Upcoming Consultation - 2025

Call for Working Groups

Theme | Scripture in the Public Square

Public theologians find themselves in liminal spaces between the sacred texts and traditions of their religious communities and the broader publics to which they are accountable. But what is the role of Scripture in public theology? What methodological considerations are important for reading, embodying, and practicing Scripture in public spaces? In what ways are we accountable to sacred texts? How have sacred texts been understood and represented in culture and what influence have they had? How should Scripture shape our public policy, and in what ways should public needs shape the ways we read Scripture?

These are some of the issues to be addressed at the seventh GNPT Consultation, to be hosted at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA (USA) from 08 September to 11 September 2025.

At the 2025 GNPT Consultation, we will be continuing the tradition of meeting in working groups. Alongside panels and lectures, our working groups will facilitate conversations on the intersection of faith, Scripture, and public life.

Below you will find a list of suggested working groups specific to the theme of the consultation, but working groups need not necessarily reflect this theme directly. Those wishing to facilitate a working group at the upcoming consultation have two options:

  1. Volunteer to Facilitate a Suggested Working Group

  2. Submit a Proposal for a New Working Group

You will find instructions for either option below. Please note that each individual may only facilitate one working group at the consultation.

Option One: Volunteering to Facilitate a Suggested Working Group

The Executive Committee suggests the following theme-specific working groups:

  1. Jesus, Paul, and the Roman Public Square

  2. Pentateuch, Poverty, and Global Economics

  3. Sexual Exploitation in the Hebrew Bible

  4. Parables as/in Public Discourse

  5. The Prophets and Forced Migration

  6. Nationalisms, Imperialisms, and Empire in Scripture for Public Theology

  7. Wisdom Traditions and Public Discourse

  8. Land, Food, and Agriculture in Scripture and the Public Square

  9. Labor and Scripture

  10. Apocalypse, Environmental Catastrophe, and Imagining the Future

  11. The (Mis)Use of Scripture in Public Life

  12. War, Conflict, and Scripture

  13. Scripture and Media

  14. Liberation Theologies and Scripture

  15. Race and Scripture

If you are interested in volunteering to facilitate one of the suggested working groups, please email GNPT-coordinator@fuller.edu by 20 July 2024. Include as the subject line of your email the intended working group in the following format: “Volunteer_Intended Working Group”.

In the body of your email, please include the following in English:

  • A short academic biography (no more than 100 words)

  • Either an indication of 1-2 co-facilitators or an indication that you are willing to work with a co-facilitator identified by the Executive Committee

  • A suggested abstract (no longer than 250 words) which gives a succinct account of the context, objectives, and significance you envision for the working group

  • Five suggested keywords

Option Two: Submitting a Proposal for a New Working Group

Working group proposals in collaboration with the theme of the consultation will be given preference, but groups unrelated to the theme will also be considered (so long as they demonstrate a clear connection to public theology).

Please submit Working Group Proposals to GNPT-coordinator@fuller.edu by 20 July 2024.

Working group proposals must be submitted by or in partnership with a representative of a member institution. Proposals must be submitted in English and include the following:

  • Two or (no more than) three proponents representing different institutions, preferably from different countries, with at least one proponent representing a member institution

  • A short academic biography (no more than 100 words) of each proponent

  • A title

  • An abstract (no longer than 250 words) which gives a succinct account of the context, objectives, and significance of the working group

  • Five keywords

The Executive Committee will evaluate any proposals received and inform of a decision by 02 August 2024.