On Thursday 12 March, Whitley College had the privilege of hosting a significant public lecture at Collins Street Baptist Church, bringing together around 60 participants from Baptist and ecumenical churches, alongside those engaged in prison ministry, restorative justice, and community advocacy.
The evening reflected something deeply important about who we are as a College. It was not simply an academic event, but a gathering shaped by a willingness to engage honestly with complex and challenging realities, and to do so in conversation with Scripture, theology, and lived experience.
We were honoured to welcome Professor Douglas Campbell, who delivered a compelling lecture titled ‘The Desire to Punish: Incarceration, Justice, and the Church’s Crisis of Responsibility.‘ Drawing on his expertise in New Testament theology and his work in prison engagement, Professor Campbell invited us to reflect on the deeper ‘drama’ underlying modern criminal justice systems.
Rather than accepting systems of punishment as inevitable, the lecture challenged us to reconsider how we understand justice. What if the Church drew more deeply on the resources of the New Testament to imagine responses to harm that prioritise restoration, reconciliation, and the mending of what has been broken?
This question sat at the heart of the evening, and sparked rich and meaningful conversation among those gathered.
Beyond the lecture itself, the event created space for connection and discernment. It was encouraging to see the breadth of interest in Whitley’s work, with several conversations emerging around study, formation, and the role of theological education in shaping leaders for contexts such as these.
Events like this continue to strengthen Whitley’s presence as a place where thoughtful, faithful, and contextually grounded theology is not only taught, but lived, engaging real-world questions with depth, courage, and hope.
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A recording of the lecture is available for those who were unable to attend, or who would like to revisit the conversation.
Please note that this recording was captured informally and is shared to support ongoing reflection and engagement.