Research Themes
What does the two-thousand-year-old Christian theological tradition offer to the perennial issues human societies have faced throughout history? How might the richness of this historical faith tradition - its texts, rituals, and rites - shape the moral imagination of the contemporary Church? What aspects of this tradition might be offered, as a gift, for the flourishing of broader society?
These questions sit at the heart of Dr Andrew Shepherd’s work. His research is intentionally interdisciplinary, drawing upon the social sciences (political theory, sociology, anthropology, psychology), the natural sciences (conservation science and ecology), and the humanities (literature, philosophy, art) and bringing these ways of knowing into conversation with the key traditions of the Christian faith.
Andrew’s Current Research Interests
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The history of human societies is often a tension between two contrasting postures: the framing of the world into "in-groups" and "out-groups" characterised by hostility, and the radical antithesis of this — the activity of offering hospitality. Reflecting on the 20th and 21st centuries, Andrew’s research explores how hospitality, as both a theological motif and an embodied practice, can reshape communities into more welcoming and peaceful spaces.
Key Publication:The Gift of the Other: Levinas, Derrida, and a Theology of Hospitality.
Teaching:CHTH320/420 Public Theology and Social Justice. -
We live in an age often defined by ecological grief and "apocalyptic" anxiety. Andrew’s research in environmental theology explores the human-environment relationship, moving beyond a technical "problem-solving" approach to a vision of the "community of creation". By weaving together conservation science with theological ethics, his work seeks to foster a moral imagination that sustains hope and motivates faithful action in a rapidly changing world. This research is deeply "place-based," often drawing on the specific ecological and cultural landscapes of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Key Publication: Creation and Hope: Reflections on Ecological Anticipation and Action from Aotearoa New Zealand.
Teaching:CHTH224/324 Theology and the Environment. -
Modern technology and the "attention economy" have profoundly reshaped our capacity for presence. As a participant in the international Thriving in Diverse Contexts project, Andrew’s research brings psychological science into dialogue with Christian theology to explore "attentiveness" as a form of moral formation. He investigates how digital acceleration and surveillance can lead to the "desecration of creation" and explores how ancient practices of contemplation and prayer might serve as a cure for digital disconnection and ecological anxiety
Key Project:Thriving in Diverse Contexts (Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton).
Key Publication:"A Reacquaintance with Grief: the Anthropocene and Ecclesial Rites of Mourning". -
In an age of "war as spectacle" and increasing militarisation, Andrew’s research examines the complex ontology of violence. He traces the emergence of the "military-digital complex"—the nexus where techno-global capitalism and militarism meet—and explores how these systems of surveillance dehumanise individuals and exacerbate social division. By reading ancient scriptural narratives against contemporary realities, his work summons communities to a "praxis of liberating non-violence" and the pursuit of God’s inbreaking Kingdom of peace.
Key Publication:"Facing, Naming and Engaging Violence: Reading Mark 5:1-20 in a Military-Digital Complex Age".
Teaching: CHTH231/331 Christianity, War and Violence. -
How do we live faithfully in a neoliberal age where market rationality often dictates human value? Andrew’s research critiques the structural violence of contemporary economic systems, particularly the commodification of the self and the natural world. Drawing on a "theology of the commons," his work explores how Christian economic ethics might move us from market-driven competition toward a posture of "being rich towards God"—fostering economic systems that ensure justice, equity, and the flourishing of all creatures.
Key Publication:"Being ‘Rich towards God’ in the Capitalocene: An Ecological/Economic Reading of Luke 12.13-34".
Teaching: CHTH338/424 Theology, Money and Markets.