of the Centre for Research in Religion and Social Policy, University of Divinity.

Research Supervision

Deborah invites research proposals on the study of ecological/environmental theology, the doctrine of creation, and Christology (particularly in relation to the Incarnation). Studies on the theology of place, war/peace and the environment, and the Christian mystical tradition will also be welcomed.

Qualifications

BA (Hons) London, BTheol. MCD, MTheol. MCD, PhD UD.

Recent Publications

Co-Edited Books

• Ecological Aspects of War: Engagements with Biblical Texts, edited by Keith Dyer and Anne Elvey, with Deborah Guess, Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2017.
• Ecological Aspects of War: Religious and Theological Perspectives from Australia, edited by Anne Elvey, Deborah Guess and Keith Dyer. A Forum for Theology in the World (Adelaide, ATF Press), 2017.

Book Chapters and Journals

• “Nowhere to Lay His Head: An Ecotheological Reflection on Homelessness” in The Impact of Jesus of Nazareth – 2017 SCD Conference proceedings. Forthcoming.
• “Earth as Home-Place: Eco-Theology and the Incarnation.” In: Reimagining Home: Understanding, Reconciling and Engaging with God’s Stories Together, edited by Darrell Jackson, Darren Cronshaw, Rosemary Dewerse. Macquarie Park: Morling Press, 2019.
• “Oil Beyond War and Peace: Rethinking the meaning of matter.” Ecological Aspects of War: Religious and Theological Perspectives from Australia, edited by Anne Elvey, Deborah Guess and Keith Dyer, A Forum for Theology in the World (Adelaide, ATF Press), 2017.
• “An Ecotheological Exploration of the Thought of Arthur Peacocke.” Journal of Anglican Studies, 15.2, November 2017, 188-206.
• “Reclaiming Place: An Eco-theological Response to the ‘Miasma of Temporocentrism’”. Pacifica: Australasian Theological Studies. 30: 2 June 2017.
• “The Theistic Naturalism of Arthur Peacocke as a Framework for Ecological Theology,” Phronema: Journal of St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College, Sydney, 31:2, 2016.
• (With Anne Elvey and Keith Dyer) “Ecological Aspects of War—Imagining Creaturely Mission,” Australian Journal of Mission Studies 10, no. 2 (December 2016): 40–48.
• “Deep Incarnation: A Resource for Ecological Christology.” In Climate Change, Cultural Change: Religious Responses and Responsibilities. Edited Anne Elvey and David Gormley-O’Brien. Preston, Vic: Mosaic Press, 2013.

Download current CV and complete list of publications.