Call for Abstracts
I. Description:
The graduate conference 2025 is organized by the Department of Holistic Development at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology (EGST). The department has been offering graduate courses on three concentration areas: Community Development, Gender, Health and Theology, and Peace and Sustainable Development. To equip students with a theological foundation, sound professional knowledge, and skills to clearly articulate and meaningfully address development issues related to gender, development, and peace. With such endeavor, the Department of Holistic Development is proud to announce the inaugural Graduate Conference for 2025, centered on the Theology, Development, and Gender.
II. Aims of the Conference:
The primary aim of this conference is to create a platform for graduates for interdisciplinary dialogue, research, and exploration at the nexus of theology, development, and gender. We seek to empower graduates, students, and professionals to address pressing development issues through a theological lens, ensuring that solutions are grounded in sound theology, relevant to the local context, in order to serve the church and society in Ethiopia and beyond.
Therefore, we are looking for abstracts from graduate students, alumni, practitioners, researchers, and theologians in the field for individual paper presentation, poster presentation, and round table panel.
III. Thematic Areas:
The conference accepts abstracts that explore the following thematic areas:
1. Theological Perspectives on Development:
- How scripture and different theological traditions contribute to issues of poverty, inequality, and development
- Theology and sustainable development
- The role of religious leaders, communities, and institutions in promoting or challenging development agendas.
- Biblical and theological perspective on poverty and development
2. Gender and Theology:
- Biblical and theological reflections on gender
- Theological readings of religious texts and their implications on Gender.
- Patriarchal interpretations in religious traditions and their impacts on gender discourse and practices.
- Theological reflection on gender-based violence
3. Theology, Gender, and Development in Practice:
- The influence of religious beliefs and practices on development outcomes, especially concerning health, education, poverty alleviation, and gender equality
- The role of faith-based organizations in community development and gender empowerment, and advocacy.
- The role of local congregations in development
4. Peace and Sustainable development:
- The church’s role in climate justice and the environment
- Theological reflection on climate justice and the environment
- Climate justice, peace, and environment
5. Women’s leadership and the church:
- Biblical and theological reflections on women’s leadership
- Women’s leadership in the church
6. Gender, religion, and disability:
- The church and disability inclusion
- Disability, poverty, and development
- Psychosocial disability (mental health challenges) and the church
7. Methodological Approaches:
- Methodological frameworks for the integration of theology, gender, and development.
- Innovative methodologies for integrating theology, gender analysis, and development studies.
- The challenges and opportunities of conducting interdisciplinary research, integrating theology, development, and gender.
- Methodologies for Holistic development
IV Submission Guidelines:
- 300-word abstract for individual paper, poster presentation, and panel discussion.
- Make sure the abstract has a clear introduction, methodology, and results or outcomes.
- Choose the category of the abstract: scientific research, best practices, and theological-exegetical paper/poster
- Deadline for abstract submission extended to June 12, 2025
- Selected papers will be considered for publication.
- Use the link below to submit your abstract or email your abstracts to graduateconference2025@egst.edu.et
Contact: For any questions or concern, please email the conference organizers graduateconference2025@egst.edu.et
We seek to subject our thoughts and actions to God’s Word and affirm the power of Scripture to effect change in individual lives, churches and society.
We come together as a community of learners not for our sake only but also for the sake of others. We seek to grow in our understanding of God and his ways, so that we may help others to acknowledge his governance over the world with its rich possibilities for both individual transformation and for social and cultural renewal.
We believe that theological education speaks to and out of its local context as a dynamic interaction between the local context, the global context and Scripture.
We strongly believe that unity among the churches of Ethiopia is important and can be fostered through cooperative, inter-denominational graduate-level theological education. We also seek to partner with individuals, institutions, churches and organizations within and outside Ethiopia.
We value learning alongside people from different traditions and churches. Exposure to varying traditions challenges thinking about God and the diversity of his work in the world. While EGST promotes unity, it also appreciates and respects diversity.
We value the importance of worshipping God with our minds and strive for excellence both in our rigorous study of Scripture and in our critical analysis of context.
We seek to be people who model Christ’s values such as love, humility, compassion, justice, integrity, self-control, and holiness.
We seek to promote ecumenical relationships among churches in Ethiopia in order to enhance mutual understanding.