Publication of paper in new issue of Practical Theology

A paper by Susannah Cornwall drawing on research carried out as part of the Intersex, Identity, Disability: Issues for Public Policy, Healthcare and the Church project will appear in the new issue of Practical Theology. The full details are:

Cornwall, Susannah (2013), "British Intersex Christians' Accounts of Intersex Identity, Christian Identity and Church Experience", Practical Theology 6.2, 220-236

This paper includes excerpts from interviews with intersex Christians in Britain which took place during 2012 as part of the project.

Lincoln Theological Institute Work-in-Progress Meeting

Researchers associated with the Lincoln Theological Institute met at the University of Manchester on Monday 1st July for a work-in-progress afternoon.

Susannah Cornwall, LTI postdoctoral research associate, reported on the work of the Intersex, Identity, Disability project, including the production of four briefing papers, and the forthcoming publication of papers in Theology and Practical Theology drawing on her interviews with intersex Christians in Britain.

John Rodwell, LTI honorary research fellow, shared progress on the book forthcoming from the Belonging and Heimat project, entitled At Home in the Future: Place and Belonging in a Changing Europe. He also discussed other work in progress, including his leading of a workshop for DEFRA to consider overlaps between spiritual and aesthetic accounts of place and environment.

Anne Marie Sowerbutts, LTI honorary research fellow and leader of The Common Good project, shared developments arising from the project among community groups in Wythenshawe, including discussions about provision for elderly people, leading to the convening of a local support and friendship group. Anne Marie also noted the recent publication of her paper in Christian Bioethics 18.2 entitled "Germ-line Genetic Engineering in Light of the Theology of Marriage", and her work with a group of Carmelites.

LTI honorary research fellow Paul Vallely shared updates on his own work, including the forthcoming publication of his biography of Pope Francis (Pope Francis: Untying the Knots, Bloomsbury, August 2013), and his involvement with the development of an MA in Theology, Media and Communication at the University of Chester.

LTI students Charlie Pemberton, Rohan Gideon and Scott Midson gave updates on their PhD projects: a theological critique of Christian charities' work with homeless people; a developing account of agency in Child Theologies in India; and a theology of the cyborg.

LTI Director Peter Scott reported on the work of other LTI projects, including Systematic Theology in a Changing Climate (a multi-authored systematic theology of climate change); the ongoing conferences in the A Shaking of the Foundations? Reconsidering Civil Society strand, including Churches, Communities and Society (25th-26th October 2013); and the launch of a new project, Theology, Plurality and Society.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Director Scott commented: "It's been great to review the range and depth of the work going on at LTI--some truly remarkable theological work is going on here, and I'm delighted by these achievements." 

Forthcoming talks and presentations

Forthcoming talks and presentations by Susannah Cornwall:

4th May 2013, 10am-3.30pm, Lang Cafe, 65 West 11th Street, New York, NY. Queering Christianities Conference, New School, New York City: "Queering Susanna: Art, Liturgy and Queer 'Emptiness'"

19th May 2013, 1pm, Captain's Cabin, 4 Norris Street, London SW1Y 4RJ. Vagabonds group, St James' Piccadilly, London: "Intersex"

"1 in 2,500 people has an intersex condition, meaning that their body cannot be unproblematically categorized as male or female. Theological accounts of sex, gender and sexuality often assume sex is binary and stable, but what if this is not the case? In this session, we'll discuss some of the specificities of intersex conditions, learn what intersex Christians have said about the interactions between their intersex identity and their Christians identity, and explore what the implications might be for people of faith."  

1st June 2013, Hidden Perspectives / LaDIYfest Sheffield festival: "Hidden in Plain Sight: Intersex, the Bible, and Social Assent"

"Hidden Perspectives is a large-scale pioneering public engagement project that aims to open up interpretations of biblical narratives to underrepresented groups. The project is a jointly organised by Dr. Katie Edwards at The University of Sheffield and LaDIYfest Sheffield.

Hidden Perspectives encourages inclusive discussion on dominant interpretations of biblical texts and narratives found in scholarship and mainstream culture. Working with groups and individuals from range of faith and non-faith backgrounds, this ambitious project aims to foster an atmosphere of inclusivity and diversity in which biblical texts can be interpreted."

26th July 2013, The Bible and the Social Sciences conference, University of Manchester: “Reading Bodies: Intersex, Homelessness, and ‘Marginal’ Interpretation”

  

Conference report: Intersex, Theology and the Bible

The Lincoln Theological Institute hosted an international conference on Intersex, Theology and the Bible at the University of Manchester on Tuesday 12th March 2013.

  

Above: Some of the speakers at Chancellors Hotel in Manchester.

Right: Delegates enjoy lunch and conversation at the Samuel Alexander Building, University of Manchester.

Delegates attended from Britain, the USA and Norway, and included academics from a variety of fields (including theology, biblical studies, Jewish studies, law, sociology, and anthropology) as well as doctors, clergy, healthcare chaplains, representatives from intersex support groups, and other interested parties. We enjoyed a stimulating day including live Skype presentations from speakers in Darwin, Australia and Cape Town, South Africa. Full details of the speakers and the abstracts of their lectures are available here. Expanded versions of the papers presented, plus an additional chapter by Susannah Cornwall, will be published in due course as Intersex, Theology and the Bible: Troubling Bodies in Church, Text and Society (with Palgrave Macmillan US).

HARKNESS LECTURE 2012 - VIDEO AVAILABLE TO VIEW ONLINE

Lincoln Theological Institute postdoctoral research associate Susannah Cornwall's lecture "Asking About What is Better: Intersex, Disability and Inaugurated Eschatology", delivered in September 2012 as the third annual Georgia Harkness Lecture at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California, is now available to view online.

Part 1

Part 2 (including questions and discussion)

 

NEW BOOK BY LTI POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

SCM Press has just published a new book by Lincoln Theological Institute postdoctoral research associate Susannah Cornwall. Part of the SCM's Core Texts series, Theology and Sexuality is targetted at upper-level undergraduates. The book includes discussions of the implications of intersex conditions for theological accounts of sex, gender and sexuality.

From SCM's web page for the book:

The SCM Core Text Theology and Sexuality provides a clear overview of the theological debate surrounding sexuality as broadly understood. It gives an outline of the major themes surrounding sexuality in theological perspective, focusing on key thinkers, concepts, and areas of discussion. This student-friendly textbook is aimed at theology students and ordinands studying at undergraduate level 3 and MA level who are undertaking modules on theology and sexuality, gender, sex and the human body. It is also accessible to Christian clergy and laypeople who wish to engage with issues of sexuality in congregations. The use of extensive glossaries, breakout definitions and examples makes the book accessible to those with little existing knowledge of contemporary debates on theology and sexuality. The book includes chapters on definitions of sexuality, sexuality in the Christian tradition, Christian approaches to marriage, celibacy and virginity and same-sex relationships.