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Rev Prof René Erwich

MTh, DipMin, PhD

HDR Supervisor Course Advisor

Professor René Erwich is an internationally recognised expert in Christian theology and ministry and its application to contemporary society. His research involves a hopeful articulation of Christian faith in engagement with the needs and challenges of secular society. He has been the recipient of several major grants for applied and collaborative research, including projects on spiritual leadership in a post-Christian society and Christian identity in health care. Professor Erwich is also widely recognised for his teaching in pastoral theology and missiology.

Scholarly appreciation of his work has led to numerous guest lectureships and conference presentations in many parts of the world. He has rendered significant leadership to the church and academy as Research Professor in Theology at the Ede Christian University in the Netherlands René is an accomplished author with his latest book (written with Rev Dr Almatine Leene), Vuur dat nooit dooft. Gender, seksualiteit en theologie in gesprek (English version: Unquenchable Love. Gender, sexuality and theology in conversation) nominated for the Best Theological Book of 2022, in the Netherlands.

René was the Principal of Whitley College for six years, from September 2017 to September 2023. He subsequently returned to the Netherlands to take up a position as the Dean (Theology & Social Work) at Viaa University of Applied Sciences.

University Appointments

    Honorary Research Fellow (Whitley College)
    HDR Supervisor (School of Graduate Research)

Teaching disciplines

DA - Mission and Ministry; DD - Spiritual Direction; DL - Liturgy; DM - Missiology; DP - Pastoral Theology and Ministry Studies; DS - Spirituality

Research areas

Ecclesiology with a focus on lived religion, Film and theology, Sexuality and theology, Narrative (the relationship between theology and lifestories

Recent Publications

All publications
2024 Unquenchable Love. Gender, sexuality and theology in conversation.
2022 Equipping Families and Friends to Offer Spiritual Care to People Living with Dementia: Findings from a Meta-Synthesis
2020 'Someday our gods will be friends': The Vikings series as embodiment of religion and liquefaction of meaning
2018 Studying theology: Between exploration and commitment-Researching spiritual development of higher education students of theology
2018 De verbeelding van de A/ander. De riskante leerweg van de hbo-theoloog
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Staff Directory
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