Evangelical Women In Academia Conference 2025
Event Details
August 1 @ 9:00 am – August 2 @ 5:00 pm
1 August
Conference Day: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Dinner: 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm
2 August
Conference Day: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Venue: Ridley College
Evangelical Women In Academia Conference 2025
Raising Her Voice
Women’s Voices in Scripture, Theology, Mission, and the Church
Ridley’s biennial EWA conference is a women-only event seeking to platform, promote, encourage, train, equip, and inspire Christian women in academic work across Australia.
This year’s conference keynotes are given by Old Testament Scholar Revd Dr Jill Firth (Ridley College) teaching on Women’s Voices in Jeremiah, and Trawlwoolway woman Naomi Wolfe (ACU) on the gift of listening to our indigenous sisters.
Friday’s evening session will feature textile artist and poet Miriam Jessie Fisher (Laidlaw College) presenting her own spoken word/performance poetry and storytelling, along with her stitching project ‘Every Woman’s Words.’
In addition, short papers and workshops provide an opportunity to learn from a wonderful lineup of Australian Christian women HDR students, academics, writers, and practitioners. Topics include:
- Papers on various Old Testament and New Testament texts
- Women in church history
- Issues in pastoral and practical theology: preaching, pastoral care, embodiment, eating disorders, abuse, environment, literature
- Foregrounding marginalised voices: indigenous and global
- Women’s Leadership and the Stained Glass Ceiling (plenary panel)
- The status of women in the Australian University of Theology (AUT) in the 21st century (plenary)
Speakers
Revd Dr Jill Firth
Jill studied theology at Ridley, and concurrently trained as a spiritual director in the Ignatian tradition. She was ordained in the Diocese of Melbourne in 2006. She has lectured at Ridley since 2005, was appointed to Ridley faculty in 2016, and is lecturing in Hebrew and Old Testament. Jill was awarded her PhD on ‘The Re-presentation of David in Psalms 140–143’ in 2016. She is co-editor of Grounded in the Body, in Time and Place, in Scripture: Papers by Australian Women Scholars in the Evangelical Tradition, is currently revising her dissertation for publication, and preparing to write a commentary on Jeremiah for the series, The Bible in God’s World. She has been a convener of the Evangelical Women in Academia conference and the Ridley Women’s Writing Groups Network. She is a member of Tyndale Fellowship, ETS, IBR, SBL, and the Logia Advisory Board.
Naomi Wolfe
Naomi Wolfe is a Trawloolway woman with Jewish German & Irish heritage. She is an Anglican and a Roman Catholic follower of Jesus. She is lecturer in history at Australian Catholic University, and an Adjunct at St Mark’s National Centre for Theology, CSU. She was one of the foundation staff for the University of Divinity School of Indigenous Studies. Naomi was also part of the leadership team for NAIITS College – the first Indigenous postgraduate theological College in Australia. NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community is an international learning community of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples from around the world. Naomi has a commitment and interest in decolonising the disciplines of theology and history…and in drinking coffee. Naomi is a kinship carer and loves travelling and meeting new people across the world. In her spare time, she is attempting a PhD!
Miriam Jessie Fisher
Miriam Jessie is an interdisciplinary Lecturer in the School of Theology and School of Education at Laidlaw College, Christchurch. Miriam Jessie is also a textile artist, poet and performer and her research work and outputs reflect these intersections. Miriam Jessie has a great passion for the Church and supporting it as it grows up into Jesus. Miriam Jessie is interested in creative theological expression that honours the context of Aotearoa New Zealand, the richness of bicultural partnerships, te reo me ona tikanga Māori, and New Zealand Sign Language and Deaf culture. She enjoys spiritual expression that is contemplative and loudly joyful.
Presentation:
Friday Evening, 1 Aug
Topic: Hear Me Cry: Stories and Poetry from the Women of Scripture
Other Presenters include:
Colleen Arnold-Moore, Amy Brown, Katrine Clifford, Melinda Cousins, Hannah Craven, Tamie Davis, Cindy Derrenbacker, Barbara Deutschmann, Jill Firth, Miriam Jessie Fisher, Louise Gosbell, Jacqueline Grey, Belinda Harding, Rebecca Hilton, Diane Hockridge, Crystal Hong, Rosemary Huf, Erin Hutton, Jen Irving, Amy Kimble, Tracy Lauersen, Erica Mandi-Manga, Kara Martin, Megan Powell du Toit, Marie Joy Pring, Laura Rademaker, Suzie Ray, Joy Sandefur, Stephanie Seglenieks, Jacqueline Service, Nicole Starling, Deborah Storie, Donna Toulmin, Naomi Wolfe, Maya Whitaker.
Program
***Please note that online registration (livestream) includes all keynotes, plenaries, and short-paper sessions, but not the Friday night session or Saturday afternoon workshops.
Friday 1 August
| 9:00 am | Welcome and Introduction |
| 9:30 am | Keynote 1 |
| 10:30 am | Morning Tea |
| 11:00 am | Paper Sessions 1 |
| 12:30 pm | Lunch |
| 1:45 pm | Paper Session 2 |
| 3:15 pm | Afternoon Tea |
| 3:30 pm | Plenary Research Presentation |
| 4:00 pm | End |
Friday Night 1 August
| 6:30 pm | Arrivals |
| 6:50 pm | Dinner |
| 7:15 pm | Interactive Presentation |
| 9:00 pm | End |
Saturday 2 August
| 9:00 am | Welcome and Introduction |
| 9:30 am | Keynote 2 |
| 10:30 am | Morning Tea |
| 11:00 am | Paper Sessions 3 |
| 12:30 pm | Lunch |
| 1:15 pm | Workshops |
| 2:45 pm | Afternoon Tea |
| 3:00 pm | Plenary Research Discussion |
| 3:45 pm | Keynote 3 |
| 4:45 pm | Closing Session |
| 5:00 pm | End |
Click here to view all in-person and online workshop options.
Tickets
| Tickets | Full Price | Early Bird | Students / Alumni | |
| Full Conference (2 days incl. Meals + Friday Dinner) | $200 | $160 | $160 | |
| Friday Day Ticket | $90 | $70 | $70 | |
| Friday Dinner | $60 | $45 | $45 | |
| Saturday Day Ticket | $90 | $70 | $70 | |
| Full Conference Livestream | $80 | $80 | $80 | |
| One Day Livestream (either Fri or Sat) | $60 | $60 | $60 |
Please note that online registration (livestream) includes all keynotes, plenaries, and short-paper sessions, but not the Friday night session or Saturday afternoon workshops.
If you have trouble registering, try RSVP by clicking this link: https://www.trybooking.com/DBVCW
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