Scholarship and the Sovereignty of Love
Oxford Faculty Retreat, Yarnton Manor 2025
Some 25 academics gathered near Oxford to consider the ways love can animate our scholarship, our universities, and academic arenas.
About the gathering
In June, GFI co-sponsored a one-day retreat at Yarnton Manor near Oxford: Scholarship and the Sovereignty of Love: In Conversation with Oliver O’Donovan.
Together with the Oxford Pastorate and Developing a Christian Mind, some 25 academics, spanning junior to senior academic ranks, engaged with Oliver O’Donovan’s new GFI Theology Brief on The Sovereignty of Love. The retreat offered rich exchanges on ways love can animate our scholarship, our universities, and academic arenas.
How the Day Unfolded
- Reading the Theology Brief — The day opened with a close reading of the new Theology Brief on The Sovereignty of Love, with introductory remarks and a presentation drawing out its key themes for scholarship.
- Roundtable: Disciplinary encounters with the Theology of Love — Six postdoctoral and faculty scholars presented short reflections on ways the Brief speaks to their fields.
- In conversation with the author — The author joined virtually for a curated discussion on the scholars’ encounters with the Brief.
Select a photo to browse all 4 images from this event.
Presenters
- Alicia SmithHumanities
University of Bergen
- Ard A. LouisBiological & Physical Sciences
University of Oxford
- Brett ParrisTheology
University of Oxford
- Donald HaySocial Sciences
University of Oxford
- Gordon MenziesSocial Sciences
University of Technology Sydney
- Mark SmithHumanities
University of Oxford
- Oliver O’DonovanTheology
University of Edinburgh
Participant voices
Scholars said
“An illuminating exploration of the themes in an interdisciplinary context.”
“The mood afterwards was a kind of bubbling over of creativity and enthusiasm.”
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