Denise Cooper Clarke
Denise is a graduate of medicine and theology with a PhD in medical ethics. She has special interests in professional ethics and the ethics of virtue. She writes for Ethos (Evangelical Alliance Centre for Christianity and Society) and co-edited (with Jill Firth) Grounded in the Body, in Time and Place, in Scripture: Papers by Australian Women Scholars in the Evangelical Tradition.
Denise writes: My motivation to set up this scholarship was the observation that women are underrepresented in academic theology and biblical studies and in theological and Bible college faculties. Women theological students can identify with the observations that ‘There are no women in my bibliographies’ and that ‘You can’t be what you can’t see’. I believe women have particular and important contributions to make to these fields while also facing particular barriers to their involvement. I want them to be encouraged and supported to participate fully in academic scholarship and teaching in these fields, so that they in turn may encourage the contribution of other women.
Tracy Lauersen
Tracy is an Anglican Minister whose work sits at the intersection of faith, justice, and cultural change. Her work is shaped by a commitment to reforming the patterns and practices that limit women and undermine the Church’s faithfulness and witness. Tracy has over twenty years experience in parish ministry and has led a national initiative addressing gender inequality and violence against women in faith contexts. She served as the founding Chair of a church commission committed to the flourishing of women and girls. She has 15 years of governance experience and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Tracy is an advocate for a world where both women’s and men’s voices are heard, their gifts welcomed, and their leadership utilised.
Sharon Southwell
Sharon works as a clinical psychologist. She also writes fiction and non-fiction. Before psychology, she studied classics, archaeology, and history, including church history. She was raised on the mission-field. Her parents were ordained ministers in The Salvation Army, a denomination where women routinely lead and preach. She is passionate about supporting women to live into their God-given capacities, including within the church. She particularly wants to see more women contributing to academic theology and biblical studies.
