Culture – Bible – Identity: Intercultural‐Biblical Reflections on Christian Identity

Prof. Daniel Nii Aboagye Aryeh (South Africa)

Prof. Daniel Nii Aboagye Aryeh (Ph.D.) is an Associate Professor and the Rector of Perez University College, Ghana and adjunct faculty at Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon Ghana. Research Associate, Department of New Testament and Related Literature, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa. His research interests include New Testament studies, wealth and poverty in the Gospel of Lukan, Pentecostalism/Charismatic studies, and Christian prophetism. Aryeh is the chairman of the West Africa Association of Theological Institutions (WAATI). He is the Vice General Secretary of the Institute for Biblical Scholarship in Africa (IBSA), and a member of the prestigious Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS).

Rev. Albert Acheampong (Ghana)

Albert Acheampong is an ordained minister of the gospel and an associate pastor at Trinity Baptist Church, Accra, a family man and a graduate from the Biblical Studies section of the University of Ghana Department for the Study of Religions. His studies have focused on New Testament Studies with interest in Pauline Literature, mission, church growth and Christian identity. He has served as a Bible study teacher in his local church for several years and holds a Master of Arts in Ministry from Trinity Theological Seminary (Ghana) and a Master of Philosophy in the Study of Religions from the University of Ghana. Apart from ministry and academic work he has keen interest in music, video editing and has a YouTube channel (Albert Moses) focussed on the bible, relationships and marriage.

Prof. Fr. Augustine U. Agwulonu, OP (Italy)

Fr. Augustine Agwulonu, OP was born at Nguru in Mbaise of Imo State, Nigeria. He belongs to the Dominican Province of St. Joseph the Worker, Nigeria, and Ghana. Fr. Agwulonu studied Philosophy at the SS. Peter and Paul Major Seminary Ibadan graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Ibadan. He is a pioneer theology student and alumnus of the Dominican Institute, Ibadan. He holds a Master’s degree from Duquesne University, USA, and a Doctorate in Theology from the University of Vienna, Austria. 
Fr. Agwulonu has taught, in presence and virtually, at the Dominican Institute, now the DU Ibadan. He spent two years in Fribourg, Switzerland, for language and research. Our Rev. Dr. is an academic staff of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome, where he lectures in the Biblical Section of the Theology Department. 
Fr. Agwulonu knows and speaks English, German, French, and Italian. 

Dr. John Baptist Antony (India)

Antony John Baptist, currently Director of NBCLC (National Biblical Catechetical Liturgical Centre), Bangalore, India, he is a catholic priest of the Diocese of Vellore, Tamilnadu, India. He has masters in History and Education. He has also earned a Licentiate at Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome. He holds a Doctorate in Biblical Theology from the Department of Christian Studies, Madras State University, India. He has served as the professor of Sacred Scripture at Sacred Heart College, Chennai and as the Executive Secretary of CCBI (Conference of Catholic Bishops of India) Commission for Bible. He taught in many colleges and seminaries. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the international theological journal “Concilium” and member of Translation Committee of BSI (Bible Society of India) and CBAI (Catholic Biblical Association of India).  His areas of study include Old Testament Exegesis, Narrative Criticism, Feminist Biblical Interpretation, Dalit and Subaltern Reading of the Bible. He has published articles and books on these themes.

Prof. Ernesto Borghi (Italy)

Prof. Ernesto Borghi. Born in Milan (I) in 1964, married to Maria Theresa (1999) and father of Davide (2001) and Michelangelo (2007), he holds a degree in Classical Literature (University of Milan - 1988), a Licentiate in Religious Sciences and Doctor of Theology (University of Fribourg - 1993; 1996) and a Bachelor's degree in Sacred Scripture (Pontifical Biblical Commission of Rome - 2012). He has been a professional biblical scholar at university level since 1992. He teaches Sacred Scripture at the Theological Faculty of Southern Italy (Naples/San Tommaso d'Aquino section) and Introduction to Sacred Scripture at the ISSR ‘Guardini’ in Trent. He chairs the Biblical Association of Italian Switzerland (2003 - www.absi.ch), coordinates biblical education in the Diocese of Lugano (2003) and the Southern and Western Europe area of the Catholic Biblical Federation (2019). Last published book: "Verso la verità della Chiesa. Leggere gli Atti degli Apostoli oggi", ETS, Milano 2024.

Sr Anna Damas, SSpS (Rome)

Sr Anna Damas, SSpS. Born in Germany in 1966. After an experience as a lay missionary in Chile, she entered the Mission Congregation of the Servants of the Holy Spirit (for short: Holy Spirit Sisters) in 1987.
M.A. (Licentiate) in Missiology, Church History and Pastoral Theology at the universities Muenster/Germany and Nimwegen/Netherlands. 
Pastoral work (urban ministry) in the Netherlands and Germany.
2006 – 2019 pastoral work in Papua New Guinea (faith formation of laity and religious, catechist training, biblical ministry).
Currently based in Rome and serving as a resource person for the spirituality and history of her Congregation. As a member of the SVD/SSpS resource committee for interculturality, she is facilitating trainings and seminars in intercultural communication.

Prof. Dr. Stefania De Vito (Italy)

Prof. Dr. Stefania De Vito. A Catholic biblical scholar, soon to become a family counsellor, she is involved in family pastoral work and for some years has been engaged in theological-systematic reflection on abuse, in particular, spiritual abuse and spiritual accompaniment for victims. A former lecturer in Gregorian University (Rome) and Higher Institutes of Religious Sciences (Avellino and Caserta), she teaches Biblical Culture at the LUMSA in Rome. Among her publications: "Scandalo di pochi. Mediocrità di molti. Sulle dinamiche di guarigione ecclesiale dagli abusi a partire da Rm 6,1-14", in «Gregorianum» (2/2022); (con M. Zanardi), Teologia come ermeneutica esistenziale performativa, in «Rivista di Teologia dell’Evangelizzazione» (1/2022); “Il magistero delle vittime” per una teologia dell’abuso. Il contro-esodo di Noemi nel libro di Ruth, in «Annales Theologici» (1/2023).
The publication of the volume entitled Spiritual Abuse and Healthy Accompaniment. Insights from Psychology and Theology is scheduled for the summer of 2025. This work co-authored with K.A. Fuchs, a trained psychologist.

Prof. Nicoletta Gatti (Ghana)

Name:  Nicoletta Gatti 

Date of Birth: 26-07-1961 (Rovereto TN – Italy)

Contact:

Address: P.O. Box LG 1123 –  University of Ghana (Legon)

E-mail: ngatti@ug.edu.gh

ACADEMIC DEGREES

1.    BA in Philosophy: Pontifical Urban University, Rome: 1991.
2.    BA in Theology: Pontifical Urban University, Rome: 1994.
3.    Licentiate in Biblical Studies (S.S.L/M.Phil): Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome: 1997.
4.    Doctorate in Biblical Theology (Ph.D): Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome: 2006.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES

Present Appointment:
Associate Professor in Biblical Studies - Dept. for the Study of Religions, University of Ghana (Legon-GA)

Dr. Godibert Gharbin (South Africa)

Godibert Kelly Gharbin is a Research Associate at the Department of New Testament and Related Literature, University of Pretoria, South Africa, and a Lecturer  at Maranatha University College, Ghana. He hold a PhD in Biblical and Religious Studies, specialising in New Testament and Related Literature. 

Prof. Franz Gmainer-Pranz (Austria)

Prof. Franz Gmainer-Pranz. Born 1966 in Steyr (Austria)
Studies of Catholic Theology and Philosophy at the universities of Linz, Innsbruck and Vienna, Dr. theol. (university of Innsbruck), Dr. phil. (university of Vienna), since 2009 professor for intercultural theology and study of religion

Dr. Fr. Sebastian Maria Michael SVD (India)

Fr.Dr.S.M. Michael SVD is Professor Emeritus of Cultural Anthropology,University of Mumbai. He is also a consultor to the Pontifical Council For Interreligious Dialogue, He is the Secretary to the Bombay Archdiocesean Commission for Interreligious Dialogue.

Sr. Mary Jerome Obiorah, IHM (Nigeria)

Sr. Mary Jerome Obiorah is from Nigeria. she is a member of the Religious Institute of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ. Her area specialization is Sacred Scripture. She is a lecturer at Blessed Iwene Tansi Major Seminary, Onitsha, Nigeria and University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Dr. Nameeta Renu, OCV, STD (India)

Dr Nameeta Renu OCV is a member of the Order of Consecrated Virgins according to Canon 604 (1983 CIC) residing in Pune, India. 
She is a licensed homeopathic physician and Bach-flower therapist (LMF’s Homeopathic Medical College, Pune) and has done a post-graduate diploma program in vocational counseling psychology (St Xavier Institute of Counseling Psychology, Mumbai). 
She has more than 30 years of experience in holistic healthcare and was conducting training programs in this field while serving as coordinator of the Health Promotion Trust, Archdiocese of Bombay (2000-2005). She has qualifications and experience in counseling and faith formation of youth, adult-baptized, married couples, and consecrated men and women in various vocations. 
Having authored and published several theological books as well as articles at the international level, Dr Nameeta Renu offers tailor-made courses in various disciplines.
The following are her significant qualifications in faith formation and pastoral ministry: 
    MTh (Licentiate) in Systematic Theology: Pastoral care of Liminal Migrants (Jnana-Deepa, Pune) 
    STD, PhD in Spiritual Theology: Psycho and Somato-Spiritual Synergy in Spiritual Guidance and Formation (Indian Institute of Spirituality-St Peter’s Pontifical Institute, Bengaluru) 

Dr. Marievonne Schöttner (Germany)

Dr. Marievonne Schöttner. Since 2024: Research assistant at the Chair of New Testament Studies, Otto-Friedrich University Bamberg
Since 2022: Habilitation studies in the New Testament
Since 2017: Head of studies at correspondence course Theology in Würzburg (currently on leave for the research assistant position)
2017: Doctorate (Dr. theol.) at the Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg on the subject: “The Perfect Man. On the Genesis of an Early Christian-Gnostic Concept"

Fr. Jan Stefanów, SVD (Vatican)

Jan J. Stefanów is a Divine Word Missionary from Poland. He studied in Madrid (theology) and obtained a degree in biblical theology from the Gregorian University (Rome). He worked in Ecuador and Poland. Since the beginning of 2014 he has been General Secretary of the Catholic Biblical Federation, based in Sankt Ottilien (Germany) and now in Vatican City. 

Fr. Wojciech Szypuła, SVD (Rome)

Wojciech Szypula, a member of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), holds a Master's Degree in Theology from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and a Doctorate in Biblical Theology from the Gregorian Pontifical University in Rome, completed in 2008. He has extensive experience lecturing on biblical subjects and teaching courses across Africa and internationally. For the past ten years he taught Biblical Studies and served as Deputy Dean in the School of Theology at Tangaza University in Nairobi. Currently, he is based in Rome, where he serves as the General Biblical Apostolate Coordinator for the Society of the Divine Word.

Rev Dr. Christian Tsekpoe (Ghana)

Christian Tsekpoe is a Senior Lecturer and the Head of the Centre for Ministerial Formation and Training at Pentecost University, Accra – Ghana. He holds a PhD from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies (in collaboration with Middlesex University). He is an ordained minister of the Church of Pentecost, where he serves as the Resident Minister of A-Lang Worship Centre, Accra, Ghana and a member of the Editorial Committee of the Church of Pentecost Worldwide. Dr Tsekpoe also serves as a member of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches and as the Executive Editor of Pentecostal Education, the Journal of the World Alliance for Pentecostal Theological Education. His research interests include African Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity, intergenerational missions, and contextualization. He is the author of many peer-reviewed articles and books, including Intergenerational Missiology: An African Pentecostal Perspective (Oxford: Regnum, 2022). 

Dr. Alex-Greats Worlanyo (Ghana)

Alex-Greats Worlanyo 
PhD, Study of Religions,
 University of Ghana, Legon.
Minister, Ghana Baptist Convention.
 E-mail: alex7worlanyo@gmail.com

Nelson Mawuli Zotoo (Ghana)

Nelson Mawuli Zotoo is an aspiring PhD student currently located in the United States, with academic and research experience from Ghana. His scholarly interests encompass Johannine Literature, the Identity and Mission of the Church (evkklhsi,a) and Christian Discipleship. Nelson holds a Master of Arts in Ministry from Trinity Theological Seminary (Ghana) and a Master of Philosophy in the Study of Religions (Biblical Studies) from the University of Ghana, and has a keen interest in examining the influence of cultural environment on spiritual practices and identity formation.
With his academic and ministerial training, Nelson has contributed to the student discipleship program at the Legon Interdenominational Church (Ghana) and RELITE Africa Ministry, a Christian organization that focusses on the training of Christian university students in expository preaching, leadership, and Christian discipleship in Ghana. Nelson currently serves with a local church in Richmond, Virginia.