FORUM FAITH & SOCIETY | 26–28 JUNE 2025

Speakers

A diverse range of distinguished voices from theology and the Church have confirmed their participation in the upcoming forum. You can find the list of confirmed speakers and contributors below.

Keynote Speakers

Bishop Prof. em. Dr. N. T. WRIGHT was the Bishop of Durham and Professor of New Testament at St. Andrews. He is one of the world’s most renowned theologians and a prominent voice in both the Church and public life. His work combines groundbreaking research on Jesus and Paul with a sweeping theological vision that is both accessible and practically relevant. He currently serves as a Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford.

FRÈRE MATTHEW is the Prior of the Communauté de Taizé. The ecumenical community of Taizé draws tens of thousands of young people from around the world and across denominational lines each year. Together with Frère Matthew and other brothers from Taizé, we will have the opportunity to experience something of the unique spirit and atmosphere of this remarkable place.

ESTHER MARIA MAGNIS is a trained journalist and now works as a writer. Her debut work, "Gott braucht Dich nicht" (God Doesn't Need You), received widespread acclaim. It was awarded the Golden Compass and translated into several languages. At the forum, she will present a new text titled "Von den Lebenden und den Toten" (Of the Living and the Dead).

Prof. em. Dr. ALISTER MCGRATH was the Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford. McGrath is widely known for his theological textbooks and has authored both scholarly monographs and accessible popular works. He is a globally sought-after speaker, with a particular focus on the history of theology and the dialogue between science and faith.

PATRICK ROTH is an award-winning author, director, and storyteller known for his vivid reimagining of biblical and mythical themes. His work dramatizes these narratives in a cinematic and immersive style, as exemplified in his acclaimed novels Sunrise. Das Buch Joseph (2012) and the Christus Trilogie (1998/2017). He has received numerous honors for his literary contributions, including appointments as poet-in-residence at the Universities of Frankfurt, Heidelberg, and Hildesheim.

Prof. Dr. URSULA SCHUMACHER is a professor of dogmatics at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Lucerne. Her research interests include the history and development of the doctrine of grace, theological anthropology, and pneumatology. Together with her husband, Prof. Dr. Thomas Schumacher, she will explore experiential approaches to the resurrection of Christ.

Prof. Dr. JOACHIM NEGEL is a professor of philosophical theology (Fundamentaltheologie), dean of the Faculty of Theology, and director of the Institute for Ecumenical Studies at the University of Fribourg. His research focuses on the relationship between faith and reason, religious criticism, soteriology, sacramental theology, the theology of biography, and the hermeneutics of revelation.

Prof. Dr. BENJAMIN SCHLIESSER is a professor of literature and theology of the New Testament at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Bern. Together with Prof. Dr. Jan Rüggemeier, he leads the project "ECCLESIAE," which focuses on the spread of Christianity in antiquity. He sees faith in the resurrection as a distinctive hallmark of the early Christian movement.

The Rt Revd Dr. GRAHAM TOMLIN is the founding director of the "Centre for Cultural Witness" at Lambeth Palace in London and the president of St Mellitus College in London. Previously, he taught Reformation history as well as Mission and Culture in the contemporary society at the faculty of theology at the University of Oxford and served as the Bishop of Kensington.

Prof. Dr. GEORGIANA HUIAN is Professor of Systematic Theology and Ecumenism at the University of Bern. Her work explores how the relationship between God and human beings is understood in contemporary theology, with a focus on language, imagery, and spirituality. She also studies interconfessional and intercultural dialogue. From 2019 to 2023, she co-led the SNSF project "Image of God and Abyss of Desires."

MARKUS WEIMER is the dean of the Evangelical Church District of Konstanz (Germany) and a PhD candidate in Practical Theology at the University of Zurich. His research on the reform movement within the Church of England offers practical insights and inspiration for the Protestant churches in Konstanz.

Dr. OLIVER DÜRR is the Director of the Center for Faith & Society and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zurich’s Center for Digital Religion(s). His research focuses on transhumanism, anthropology in the context of digital transformation, the bodily resurrection of Christ, as well as ecclesiology, spirituality, and faith in a secular age.

Prof. Dr. THOMAS SCHUMACHER is a professor of New Testament exegesis at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Fribourg. His research focuses on the Pauline writings and the Lukan double work. Together with his wife, Prof. Dr Ursula Schumacher, he will explore experiential approaches to the resurrection of Christ.

Further Speakers