Howard Paterson Professor of Theology and Public Issues,
and Director, Centre for Theology and Public Issues
MA(Oxford), STM(Union Theological Seminary, NY), MA, PhD(London)
Course adviser for MTheol and PhD students
Room 4S8, Arts Building
Tel +64 3 479 8450
Email david.tombs@otago.ac.nz
David Tombs took up the Director role at the Centre and the Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues in January 2015. David is a lay Anglican theologian and has a longstanding interest in contextual and liberation theologies. He is author of Latin American Liberation Theologies (Brill, 2002).
His current research focusses on religion, violence, and public theology, and especially on Christian responses to gender-based violence, sexual abuse and torture. He welcomes proposals for Ph.D. projects in these areas. Previously David was a Lecturer in Theology at the University of Roehampton London (1992–2001). From 2001–2014 he lived and worked in Belfast, Northern Ireland, as Assistant Professor of Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation for the Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin.
View David's Inaugural Professorial Lecture "Latin American Liberation Theology and its Ongoing Legacy"
The Centre for Theology and Public Issues is a founding member of the Global Network for Public Theology (GNPT), which is an academic research partnership that promotes theological contributions on public issues, especially those issues affecting the poor, the marginalized and the environment.
Teaching
- CHTH233 Faith in the Public Square
- CHTH333 Faith in the Public Square (Advanced)
- CHTH305 The Roots of Public Theology
- CHTH405 The Roots of Public Theology (Advanced)
- CHTH319 Reconciliation, Christian Ethics and Public Theology
- CHTH415 Reconciliation, Christian Ethics and Public Theology (Advanced)
Current Postgraduate Students
- Jonathan Ayling (MTheol) Christ and Culture
- Gray Baldwin (MTheol) Creation Care as a New Direction for the "Oikoumene" Following a Century of Attempted Ecclesial Unity
- Robert Fakafu (PhD) The Forau model: The Diaspora experiences of a relocated people in the face of climate change with special reference to the Polynesian people of Tikop
- Tamsyn Kereopa (PhD) A Wahine Maori Theology of Liberation
- Latuivai Latu (PhD) Honouring Tautua As Suli: A Postcolonial Reading of Identity Politics in Samoan Jurisprudence and Relational Hermeneutics
- Sarah Pidgeon (MTheol) Nobody Heard Us: A theological response to the contextual hearings of the Royal Commission on Abuse in Care in New Zealand
Recent Postgraduate Students
- Gray Baldwin (MTheol) Creation Care: A New Direction for the Oikoumene
- Peter Dobbs (PhD) How Theology Shapes Practice in Faith-Based Organisations Supporting Families in NZ
Publications
Tombs, D. (2023). Jon Sobrino and 'the crucified people'. Religions, 14, 274. doi: 10.3390/rel14020274
Tombs, D. (2023). Stripped of dignity. In A holy Church: Becoming the communities we are called to be. (pp. 15-19). Christchurch, New Zealand: Theology House.
Tombs, D. (2023). Pink crosses in Ciudad Juárez. In R. Pryor & S. Burns (Eds.), Feminist theologies: Interstices and fractures. (pp. 197-207). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic.
Tombs, D. (2023). The crucifixion of Jesus: Torture, sexual abuse, and the scandal of the cross. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780429289750
Tombs, D. (2022). Foreword. In K. O'Donnell & K. Cross (Eds.), Bearing witness: Intersectional approaches to trauma theology. (pp. xv-xvii). London, UK: SCM Press. [Contribution].
Tombs, D. (2023). The crucifixion of Jesus: Torture, sexual abuse, and the scandal of the cross. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780429289750
Authored Book - Research
Reaves, J. R., Tombs, D., & Figueroa, R. (Eds.). (2021). When did we see you naked? Jesus as a victim of sexual abuse. London, UK: SCM Press.
Edited Book - Research
Tombs, D. (2023). Pink crosses in Ciudad Juárez. In R. Pryor & S. Burns (Eds.), Feminist theologies: Interstices and fractures. (pp. 197-207). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic.
Chapter in Book - Research
Figueroa, R., & Tombs, D. (2022). Living in obedience and suffering in silence: The shattered faith of nuns abused by priests. In M. Wirth, I. Noth & S. Schroer (Eds.), Sexualisierte Gewalt in kirchlichen Kontexten: Neue interdisziplinäre Perspektiven [Sexual violence in the context of the Church: New interdisciplinary perspectives]. (pp. 45-74). Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter. doi: 10.1515/9783110699203-004
Chapter in Book - Research
Tombs, D. (2022). Asking the right questions: Noticing and naming sexual abuse. In J. Havea, E. Colgan & N. Vaka'uta (Eds.), Theology as threshold: Invitations from Aotearoa New Zealand. (pp. 85-105). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic.
Chapter in Book - Research
Figueroa, R., & Tombs, D. (2021). Seeing his innocence, I see my innocence. In J. R. Reaves, D. Tombs & R. Figueroa (Eds.), When did we see you naked? Jesus as a victim of sexual abuse. (pp. 287-312). London, UK: SCM Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Reaves, J. R., & Tombs, D. (2021). Introduction: Acknowledging Jesus as a victim of sexual abuse. In J. R. Reaves, D. Tombs & R. Figueroa (Eds.), When did we see you naked? Jesus as a victim of sexual abuse. (pp. 1-11). London, UK: SCM Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Tombs, D. (2021). Crucifixion and sexual abuse. In J. R. Reaves, D. Tombs & R. Figueroa (Eds.), When did we see you naked? Jesus as a victim of sexual abuse. (pp. 15-27). London, UK: SCM Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Tombs, D. (2020). Unspeakable things: Drawing upon the Nanjing massacre to read crucifixion as an assault on human dignity. In Z. Xie, P. Kollontai & S. Kim (Eds.), Human dignity, human rights, and social justice: A Chinese interdisciplinary dialogue with global perspective. (pp. 33-51). Singapore: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-981-15-5081-2_3
Chapter in Book - Research
Figueroa Alvear, R., & Tombs, D. (2019). Lived religion and the traumatic impact of sexual abuse: The Sodalicio case in Peru. In R. R. Ganzevoort & S. Sremac (Eds.), Trauma and lived religion: Transcending the ordinary. (pp. 155-176). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-91872-3_8
Chapter in Book - Research
Tombs, D. (2019). Confronting the stigma of naming Jesus as a victim of sexual violence. In C. Pearson (Ed.), Enacting a public theology. (pp. 71-86). Stellenbosch, South Africa: SUN MeDIA. doi: 10.18820/9781928314684/07
Chapter in Book - Research
Tombs, D. (2018). Abandonment, rape, and second abandonment: Hannah Baker in 13 Reasons Why and the royal concubines in 2 Samuel 15-20. In C. Blyth, E. Colgan & K. B. Edwards (Eds.), Rape culture, gender violence, & religion: Biblical perspectives. (pp. 117-141). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-70669-6
Chapter in Book - Research
Tombs, D. (2018). Siphiwo Mthimkhulu, Daniel Grootboom, and the art of forgiveness. In P. Halstead & M. Habets (Eds.), The art of forgiveness. (pp. 179-203). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Chapter in Book - Research
Tombs, D. (2017). Lived religion and the intolerance of the cross. In R. R. Ganzevoort & S. Sremac (Eds.), Lived religion and the politics of (in)tolerance. (pp. 63-83). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.
Chapter in Book - Research
Tombs, D. (2017). Public theology and reconciliation. In S. Kim & K. Day (Eds.), A companion to public theology. (pp. 119-149). Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill.
Chapter in Book - Research
Tombs, D. (2017). Under the surface: Archibald Baxter's Christian faith. In G. Troughton (Ed.), Saints and stirrers: Christianity, conflict and peacemaking in New Zealand, 1814-1945. (pp. 122-143). Wellington, NZ: Victoria University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Tombs, D. (2015). Towards a public theology of reconciliation in Northern Ireland. In J. O'Grady, C. Higgins & J. Lal Fernando (Eds.), Mining truths: Festschrift in honour of Geraldine Smyth OP: Ecumenical theologian and peacebuilder. (pp. 109-129). Sankt Ottilien, Germany: EOS.
Chapter in Book - Research
Morris, N., & Tombs, D. (2014). 'A solid and united phalanx'? Protestant churches and the Ulster Covenant 1912-2012. In J. Wolfe (Ed.), Irish religious conflict in comparative perspective: Catholics, Protestants and Muslims. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave MacMillan.
Chapter in Book - Research
Tombs, D. (2014). Conflict-related sexual violence, news media and reconciliation in the Balkans. In D. V. Nedeljković, S. Sremac, N. Kneżević & D. Gruhonjić (Eds.), Uloga medija u normalizaciji odnosa na zapadnom Balkanu [The role of media and reconciliation in the post-conflict society: An example of the Balkans]. (pp. 31-46). Novi Sad, Serbia: Novi Sad University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Tombs, D. (2014). Sexual ethics and the scandal of the cross. In A. H. Cole, Jr (Ed.), Theology in service to the church: Global and ecumenical perspectives. (pp. 122-138). Eugene, OR: Cascade Books.
Chapter in Book - Research
Tombs, D. (2014). The cross and the reconciliation of enemies. In K. M. Heffelfinger & P. G. McGlinchey (Eds.), Atonement as gift: Re-imagining the cross for the church and the world. (pp. 67-78). Milton Keynes, UK: Paternoster.
Chapter in Book - Research
Tombs, D. (2012). Archbishop Romero and reconciliation in El Salvador. In M. Leiner & S. Flämig (Eds.), Latin America between conflict and reconciliation. (pp. 41-56). Bristol, CT: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
Chapter in Book - Research
Tombs, D. (2023). Stripped of dignity. In A holy Church: Becoming the communities we are called to be. (pp. 15-19). Christchurch, New Zealand: Theology House.
Chapter in Book - Other
Tombs, D. (2022). Foreword. In K. O'Donnell & K. Cross (Eds.), Bearing witness: Intersectional approaches to trauma theology. (pp. xv-xvii). London, UK: SCM Press. [Contribution].
Chapter in Book - Other
Figueroa, R., & Tombs, D. (2021). Viendo su inocencia, veo mi inocencia: Explorando respuestas a la idea de Jesús como víctima de abuso sexual. In D. P. Trevizo (Ed.), Abusos y reparación: Sobre los comportamientos no sexuales en la Iglesia. (pp. 93-120). Madrid, Spain: PPC España.
Chapter in Book - Other
Reaves, J. R., & Tombs, D. (2020). #Metoo Jesus: Naming Jesus as a victim of sexual abuse. In H. Paynter & M. Spalione (Eds.), The Bible on violence: A thick description. (pp. 282-308). Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Phoenix Press.
Chapter in Book - Other
Tombs, D. (2023). Jon Sobrino and 'the crucified people'. Religions, 14, 274. doi: 10.3390/rel14020274
Journal - Research Article
Figueroa, R., & Tombs, D. (2022). El abuso esiritual de religiosas: Caso de estudio: Siervas del Plan de Dios. Teología y Vida, 63(3), 399-424. doi: 10.7764/TyV/633/5/399-424
Journal - Research Article
Figueroa, R., & Tombs, D. (2020). Recognising Jesus as a victim of sexual abuse: Responses from Sodalicio survivors in Peru. Religion & Gender, 10, 57-75. doi: 10.1163/18785417-01001003
Journal - Research Article
Tombs, D. (2020). Hidden in plain sight: Seeing the stripping of Jesus as sexual violence. Journal for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies, 2(1), 224-247. doi: 10.17613/ek9a-mx94
Journal - Research Article
Reaves, J. R., & Tombs, D. (2019). #MeToo Jesus: Naming Jesus as a victim of sexual abuse. International Journal of Public Theology, 13, 387-412. doi: 10.1163/15697320-12341588
Journal - Research Article
Tombs, D. (2019). Crucificação e abuso sexual [Crucifixion and sexual abuse]. Estudos Teológicos, 59(1), 119-132. doi: 10.22351/et.v59i1.3579
Journal - Research Article
Figueroa Alvear, R., & Tombs, D. (2017). Listening to male survivors of church sexual abuse: Voices from Sodalicio abuses in Peru. Canonist, 8(1), 135-167.
Journal - Research Article
Tombs, D. (2014). Silent no more: Sexual violence in conflict as a challenge to the worldwide church. Acta Theologica, 34(2), 147-165. doi: 10.4314/actat.v34i2.9
Journal - Research Article
Tombs, D. (2019). How recognising Jesus as a victim of sexual abuse might help shift Catholic culture. The Conversation. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/how-recognising-jesus-as-a-victim-of-sexual-abuse-might-help-shift-catholic-culture-112754
Journal - Research Other
Boodoosingh, R., Beres, M., & Tombs, D. (2018). Research briefing: Violence against women in Samoa. Women's Studies Journal, 32(1/2), 33-56.
Journal - Research Other
Edwards, K., & Tombs, D. (2018). #HimToo: Why Jesus should be recognised as a victim of sexual violence. The Conversation. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/himtoo-why-jesus-should-be-recognised-as-a-victim-of-sexual-violence-93677
Journal - Research Other
Tombs, D. (2017). [Review of the book Crucifixion in the Mediterranean world]. Bible & Critical Theory, 13(1), 103-107. doi: 10.2104/bct.v13i1.678
Journal - Research Other
Reaves, J. R., & Tombs, D. (2020). #MeToo Jesus: Naming Jesus as a victim of sexual abuse. Review & Expositor, 117(2), 204-221. doi: 10.1163/15697320-12341588
Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles
Tombs, D. (2018). Lord, when did I see you naked? Anglican Taonga, (Winter), 22-23.
Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles
Tombs, D. (2017). Archibald Baxter's christian faith and conscientious objection. Proceedings of the Rethinking Pacifism for Revolution, Security and Politics Conference. Retrieved from http://www.otago.ac.nz/ncpacs/otago638243.html#programme
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper
Tombs, D. (2022). 'She has lost her value': Sexual violence, perceived stigma, and secondary victimisation within faith communities. Proceedings of the Australia & New Zealand of Theological Studies (ANZATS) Annual Conference. (pp. 17). Retrieved from https://anzats.edu.au/2022-conference
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Tombs, D. (2021). 'It is not your fault. It is not your shame': Why seeing Jesus as a victim of sexual abuse is important. Proceedings of the Australian & New Zealand Association of Theological Schools (ANZATS) Conference: Theological Ethics. Retrieved from https://anzats.edu.au/conferences
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Figueroa Alvear, R., & Tombs, D. (2019). A missional theology in response to sexual violence. Proceedings of the Australian & New Zealand Association of Theological Schools (ANZATS) Conference: Missional Theology. (pp. 78). Retrieved from https://anzats.edu.au/
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Kioa Latu, L., Tombs, D., & Roxborogh, J. W. (2019). Suli theology: Towards a postcolonial and relational reading of inheritance in Samoa. In A. Finigan, P. Vakaoti, R. Richards & M. Schaaf (Eds.), Proceedings of the Pacific Postgraduate Symposium: Pacific Voices XVI. (pp. 21). Dunedin, New Zealand: The Pacific Islands Centre, University of Otago. Retrieved from https://www.otago.ac.nz/pacific
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Tombs, D. (2019). A faith-based approach to addressing the stigma and self-stigma of sexual abuse. Proceedings of the Spirituality and Mental Health Symposium. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2OptcDh
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Tombs, D. (2019). Rolling out the fine mat of scripture: Strengthening church responses to violence against women in Samoa. Proceedings of the Global Network for Public Theology (GNPT) Conference: Place and Space: Theological perspectives on living in the world. Retrieved from https://www.uni-bamberg.de/en/fs-oet/place-space-2019/
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Tombs, D. (2018). "When did we see you naked?" Re-reading the stripping of Jesus in the context of #MeToo. Proceedings of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) & Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) Joint Annual Meeting. Retrieved from https://www.sbl-site.org/meetings/congresses_pastmeetings.aspx
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Tombs, D. (2022, December). The mocking of Herod Agrippa in 38 CE and 44 CE. Verbal presentation at the Aotearoa New Zealand Association for Biblical Studies (ANZABS) Conference, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Tombs, D. (2022, October). Naked and alone: The mocking of Miriam Leitão. Verbal presentation at the Global Network for Public Theology (GNPT) Consultation: Public Theologies in Vibrating Cities: Precious & Precarious, [Hybrid].
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
