SSCE Postgraduate Conference 2026

The Postgraduate Co-Conveners of the Society for the Study of Christian Ethics invite papers exploring “Christ Beside Us, Christ Before Us: Pilgrimage, Neighbourliness, and Encounters in Christian Ethics” for the Postgraduate Conference 2026. We welcome contributions that engage with this theme in diverse ways, including (but not limited to):

• Accounts of the pilgrim, companion, neighbour, or stranger in Scripture and theology;
• Christological accounts of Christ as neighbour, companion, or fellow pilgrim, and their ethical implications;
• Ethical and practical-theological approaches to living as neighbours across difference;
• Reflections on pilgrimage as a metaphor or practice shaping moral imagination and ethical relations;
• Case studies of neighbourliness (or its failure) in church life, civic life, public theologies, or interfaith contexts;
• Historical and contemporary examples of Christian communities embodying (or struggling with) the call to be neighbourly;
• Neighbourliness in global, postcolonial, and migratory contexts;
• Encounters with the stranger, hospitality, and vulnerability as dimensions of Christian ethics;
• Accounts of liturgical or other practices that depict, critique, nurture, or enact neighbourly ways of being.

Please submit abstracts of up to 250 words by 6 February 2026 to [email protected]. In addition to traditional academic papers (20-minute papers followed by a 10-minute Q&A), we also encourage work-in-progress poster presentations (5-minute presentations followed by a 5-minute Q&A).

Abstracts will be assessed for:

• Originality and scholarly or practical rigour;
• Clarity of argument or approach; and
• Relevance to the conference theme.

We particularly welcome submissions from postgraduates and early-career researchers whose work is in progress. If you are uncertain about how to structure an abstract, we encourage you to contact us; we will be glad to provide guidance and support in developing your idea into an abstract suitable for submission.

For questions or to submit your abstract, please contact: [email protected]. We look forward to receiving your contributions!

The price for attending the conference is £20, which includes lunch, tea/coffee, and refreshments.

Applications for conference bursaries are available upon request by emailing [email protected]. Please do so before acquiring a ticket.

We will meet on Wednesday 6 May 2025, from 09:30 to 17:45 at Christ Church, Oxford, for the conference.

We are delighted to announce that a virtual bookshop will be available as part of the conference, featuring a wide range of Christian ethics titles at discounted prices – further details will be provided in due course.

Delegates are warmly invited to attend services in Christ Church Cathedral (adjacent to the College) at the following times:

• 07:15 – Morning Prayer
• 07:35 – Holy Communion
• 18:05 – Choral Evensong

Baptised persons who are communicant members of their churches are welcome to receive Communion, but reception is not required to attend. SSCE Co-Conveners will be present at these services and will have breakfast afterwards (not included in the conference ticket price) before registration opens at 09:30. You are very welcome to join us.

We will also meet for dinner after Evensong (not included in the conference ticket price). This will be an opportunity to continue our conversations and enjoy each other’s company. Please let us know if you would like to join us so that we can make reservations and accommodate any dietary requirements.

Delegates who remain in Oxford the following day are warmly invited to join us for a tour and informal social events – further details will be shared during the conference.

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Host or Publisher The Society for the Study of Christian Ethics (SSCE)