Marion Grau

Professor

Systematic Theology, Ecumenism, and Missiology
Marion.Grau@mf.no
Office: 332
Phone number: 22590554

Professional competence areas:

Constructive Theology
Systematic Theology

I am a theologian working with the resources of ecumenical Christian traditions. My research interests are questions of salvation, liberation, and transformation: economic structures and metaphors of salvation, mission between colonial and indigenous theologies, a postcolonial hermeneutics, reconstructing pilgrimage, and most recently climate justice.

For the decade of 2022 to 2032, I am focusing my research and teaching on the climate crisis; more specifically theology and climate justice, theories of climate action, climate psychology, and energy transition.
Current research: critical readings of Norwegian, US, and Canadian Petrocultures within the 'Translatability of Oil' project funded by the Norwegian Research Council; and a research grant to work on climate psychology, climate action and political psychology at the Center for Theological Inquriy in Princeton, USA in 2023 and 2024.

I work using a constructive theological method which focuses on engaging the roots of Christian and other religious traditions, with the help of several interdisciplinary methods.

Latest academic publications

View all publications on the Cristin website...

Grau, M. (2024). Regifting the Divine Economy: Transitioning Petroleum-based Energy Regimes, Assembling Futures: Economy, Ecology, Democracy, And Religion,, s. 46 - 63. Fordham University Press, ISBN: 9781531506551
Grau, M. & Sjöberg, L. M. (2024). Fish, Fetishization, and Faith in the Arctic Ocean, Religions, Religions, ISSN: 2077-1444
Grau, M. (2023). “State of happiness”? Petroreligion and petromelancholia in Norway, Dialog, s. 173 - 183. Dialog, ISSN: 0012-2033
Grau, M. (2023). Ritualizing Climate Grief: Exploring Protests, Civil Disobedience, and Climate Liturgies , Studies in Interreligious Dialogue, s. 47 - 62. Studies in Interreligious Dialogue, ISSN: 0926-2326
Grau, M. (2022). Notizen zu einer postkolonialen theologischen Ethik des Multidirektionalen Erinnerns, Theologische Quartalsschrift, s. 187 - 205. Theologische Quartalsschrift, ISSN: 0342-1430
Grau, M. (2021). Pilgrimage, Landscape, & Identity: Reconstructing Sacred Geographies in Norway, Oxford University Press, ISBN: 9780197598634
Grau, M. (2021). Pondering theological metaphoricity in Devin Singh’s divine currency and beyond, Critical Research on Religion (CRR), s. 94 - 97. Critical Research on Religion (CRR), ISSN: 2050-3032
Grau, M. (2021). Postkoloniale Theologie als Ortsbestimmung: Religion, Land, Macht und Mission, Jerusalemer Theologisches Forum, Jerusalemer Theologisches Forum, ISSN: 1439-4634
Grau, M. (2020). Affective Communitas and sacred geography : mapping place and movement in Norwegian pilgrimage, Ritual and democracy : protests, publics and performances ,, s. 67 - 92. Equinox Publishing, ISBN: 9781781799758
Grau, M. (2020). Methodological themes and patterns in constructive theologies, What is constructive theology? : histories, methodologies, and perspectives,, s. 53 - 73. Bloomsbury T&T Clark, ISBN: 9780567695154
Grau, M. & Wyman, J. (2020). What is constructive theology? : histories, methodologies, and perspectives, Bloomsbury T&T Clark, ISBN: 9780567695154
Grau, M. (2019). Political hagiographies sainthood, ethnocentrism, and the fallacies of identity, Louvain Studies, s. 265 - 287. Louvain Studies, ISSN: 0024-6964
Grau, M. (2018). Bonifatius, Christus und die Axt am Baum. Ein Beitrag zur Soteriologie in postkolonialer Perspektive, Postkoloniale Theologien II : Perspektiven aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum,, s. 242 - 255. W. Kohlhammer GmbH, ISBN: 978-3-17-032571-5
Grau, M. (2018). From Refiner's Fire to Refinery Fires : Reflections on the Combustive Element of Fire, The Bloomsbury Handbook of Religion and Nature : the Elements,, s. 159 - 171. Bloomsbury Academic, ISBN: 9781350046825
Grau, M. (2018). The revelations of global climate change : a petro-eschatology, Eschatology as imagining the end - Faith between hope and despair,, s. 45 - 60. Routledge, ISBN: 978-1-138-48136-7
Grau, M. (2018). Postcolonial Contributions to Intercultural Theologies and Interreligious Relations, Shifting Locations and Reshaping Methods : Methodological Challenges Arising from New Fields of Research in Intercultural Theology and Interreligious Studies,, s. 37 - 52. LIT Verlag, ISBN: 9783643910226
Carbine, R. P. & Compier, D. & Farley, W. & Grau, M. & Jensen, D. H. & Fulkerson, M. M. (2016). Ways of World-Making, Awake to the Moment : an introduction to theology,, s. 105 - 173. Westminster John Knox Press, ISBN: 9780664261887
Grau, M. (2016). Considering Hermeneutics, Method, and Cultural Diversity in Anglican and Episcopal Contexts, The Oxford Handbook of Anglican Studies,, s. 176 - 189. Oxford University Press, ISBN: 978-0-19-921856-1
Grau, M. (2015). Interpreting Power: Rethinking the Relationship between Mythos and Logos as Prolegomena to an Intercultural Theological Hermeneutics, Renegotiating Power, Theology, and Politics,, s. 129 - 149. Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN: 978-1-137-54865-8
Grau, M. (2014). Refiguring theological hermeneutics : Hermes, trickster, fool, Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN: 9781137326850
Grau, M. (2013). Göttlicher Handel : eine postkoloniale Christologie für die Zeiten des neokolonialen Empires, Postkoloniale Theologien : Bibelhermeneutische und kulturwissenschaftliche Beiträge,, s. 300 - 322. W. Kohlhammer GmbH, ISBN: 9783170225527
Grau, M. (2011). Rethinking Mission in the Postcolony: Salvation, Society, and Subversion, Continuum, ISBN: 9780567470157
Grau, M. (2004). Of Divine Economy: Refinancing Redemption, Bloomsbury T&T Clark, ISBN: 0567027406

Research projects

Translatability of Oil: Critical Petro-Aesthetics at Work

Education and practice

2015 - d.d.
Professor, Systematisk teologi og missiologi, Det teologiske Menighetsfakultetet

2006 - 2015
Associate Professor of Theology, CDSP/Graduate Theological Union, USA

2001 - 2006
Assistant Professor of Theology, CDSP/Graduate Theological Union, USA

2001
Ph.D. Theological and Religious Studies, Drew University, USA

1997
Erstes Staatsexamen Ev. Theologie und Englisch, Universität Tübingen

Voluntary position

2015 - d.d.
Editorial committee Norsk missiologisk tidsskrift

2015 - d.d.
Editorial committee Global Christianity Studies

2014 - d.d.
Co-chair, AAR Group Bible, Theology, and Postmodernity

2012 - d.d.
Member of the Appointments and Review Committee advising the Academic Dean of the Graduate Theological Union

2009 - 2015
CDSP Representative on the GTU Library Committee, Fall

2009 - d.d.
Area Convenor of the Systematic and Philosophical Theology Doctoral Area, Graduate Theological Union, Fall Spring

2006 - d.d.
Chair of the Women’s Studies in Religion Program Steering Committee, Fall Fall

2005 - 2007
Member of the Faculty Council of the GTU, Spring (Advises the Academic Dean of the GTU)

2005 - d.d.
Member of the GTU Board of Trustees, Management and Finance Committee, Fall Fall

2004 - 2015
Member of the Interdisciplinary Studies Area Faculty

2004 - 2015
Member of the Core Doctoral Faculty, Gradutate Theological Union

2001 - 2015
Member of the Systematic and Philosophical Theology Area Consortial Faculty

2001 - d.d.
Member, Society of Anglican and Lutheran, Theology

1997 - d.d.
Member, Society of Biblical Literature

1997 - d.d.
Member, American Academy of Religion

0
Member, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Religionsphilosophie

0
Member, European Society for Women in Theology and Religion – ESWTR

0
Member, The European Society for Intercultural Theology and Interreligious Studies - ESITIS

0
Member, Yale-Edinburgh Group on the History of the Missionary Movement and World Christianity

0
Member, Constructive Theology Group