Ongoing Doctoral Projects

Working title of project: Not "my shepherd"? The reception and representation of the Persian king Cyrus in OG Isaiah

Start project period: Fall 2020

Supervisor: Professor Kristin Joachimsen, MF

Co-supervisor: Adjunct Professor Jean Maurais, Acadia University

E-mail: solvarisene@yahoo.com

Working title of project: Hezekiah - The Making of a leadership Ideal in Judean Memory

Start project period: Fall 2018

Supervisor: Professor Kristin Joachimsen, MF

E-mail: Steinar.Skarpnes@mf.no

Working title of project: Are the Gospels folk literature? An analysis of the gospels as folk literature, with emphasis on the Gospel of Mark, and special focus on their origin and use within early Christianity, their orality and materiality

Start project period: Fall 2025

Supervisor: Professor Justin Strong, MF

E-mail: hjs@bibel.no

Working title of project: The Memory of Paul in Acts and the Development of Early Christian Identity

Start project period: Fall 2025

Supervisor: Professor Justin Strong, MF

Co-supervisor: Professor Ole Jakob Filtvedt, MF 

E-mail: Thomas.Christensen@mf.no

Working title of project: A Cultural History of the “Jewish Jesus” in Critical Scholarship in Light of Contemporary Jewish-Christian Relations, Controversies about Jewish Identity, and Anglo-American Constructions of Israel

Start project period: Fall 2022

Supervisor: Professor James Crossley, MF

E-mail: ronit.dassa@stud.mf.no

Working title of project: Is the Lord’s Prayer a Complete Prayer, a Summary of Scriptural Prayer, or a Structure for Future Worship?

Start project period: Fall 2022

Supervisor: Professor James Crossley, MF

E-mail: veronica.j.humby@stud.mf.no

Working title of project: Recognizing Ourselves: Johannine Recognition Scenes as Sites for Transgender Biblical Interpretation

Start project period: Fall 2022

Supervisor: Associate Professor Matthew Monger, MF

Co-supervisor: Professor James Crossley, MF

E-mail: mack.e.p.griffith@stud.mf.no

Working title of project: How to make Sense of Paul’s Bodily Weakness? Paul’s Ironical Self-Presentation in 2 Cor 10–13 and the Ambiguous task of Interpreting him

Start project period: Fall 2019

Supervisor: Professor Ole Jakob Filtvedt, MF

Co-supervisor: Professor Karl Olav Sandnes, MF

E-mail: meretehodt@gmail.com

Working title of project: Salomo mellom linjene: Meininger minnet om Salomo skapar i Matteusevangeliet [Memories and Meanings of Solomon in the Gospel of Matthew]

Start project period: Fall 2016

Supervisor: Professor Emeritus Karl Olav Sandnes

E-mail: perkristiansatre@gmail.com

Working title of project: Felles fiende for kirke og stat: skremselstaktikker i reformasjonens korrespondanser og flygeblader

Start project period: Spring 2026

Supervisor: Professor Otfried Czaika, MF

E-mail: Fredrik.Hope@mf.no

Working title of project: Trivium I Tanum: Høymiddelalderkirkens korbuevegg - et «mind-map» for formidling og læring? Om skolastiske perspektiver i den norske høymiddelalderkirkens bilder

Start project period: Spring 2026

Supervisor: Professor Otfried Czaika, MF

E-mail: mariannecappelen@gmail.com

Working title of project: Teologi og kirke i møte med den totalitære stat og antisemittismen - Leiv Aalens politiske teologi før og under den annen verdenskrig

Start project period: 

Supervisor: Adjunct Associate Professor Per Kristian Aschim, MF

Co-supervisor: Professor Otfried Czaika, MF

E-mail: Olav.Refvem@mf.no

Working title of project: Critical edition and study of op. 66 Liber de articulis fidei et Apostrophe ad summum pontificem by Ramon Llull (Rome, 23rd June 1296)

Start project period: Fall 2024

Supervisor: Professor Otfried Czaika, MF

Co-supervisor: Professor Oscar de la Cruz Palma, Universitet Autonoma de Barcelona

E-mail: sanchopradesmar@gmail.com

Working title of project: Lost and Bound: The Rebinding of Codex Sinaiticus

Start project period: Fall 2022

Supervisor: Professor Brent Nongbri, MF

Co-supervisor: Professor Blossom Champlain, MF

E-mail: Fridtjof.Leemhuis@mf.no

Working title of project: Norske presters fredsforening og geistlig fredsdiskurs 1915-1930

Start project period: Fall 2022

Supervisor: Adjunct Associate Professor Per Kristian Aschim, MF

E-mail: Oyvind.B.Andersen@mf.no

Working title of project: Between thistles and thorns": The priests at the Hanseatic Kontor in Bergen in the tension between the Hanseatic League and the Crown

Start project period: Fall 2021

Supervisor: Professor Otfried Czaika, MF

E-mail: Carina.L.Lind@mf.no

Working title of project: Pneumatological Imagination in a World of Algorithmic Principalities

Start project period: Spring 2026

Supervisor: Professor Atle Søvik, MF

E-mail: torgeirvarnesbranden@gmail.com

Working title of project: A Dialogue Between Hegel's Philosophy of Nature and Posthumanism

Start project period: Fall 2025

Supervisor: Professor Asle Eikrem, MF

E-mail: Nuray.Ayten@ankara.edu.tr

Working title of project: This little light of mine. A discussion on the pedagogical view and the child view expressed by children's ministry leaders in free churches in light of recent child theology and research on children's spirituality

Start project period: Fall 2024

Supervisor: Professor Jan-Olav Henriksen, MF

E-mail: Odd.K.Sabo@mf.no

Working title of project: Mediated Morality: Using Postphenomenological Mediation Theory to Solve Problems in Theological Metaethics

Start project period: Fall 2024

Supervisor: Professor Atle Søvik, MF

E-mail: Amund.Tobias@hotmail.no

Working title of project: Towards a Better Understanding of Sin and Forgiveness of Sin: An Empirical Systematic Theological Contribution

Start project period: Spring 2024

Supervisor: Associate Professor Kristin Graff-Kallevåg, MF

Co-supervisor: Professor Jan-Olav Henriksen, MF

E-mail: Gunnhild.N.Hermstad@mf.no

Working title of project: An Assessment of the Fine-Tuning Argument for Theism

Start project period: Fall 2023

Supervisor: Professor Atle Søvik, MF

E-mail: Espen.Lokhammer@mf.no

Working title of project: Creation and Christology in Modern Scandinavian Theology

Start project period: Fall 2023

Supervisor: Associate Professor Ragnar Misje Bergem

Co-supervisor: Professor Jeppe Bach Nikolajsen, MF

E-mail: simeonottosen@me.com

Working title of project: Mystikk som formidling: En systematisk utarbeidelse av begrepet om 'positiv mystikk' hos Mester Eckhardt, som formidling mellom apofatisk og katafatisk teologi

Start project period: Fall 2022

Supervisor: Professor Asle Eikrem, MF

Co-supervisor: Professor Amador Vega, CERCCA

E-mail: Tollef.G.Hugo@mf.no

Working title of project: Language as Metaphor for Faith: A study of Luther's rerum metaphora and Derrida's archi-écriture

Start project period: Fall 2018

Supervisor: Professor Asle Eikrem, MF

Co-supervisor: Knut Alfsvåg, VID

E-mail: J.B.Varnesbranden@mf.no

Working title of project: Parents as Mediators of Faith: A Study of Parents’ Self-Understanding of Their Role Through Theological and Societal Lenses

Start project period: Spring 2026

Supervisor: Professor Tone Stangeland Kaufman, MF

Co-supervisor:  Professor Bård Eirik Hallesby Norheim , NLA

E-mail: ingrid@myrtveit.com

Working title of project: The Warriors and the Sisters:A qualitative study on a gender-specific youth ministry initiative in Norway

Start project period: Spring 2025

Supervisor: Professor Tone Stangeland Kaufman, MF

E-mail: rnaterstad@fjellhaug.no

Working title of project: Sjelesorg i pinsebevegelsen: en empirisk studie av sjelesorgpraksis

Start project period: Fall 2023

Supervisor: Associate Professor Knut Tveitereid, MF

E-mail: post@jarlewaldemar.no

Working title of project: Bibellæsning i krævende tider – Et kvalitativt studie af mennesker i krises erfaringer af at læse en valgt tekst fra Første Mosebog

Start project period: Fall 2023

Supervisor: Associate Professor Knut Tveitereid, MF

Co-supervisor: Associate Professor Ingunn Aadland, MF

E-mail: tgu@km.dk 

Working title of project: 'So I built a room where the confirmands can pray': A qualitative in-depth study of catechists' understanding and practice of agency (or space of possibility), location, space, and material in the catechist practice in the Church of Norway

Start project period: Fall 2022

Supervisor: Associate Professor Kristin Graff-Kallevåg, MF

Co-supervisor: Professor Trine Anker, MF

E-mail: Camilla.Jorgensen@mf.no

Working title of project: Choosing death: experiences with considering seeking assistance in dying

Start project period: Spring 2023

Supervisor: Associate Professor Fredrik Saxegaard, MF

E-mail: Ingvild.Lalim@mf.no

Working title of project: Fra vugge til grav. En homiletisk undersøgelse af oplevelsen af at være taler i minoritetsgrupperne Humanistisk Samfund og Mosaik i forbindelse med meningen med livet ved begyndelsen og enden på livet

Start project period: Spring 2021

Supervisor: Professor Tone Stangeland Kaufman, MF

E-mail: rasmusjh1@gmail.com

Working title of project: Healing and reconciliation of female rape victims within the Church in Kenya

Start project period: Spring 2017

Supervisor: Professor Jan-Olav Henriksen, MF

Co-supervisor: Professor Solvor M. Lauritzen, MF

E-mail: kiaira20@yahoo.com

Working title of project: Retreat in change - experienced by the lived body. A phenomenological exploration of experiences and meaning making among inmates doing silent retreat

Start project period: 2015

Supervisor: Professor Jan-Olav Henriksen, MF

Co-supervisor: Professor Emeriti Leif Gunnar Engedal, MF

E-mail: vegard.holm@mf.no

Working title of project: Understanding the Growth of Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY): Empirical and Theological Analysis

Start project period: 2014

Supervisor: Associate Professor Emeriti Roar Fotland, MF

Co-supervisor: Associate Professor Lars L. Iversen, MF

E-mail: giiftiikodaw@yahoo.co.in

Working title of project: Exploring Meaning in Life in Young-Onset Dementia: Experiences of Patients, Relatives, and Healthcare Professionals

Start project period: Spring 2026

Supervisor: Professor Tatjana Schnell, MF

Co-supervisor: Professor Sigrid Helene Kjørven Haug, University of Inland Norway

E-mail: ingrid_rogndahl@hotmail.com

Working title of project: The Role of Meaning in Life in Adolescents’ Mental Health

Start project period: Fall 2024

Supervisor: Professor Tatjana Schnell, MF

Co-supervisor: Professor Torgeir Sørensen, VID

Co-supervisor: Associate Professor Kenneth Larsen, USN

E-mail: Charlotte.Rosenberg@mf.no

Working title of project: Near-death experiences among critical ill patient

Start project period: Spring 2020

Supervisor: Professor Tatjana Schnell, MF

Co-supervisor: Professor Angelika Gabriele Sorteberg, OUS-HF

E-mail: oeybue@ous-hf.no

Working title of project: Educating for Democracy in Unequal Contexts: A Study of social studies classroom Practices in Sweden and Denmark

Start project period: Fall 2023

Supervisor: Professor Trine Anker, MF

E-mail: Binta.V.Jammeh@mf.no

Working title of project: Religionskritikkens hva, hvorfor og hvordan: En empirisk studie av undervisning om religionskritikk i religion og etikk

Start project period: Fall 2021

Supervisor: Professor Trine Anker, MF

Co-supervisor: Associate Professor Audun Toft, MF

E-mail: Sebastian.T.Jarmer@mf.no

Working title of project: Racism in schools: a micro-political study of school staff's work against racism in schools

Start project period: Fall 2020

Supervisor: Professor Claudia Lenz, MF

E-mail: Christine.L.Norheim@mf.no

Working title of project: Presenting China as a Muslim-friendly country - Sinicization in China's Islam-focused cultural diplomacy towards Indonesia

Start project period: Fall 2025

Supervisor: Professor Iselin Frydenlund, MF

Co-supervisor: Senior Lecturer David Stroup, University of Manchester

E-mail: Kjersti.A.G.Litleskare@mf.no

Working title of project: Fatherhood and masculinity in the Catholic Church

Start project period: Fall 2025

Supervisor: Professor Ingrid Storm, MF

E-mail: Tiril.Flatebo@mf.no

Working title of project: Female authority and identity within a growing transnational salafi network in the Pakistani diaspora: An analysis of NurulQuran

Start project period: Spring 2025

Supervisor: Professor Torkel Brekke, MF

E-mail: Iram.Salih@mf.no

Working title of project: Chinggisid-Buddhist deification in Mongolia: state and reincarnation

Start project period: Spring 2025

Supervisor: Professor Moumita Sen, MF

Co-supervisor: Professor Uradyn E. Bulag, University of Cambridge

E-mail: Munkhnaran.Bayarlkhagva@mf.no

Working title of project: Beyond Orientalism: George Sale, al-Bayḍāwī, and the European Qurʾān Translation Tradition

Start project period: Fall 2024

Supervisor: Associate Professor Matthew Monger, MF

Co-supervisor: Professor Jan Loop, Copenhagen University

E-mail: zeshan.u.qureshi@mf.no

Working title of project: Faith, Family and Freedom: The Political Rise of the Book of Mormon

Start project period: Fall 2023

Supervisor: Professor Iselin Frydenlund, MF

E-mail: Elray.Henriksen@mf.no

Working title of project: What we talk about when we talk about Yiddish: A study of transvaluation, representation and revitalization of Yiddish in contemporary Sweden

Start project period: Fall 2022

Supervisor: Professor Liv Ingeborg Lied, MF

Co-supervisor: Professor Claudia Lenz, MF

E-mail: Anita.Christensen@mf.no

Working title of project: New Karbi Religious Movements: Lokhimon, creation of dialogue space

Start project period: Fall 2021

Supervisor: Professor Moumita Sen, MF

Co-supervisor: Senior Lecturer Arkoton Longkumer, University of Edinburgh

E-mail: Theang.Teron@mf.no

Working title of project: Contextualizing Human Rights Pedagogy in Post-War Sri Lanka: Narratives, Memory, and Multicultural Education

Start project period: Fall 2025

Supervisor: Associate Professor Merethe Skårås, MF

E-mail: Kalpani.Dambagolla@mf.no 

Working title of project: Delusions of Grandeur: An ideational analysis of France’s justification of the 2011 Libya intervention

Start project period: Fall 2024

Supervisor: Associate Professor Andreas Holmedahl Hvidsten, MF 

Co-supervisor: Associate Professor Ragnar Misje Bergem, MF

E-mail: Oystein.B.Hellevik@mf.no

Working title of project: Enslavement Legacies and struggles for recognition of Roma women in Romania

Start project period: Fall 2022

Supervisor: Professor Trine Anker, MF

E-mail: Maria.Dumitru@mf.no

Working title of project: Samtalen om eksistensielle spørsmål i barnehagen

Start project period: 2013

Supervisor: Professor Dr. Heid Leganger-Krogstad, MF

Co-supervisor: Professor Liv Gjems, Volda University College

E-mail: RagnhildF@hivolda.no

Espen Gilsvik - nr. 150

Thesis: Non/Religious Ambivalence on the Journey Out of Eden - a qualitative case study exploring the experiences of Norwegian high-cost Christian Charismatic disaffiliates

Disputation date: 16.01.2026

Opponents:

• Professor Em. Abby Day, Goldsmiths, University of London (1)
• Associate Professor Sivert Skålvoll Urstad, University of Agder
• Professor Ingrid Storm, MF, chair of the committee (2)

Lloyd Nyarota - nr. 149

Thesis: The Mission of Reconciliation: The Church’s Message in Zimbabwe 2000-2009

Disputation date: 28.08.2025

Opponents:

• Professor Kajsa Ahlstrand, University of Uppsala (1)
• Professor Tomas Sundnes Drønen, VID Specialized University (2)
• Associate Professor Hilde Marie Øgreid, MF, chair of the committee

Rhiannon Williams - nr. 148

Thesis: Late Antique Christianity in Kharga Oasis (Egypt). An Archaeological Examination

Disputation date:  17.06.2025

Opponents:  

• Senior Lecturer Louise Blanke, The University of Edinburgh (1)
• Professor Paola Buzi, Sapienza Università di Roma (2),
• Associate Professor Matthew Monger, MF, chair of the committee

Van Hmung - nr. 147

Thesis: Toward An Ecumenical Theology Of Interreligious Relationship: Exploring Legal And Theological Issues And Avenues Of Quality Buddhist-Christian Relations In Myanmar

Disputation date: 16.06.2025

Opponents:  

• Professor Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Fuller Theological Seminary (1)
• Professor Kristin Largen, Wartburg Seminary (2)
• Professor Jan-Olav Henriksen, MF, chair of the committee

Leni Mjåland - nr. 146

Thesis: Caring in Urban Spaces: Discovering Spatiality in Care Practices

Disputation date: 04.06.2025

Opponents:  

• Associate professor Björn Andersson, Gøteborgs Universitet (1)
• Professor Solveig Botnen Eide, Universitetet i Agder (2)
• Professor Claudia Lenz, MF chair of the committee

Lina Snoek Hauan - nr. 145

Thesis: Knowledge creation in Religion and Ethics classrooms: Hegemonic discourses, epistemic resistance and relational dynamics

Disputation date: 09.04.2025

Opponents:  

• Professor Kerstin von Brömssen, Högskolan Väst, Sverige (1)
• Professor Torjer Andreas Olsen, Universitetet i Tromsø (2)
• Associate professor Emil Sætra, MF, chair of the committee.

Glenn Øystein Wehus - nr. 144 (Dr. Philos)

Thesis: Prominent Pronouns: Self-Understanding and Self-Formation in the Stoic Philosopher Epictetus

Disputation date: 13.12.2024

Opponents:  

• Professor Rainer Hirsch-Luipold, University of Bern (1)
• Professor Pauliina Remes, Uppsala University (2)
• Professor James Crossley, MF, chair of the committee

Laura-Marie Mork - nr. 143

Thesis: Religion and Politics – Discourse on Authority in the Swedish Realm under Gustav Vasa

Disputation date: 06.12.2024

Opponents:  

• Regents Professor Jason Lavery, Oklahoma State University (1)
• Professor Mia Korpiola, University of Turku (2)
• Associate professor John Kaufman, MF, chair of the committee.

Jostein Garcia De Presno - nr. 142

Thesis: "Kun at det skjer med Orden" Rettssaken mot Hans Nielsen Hauge og institusjonaliseringen av Haugebevegelsen

Disputation date: 29.11.2024

Opponents:  

• Professor Hanne Sanders, Lunds Universitet (1)
• Professor Hallgeir Elstad, Universitetet i Oslo (2)
• Associate professor Per Kristian Aschim, MF, chair of the committee

Ryan Florer Smith - nr. 141

Thesis: JESUS’S DEATH BY THE SPEAR
The Heretofore Inconsistent Text-Critical Analysis of Matt 27:49b and the Recovery of a Dismissed Variant Reading’s Story to Tell

Disputation date: 09.04.2025

Opponents:  

• Dr Gregory Paulson, University of Munster (1)
• Professor Jennifer Wright Knust, Duke University, Durham (2)
• Professor Brent Nongbri, MF, chair of the committee.

Maria Stensvold Ånonsen - nr. 140

Thesis: KAMPEN FOR Å VÆRE SEG SELV OG HØRE TIL - En fotostudie med ungdom som har opplevd vold og omsorgssvikt hjemme

Disputation date: 17.06.2024

Opponents:  

• Professor Jon-Håkon Schultz, Universitetet i Tromsø (1)
• Dekan Mona-Iren Hauge, VID vitenskapelige høyskole (2)
• Associate Professor Knut Tveitereid, MF, chair of the committee.

Filip Rasmussen - nr. 139

Thesis: Between the Times: The Critique of Religion in the Theology of the Early Karl Barth

Disputation date: 11.06.2024

Opponents:  

• Professor Hanna Reichel, Princeton Theological Seminary (1)
• Associate Professor Christine Svinth-Værge Põder, University of Copenhagen (2)
• Professor Jan-Olav Henriksen, MF, chair of the committee.

Bushra Ishaq - nr. 138

Thesis: Determinants of health among Muslims in Norway. Muslim religiosity and perceived discrimination among Muslims in Norway – impact on health and health behaviour

Disputation date: 09.02.2024

Opponents:  

• Professor Finn Diderichsen, København Universitet (1)
• Professor Lars Lien, Høgskolen Innlandet (2)
• Associate Professor Gry Stålsett, MF, chair of the committee

John Daniel Andersen - nr. 137

Thesis: How to Understand Pentecostal Experiences of God as a Source for Systematic Theology

Disputation date: 09.01.2025

Opponents:  

• Professor Ulf Zackariasson, Uppsala University (1)
• Simo Frestadius, Regents Theological College (2)
• Associate Professor Kristin Graff-Kallevåg, MF, chair of the committee

Kjersti Olstad - nr. 136

Thesis: Mening i livet hos ungdom med utviklingstraumer- En kvalitativ studie av mening i livet som erfaring og som tema i terapi

Disputation date: 06.12.2023

Opponents:  

• Professor Niels Christian Hvidt, University of Southern Denmark (1)
• Lektor Christina Lloyd, Uppsala Universitet (2)
• Associate Professor Gry Stålsett, MF, chair of the committee.

Andreas Melsom Gregersen - nr. 135 

Thesis: ATMOSPHERING: A Study of Atmosphere and Religion in a Copenhagen Night Church

Disputation date: 12.10.2023

Opponents:  

• Professor Patrick Eisenlohr, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (1)
• Assistant Professor Mikkel Gabriel Christoffersen, University of Copenhagen (2)
• Professor Liv Ingeborg Lied, MF, chair of the committee

Maria Ledstam - nr. 134

Thesis: When work becomes church and religion criticizes work: An Ethnographic Multiple-Case Study Exploring Negotiations of Purity and Impurity of Religion and Economy in Business Practices Related to the Christian Movements of Economy of Communion and Business as Mission

Disputation date: 09.06.2023

Opponents:  

• Professor Nimi Wariboko, Boston University (1)
• Professor Asle Eikrem, MF (2)
• Professor II Ulrik Nissen, MF, chair of the committee.

Daniel Prause - nr. 133

Thesis: Existential care to older patients with acquired deafblindness. A qualitative study exploring patients’, nurses’, and chaplains’ experiences

Disputation date: 07.06.2023

Opponents:  

• Professor Per-Olof Sandman, Umeå (1)
• Professor Astrid Norberg, Umeå (2)
• Professor Tatjana Schnell, MF, chair of the committee

Trine-Lise Jansen - nr. 132

Thesis: Moral distress in acute psychiatric nursing. An insider perspective of sources, responses, and ways of coping

Disputation date: 18.04.2023

Opponents:  

• Professor Kristian Larsen, København (1)
• Professor Anders Johan W. Andersen, Universitetet i Agder (2)
• Associate Professor Gry Stålsett, MF, chair of the committee

Ane Inger Bondahl Søberg - nr. 131

Thesis: Eksistensielle temaer i samtaler med pasienter i selvmordsrisiko. Hvordan ivaretas eksistensielle temaer i samtaler med personer med selvmordsrisiko i spesialisthelsetjenesten – med særlig fokus på sykehuspresters rolle?

Disputation date: 17.04.2023

Opponents:  

• Postdoctor Bergljot Gjelsvik, Psykologisk Institutt, UIO (1)
• Associate Professor Anne Austad, VID vitenskapelige høgskole (2)
• Associate Professor Gry Stålsett, MF, chair of the committee

Kari Halstensen - nr. 130

Thesis: Relational Processes. Addressing depressive conditions and the God relation in psychotherapy – a dual methods approach

Disputation date: 11.01.2023

Opponents:  

• Professor Kirsten Kaya Roessler (1)
• Professor Erik Stänicke (2)
• Professor Jan Olav Henriksen, MF, chair of the committee

Emil Sætra - nr. 129 

Thesis: Discussing controversial issues in the classroom: Ideals of democratic discussion and citizenship in Norwegian high schools

Disputation date:  28.10.2022

Opponents:  

• Professor Jan Grannäs, Gävle (1)
• Associate Professor Edda Sant Obiols, Manchester (2)
• Associate Professor Lars Laird Iversen, MF, chair of the committee

Johannes Hvaal Solberg - nr. 128 

Thesis: Analogy of being between univocity and equivocity: The reconstruction of the concept of analogy in the writings of Przywara, Balthasar, and Marion, from the perspective of theological aesthetics

Disputation date: 25.10.2022

Opponents:  

• Professor Ståle Johannes Kristiansen, Bergen (1)
• Professor Christina M. Gschwandtner, Fordham University (2)
• Professor Asle Eikrem, MF, chair of the committee.

Emil B. Nielsen - nr. 127 

Thesis: Apologetics Beyond Arguments. An Analysis and Evaluation of the Apologetic Methods of Richard Swinburne, Alister McGrath, and Stanley Hauerwas

Disputation date: 26.08.2022

Opponents:  

• Professor Niels Henrik Gregersen, Copenhagen (1)
• Professor Harald Hegstad, MF (2)
• Professor Nancey Murphy, Pasadena, chair of the committee

Jesse Ophoff - nr. 126

Thesis: Navigating the Gospel in Latin Late Antiquity: “Evangelium” through Three Centuries of Critical Development

Disputation date: 12.05.2022

Opponents:  

• Professor Mary J. Carruthers, New York (1)
• Professor Karla Pollmann, Bristol (2)
• Professor Brent Nongbri, MF, chair of the committee.

Michael A. Mørch - nr. 125

Thesis: Systematic Theology as Rationally Justified Public Discourse about God

Disputation date: 12.05.2022

Opponents:  

• Professor Cornelia Richter, Bonn (1)
• Professor Mikael Stenmark, Uppsala (2)
• Professor Marion Grau, MF, chair of the committee

Line M. Bonde - nr. 124

Thesis: Challenging the Romanesque: Reconsidering Approaches to the Rural Parish Church of Twelfth-Century Denmark

Disputation:  18.03.2022

Opponents date:  

• Professor Linda Seidel, Chicago (1)
• Associate Professor Søren Kaspersen, Copenhagen (2)
• Professor Otfried Czaika, MF, chair of the committee.

Gunhild Maria Hugdal - nr. 123 

Thesis: The right choice and the free choice: An empirical ethical contribution to a Christian, feminist ethic of reproductive justice

Disputation date: 09.06.2021

Opponents:  

• Associate professor Aana Marie Vigen, Chicago (1)
• Associate Professor Marianne Kjelsvik, Ålesund (2)
• Professor Jan-Olav Henriksen, MF, chair of the committee.

Kenneth Ellefsen - nr. 122

Thesis: Én dåp i to former? En økumenisk studie av muligheten for å oppnå differensiert konsensus i dåpsteologien mellom baptister og lutheranere i skandinavisk kontekst

Disputation date: 08.06.2021

Opponents:  

• Docent Sune Fahlgren, Stockholm (1)
• Professor Niels Henrik Gregersen, Copenhagen (2)
• Associate Professor Kristin Graff-Kallevåg, MF, chair of the committee.

Hilde Marie Øgreid Movafagh - nr. 121 

Thesis: Broadening the Perspective: Prevenient Grace in Contemporary Methodist Theology

Disputation date: 03.05.2021

Opponents:  

• Professor Wendy Farley, Redlands (1)
• Researcher Michael Nausner, Uppsala (2)
• Professor Harald Hegstad, MF, chair of the committee

Linn Sæbø Rystad - nr. 120

Thesis: Overestimated and Underestimated: A Case Study of the Practice of Preaching for Children with an Emphasis on Children’s Role as Listeners

Disputation date:  12.03.2021

Opponents:  

• Lektor Marlene Ringgaard Lorensen, Copenhagen (1)
• Docent Theo Pleizier, Groningen (2)
• Associate Professor Knut Tveitereid, MF, chair of the committee.

Kristin Skarning Eriksson - nr. 119 

Thesis: Rights and Values: Interpretive Repertoires in a Norwegian Public Debate about Religion and Governance

Disputation date:  30.10.2020

Opponents:  

• Professor Mia Lövheim, Stockholm (1)
• Helge Årsheim, UiO (2)
• Associate Professor Marielle Stigum Gleiss, MF, chair of the committee

Ingvild Engh Wattø - nr. 118

Thesis: Low-threshold Services for Individuals in Crisis: A qualitative study of the support offered by a diaconal suicide prevention crisis line in Norway and volunteers’ role in service-delivery from the perspectives of Kirkens SOS volunteers and callers

Disputation date: 29.10.2020

Opponents:  

• Ph.D. Peter La Cour, Denmark (1)
• Ph.D. Erlend Mork, Oslo (2)
• Associate Professor Gry Stålsett, MF, chair of the committee.

Einar Eidsaa Edland - nr. 117 

Thesis: Towards another self story. Religion, self and transformation in VITA patients

Disputation date:  16.06.2020

Opponents:  

• Professor Stephen Pattison, Birmingham (1)
• Associate Professor Sigrid Helene Kjørven Haug, Hamar (2)
• Professor Lars Johan Danbolt, MF, chair of the committee.

Hege Kristin Ringnes - nr. 116

Thesis: Emotion regulation strategies and future prospects among Jehova’s Witnesses: A qualitative study of Norwegian members of an end-time focused religious group

Disputation date: 29.05.2020

Opponents:  

• Professor Sebastian Murken, Marburg (1)
• Professor Valerie DeMarinis, Uppsala (2)
• Professor Jan-Olav Henriksen, MF, chair of the committee

Brandt C. Klawitter - nr. 115 

Thesis: A Forceful and Fruitful Verse:Textual and Contextual Studies on Genesis 1:28 in Luther and the Wittenberg Reformation (1521-1531)

Disputation date: 16.12.2019

Opponents:  

• Professor Irene Dingel, Mainz (1)
• Associate Professor Sivert Angel, Oslo (2)
• Associate Professor Eivor A. Oftestad, MF, chair of the committee.

Inge Andersland - nr. 114

Thesis: Religion Education, Religious and National Identity, and the Purpose of Education

Disputation date: 04.10.2019

Opponents:  

• Professor Kerstin von Brömssen, Trollhättan (1)
• Professor Geir Skeie, Stavanger (2)
• Professor Geir Afdal, MF, chair of the committee

Audun Toft - nr. 113 

Thesis: Conflict and Entertainment: Media Influence on Religious Education in Upper Secondary School in Norway

Disputation date: 13.09.2019

Opponents:  

• Johanna Sumiala, Helsinki (1)
• Professor Jenny Berglund, Stockholm (2)
• Associate Professor Lars Laird Iversen, MF, chair of the committee

Cato Gulaker- nr. 112

Thesis: Satan, the Heavenly Adversary of Man: A Narrative Analysis of the Function of Satan in the Book of Revelation

Disputation date: 13.06.2019

Opponents:  

• Professor Paul Middleton, Chester (1)
• Professor Gabriella Gelardini, Bodø (2)
• Professor Karl Olav Sandnes, MF, chair of the committee

Steinunn A. Björnsdottir - nr. 111

Thesis: Reforming Pastors: A study on Reforms and Attempted Reforms in the ELCI with a Focus on the Role of the Pastors

Disputation date: 24.05.2019

Opponents:  

• Associate Professor Kirsten Donskov Felter, Aarhus (1)
• Professor Harald Askeland, Oslo (2)
• Associate Professor Fredrik Saxegaard chair of the committee.

Hildegunn Valen Kleive - nr. 110

Thesis: Not that religious: A study of young Tamil religiosity in north-western Norway

Disputation date: 10.05.2019

Opponents:  

• Associate Professor Marianne Qvortrup Fibiger, Aarhus (1)
• Professor Øivind Fuglerud, Oslo (2)
• Postdoc Gina Lende, MF, chair of the committee.

Håkon Sunde Pedersen - nr. 109 

Thesis: The Retributive and Suffering God of the Book of Jeremiah: A Study of YHWH’s ʻĀzab-Complaints

Disputation date: 11.01.2019

Opponents:  

• Senior Lecturer dr. Else Kragelund Holt, Aarhus (1)
• Senior Lecturer dr. David Reimer, Edinburgh/St.Andrews (2)
• Professor Gard Granerød, MF, chair of the committee

Burkhard Kunkel - nr. 108 

Thesis: Mitteldinge: Lutherische Kirchen mit ihren Ausstattungen des 16. Jahrhunderts – eine Geschichte der materiellen Kultur

Disputation date: 23.11.2018

Opponents:  

• Professor Krista Kodres, Tallinn (1)
• Professor Sabine Hiebsch, Kampen (2)
• Professor Otfried Czaika, MF, chair of the committee.

Klaus Vibe - nr. 107 

Thesis: The Spirit of Faith: A Comparative Study of Philo’s and Paul’s Reading of the Abraham Story

Disputation date: 03.09.2018

Opponents:  

• Professor John M.G. Barclay, Durham (1)
• Professor Gitte Buch-Hansen, Copenhagen (2)
• Professor Karl Olav Sandnes, MF, chair of the committee.

Andrew Ratanya Mukaria - nr. 106 

Thesis: Towards Constructive Ecotheology: The Mau Forest Complex and the Response of the Church

Disputation date: 12.06.2018

Opponents:  

• Ben Knighton, Oxford (1)
• Professor Mika Vähäkangas, Lund (2)
• Professor Marion Grau, MF, chair of the committee

Daniela Lucia Rapisarda - nr. 105

Thesis: Theology of Inculturation and Liberation In the People to People Peacemaking Process in Southern Sudan (1997-2002)

Disputation date: 08.05.2018

Opponents:  

• Professor Kajsa Ahlstrand, Uppsala (1)
• Professor Peter Lodberg, Aarhus (2)
• Professor Marion Grau, MF, chair of the committee

Johan Lövgren - nr. 104

Thesis: The Reflective Community: Learning processes in Norwegian folk high schools

Disputation date: 04.05.2018

Opponents:  

• Professor Anne Line Wittek, Oslo (1)
• Professor Staffan Larsson, Linköping (2)
• Professor Claudia Lenz, MF, chair of the committee

Per Kristian Aschim - nr. 103 

Thesis: Herskende religion i den kristelige stat: Den statsteoretiske diskursen om religion og stat med henblikk på norsk religionspolitikk i 1840-årene

Disputation: 20.04.2018

Opponents:  

• Professor Lisbet Christoffersen, Roskilde (1)
• Professor Ingunn Folkestad Breistein, Kristiansand (2)
• Associate Professor John Kaufman, MF, chair of the committee.

Matthew P. Monger - nr. 102

Thesis: 4Q216: Rethinking Jubilees in the First Century BCE

Disputation date:  05.03.2018

Opponents:  

• Professor Loren T. Stuckenbruck, München (1)
• Professor Charlotte Hempel, Birmingham (2)
• Professor Kristin Joachimsen, MF, chair of the committee

Christine Henriksen Aarflot - nr. 101 

Thesis: God (in) Acts: A Narrative Analysis of the Characterization of God through God’s Actions in the Acts of the Apostles

Disputation date:  02.03.2018

Opponents:  

• Professor Matthew L. Skinner, St. Paul (1)
• Professor Loveday Alexander, Sheffield (2)
• Professor Reidar Hvalvik, MF, chair of the committee.

Nils Hallvard Korsvoll - nr. 100 

Thesis: Reconsidering ‘Christian’: Context and Categorisation in the Study of Syriac Amulets and Incantation Bowls

Disputation date: 18.12.2017

Opponents:  

• Professor David Frankfurter, Boston (1)
• Professor Dr. Erica C.D. Hunter, London (2)
• Professor Kristin Bliksrud Aavitsland, MF​, chair of the committee

Hilde Lausund - nr. 99

Thesis: Contracted Care: An Ethnographic Study of Home Care Nursing in Norway

Disputation date: 11.12.2017

Opponents:  

• Associate Professor Christine Ceci, Alberta (1)
• Professor Marit Kirkevold, Oslo (2)
• Professor Gunnar Heiene, MF, chair of the committee

Kristina Berg Torskenæs - nr. 98 

Thesis: The Spiritual Dimension in Nursing: A Mixed Method Study on Patients and Health Professionals

Disputation date: 01.12.2017

Opponents:  

• Professor Niels Christian Hvidt, Odense (1)
• Assistant Professor Cecilia Melder, Uppsala (2)
• Professor em. Leif Gunnar Engedal, MF, chair of the committee

Fredrik Saxegaard - nr. 97

Thesis: Realizing church: Parish pastors as contributors to leadership in congregations

Disputation date:  25.09.2017

Opponents:  

• Professor Kati Tervo-Niemelä, Helsinki (1)
• Professor Henk de Roest, Groeningen (2)
• Professor Lars Johan Danbolt, MF, chair of the committee.

Harald Aarbakke - nr. 96

Thesis: The importance of Being the Eldest Brother and Its Relevance for New Testament Christology

Disputation date: 15.06.2017

Opponents:  

• Professor Reidar Aasgaard, Oslo (1)
• Associate Professor Dr. Anna Rebecca Solevåg, Stavanger (2)
• Professor Karl Olav Sandnes, MF, chair of the committee

Kirsten Tornøe - nr. 95

Thesis: The Challenge of Consolation: A qualitative study of nurses’ experiences with practicing and teaching spiritual and existential care for the dying

Disputation date: 05.05.2017

Opponents:  

• Professor John Swinton, University of Aberdeen (1)
• Professor Astrid Norberg, Umeå University (2)
• Associate Professor Gry Stålsett, MF, chair of the committee

Ingunn Aadland - nr. 94

Thesis: Seek and Find. A Rereading of 4QSapiental Work (4Q185)

Disputation date: 19.12.2016

Opponents:  

• Research fellow Jutta Jokiranta, Helsinki (1)
• Professor Torleif Elgvin, Oslo (2)
• Professor Gard Granerød, MF, chair of the committee

Dorcas Kanana Muketha - nr. 93

Thesis: Ameru Women’s Spirituality: Negotiation of Spiritual Practices among Methodist and Pentecostal Church Christian women in Igembe Constituency

Disputation date: 23.11.2016

Opponents:  

• Professor Jesse Mugambi, Nairobi (1)
• Associate Professor Kari Storstein Haug, Stavanger (2)
• Professor em. Leif Gunnar Engedal​, MF, chair of the Committe

Robert Lilleaasen - nr.92

Thesis: Old Paths and New Ways: A Case Study of the Negotiation between Tradition and the Quest for Relevance in Two Worship practices

Disputation date: 30.09.2016

Opponents:  

• Professor Martin Stringer, Swansea University (1)
• Professor Bernice Sundkvist, Åbo Academy University (2)
• Professor Pete Ward​, MF, chair of the committee.

Frida Austvoll Nome - nr. 91

Thesis: Making Islam in times of crisis: The Friday sermon and the Syrian uprising

Disputation date: 10.06.2016

Opponents:  

• University Lecturer Thomas Pierret, University of Edinburgh (1)
• Professor Susanne Olsson, University of Stockholm (2)
• Professor Kjetil Fretheim, MF, chair of the committee.

Harald Askeland - nr. 90

Thesis: Hverdagsledelse: Diakoni, verdier og ledelse i praksis

Disputation date: 04.03.2016

Opponents:  

• Professor Bengt Kristensson Uggla, Åbo/Uppsala (1)​
• Professor Rebecka Arman, Göteborg (2)
• Professor II Håkon W. Lorentzen, chair of the committee.

Silje Kvamme Bjørndal - nr. 89

Thesis: The Church in a Secular Age: A Pneumatological Reconstruction of Stanley Hauerwas’ Ecclesiology

Disputation date: 17.12.2015

Opponents:  

• Professor Amos Yong, Fuller Theological Seminary (1)
• Professor Ulla Schmidt, Aarhus Universitet (2)
• Professor Jan-Olav Henriksen, MF, chair of the committee

Eskil Skjeldal - nr. 88

Thesis: Ethics and the Creator of Love and Trust: A Comparative and Constructive Reading of the Theological Dimensions in the Ethics of Knud E. Løgstrup and Søren Aa. Kierkegaard

Disputation date: 15.12.2015

Opponents:  

• Professor Pia Søltoft, København (1)
• Professor Svein Aage Christoffersen, Oslo (2)
• Professor Gunnar Heiene, MF, chair of the committee

Sigrid Helene Kjørven Haug - nr. 87 

Thesis: The illness experiences of older people with incurable cancer in specialized palliative health care contexts. A qualitative study in clinical psychology of religion of the interactions between daily living and existential meaning–making

Disputation date: 16.10.2015

Opponents:  

• Professor James W. Jones, Rutgers University (1)
• Professor Niels Christian Hvidt, Universitetet i sør-Danmark (2)
• Professor Gry Stålsett, MF, chair of the committee

Marianne Rodriguez Nygaard - nr. 86

Thesis: Caring to know or knowing to care? Knowledge Creation and Care in Deacons’ Professional Practice in the Church of Norway

Disputation date: 09.10.2015

Opponents:  

• Professor Mary Elizabeth Moore, Boston (1)
• Professor Hans Stifoss-Hanssen, Oslo (2)
• Professor Kjetil Fretheim, MF, chair of the committee

Ingvild Røsok ​ - nr. 85

Thesis: The Reality of Love: A Critical and Constructive Analysis of Karl Rahner’s Theology of Love

Disputation date: 25.09.2015

Opponents:  

• Professor Werner Jeanrond, Oxford (1)
• Docent Karin Johannesson, Uppsala (2)
• Professor Terje Hegertun, MF, chair of the committee.

Morten Holmqvist - nr. 84

Thesis: Learning Religion in Confirmation: Mediating the Material Logics of Religion. An ethnographic case study of religious learning in confirmation within the church of Norway

Disputation date: 12.06.2015

Opponents:  

• Professor Hubertus Roebben, Dortmund (1)
• Kerstin von Brömssen, Gøteborg og Karlstad (2)
• Professor Lars Laird Iversen, MF, chair of the committee.

Hilde Brekke Møller - nr. 83

Thesis: The Vermes Quest: The Significance of Geza Vermes for Jesus Research

Disputation date: 13.05.2015

Opponents:  

• Professor Helen Bond, Edinburgh (1)
• Professor Craig A. Evans, Acadia, Nova Scotia (2)
• Professor Karl Olav Sandnes, MF, chair of the committee.

Gina Lende - nr. 82

Thesis: Sound Scholarship and Moral Responsibility: Current Dilemmas in Research on Religion and Politics in Conflict-Ridden Contexts

Disputation date: 13.03.2015

Opponents:  

• Professor Kajsa Ahlstrand, Uppsala (1)
• Professor Torkel Brekke, Oslo (2)
• Professor Sturla Stålsett, MF, chair of the committee.

Kristin Graff-Kallevåg - nr. 81 

Thesis: The Triune God and Baptism: An Analysis and Discussion of the Relationship between the Trinity and Baptism in the Theology of Robert W. Jenson and Catherine M. LaCugna

Disputation date: 27.02.2015

Opponents:  

• Professor Marit Trelstad, Tacoma, WA ​(1)
• Professor Markus Mühling, Lüneburg (2)
• Professor Harald Hegstad, MF, chair of the committee.

Kim Larsen - nr. 80

Thesis: Transformasjon som overgivelse – en analyse av Wilfrid Stinissens karmelittiske spiritualitet

Disputation date: 06.02.2015

Opponents:  

• Professor Gösta Hallonsten, Lund ​(1)
• Professor Henny Fiskå Hägg, Kristiansand​ (2)
• Professor Tone Stangeland Kaufman, MF, chair of the committee.

Anne Austad - nr. 79

Thesis: Passing Away – Passing by: A Qualitative Study of Experiences and Meaning Making of Post Death Presence

Disputation date: 16.01.2015

Opponents:  

• Professor Hetty Zock, Groningen (1)
• Peter la Cour, Gudhjem (2)
• Professor Jan-Olav Henriksen, MF, chair of the committee.

Ingrid Christine Reite - nr. 78

Thesis: Between Settling and Unsettling in a Changing Knowledge Society: The Professional Learning Trajectories of Pastors

Disputation date: 16.12.2014

Opponents:  

• Professor Jan Nespor, Columbus, OH (1)
• Jonas Ideström, Uppsala (2)
• Professor Trine Anker, MF, chair of the committee.

Gunnar Innerdal - nr. 77

Thesis: Spirit and Truth: A Systematic Reconstruction of Hans von Balthasar’sDoctrine of the Spirit of Truth and its Connections to the Philosophy and Theology of Truth by the Theoretical Framework of Lorenz B. Puntel

Disputation date: 15.12.2014

Opponents:  

• Professor Karen E. Kilby, Durham (1)
• Professor Eugene Rogers, North Carolina (2)
• Professor Terje Hegertun, MF, chair of the committee.

Ole Jakob Filtvedt - nr. 76

Thesis: The Identity of Israel and the Paradox of Hebrews

Disputation date:  13.06.2014

Opponents:  

• Professor Dr. Larry Hurtado, Edinburgh (1)
• Docent Mikael Tellbe, Örebro (2)
• Associate Professor Geir Otto Holmås, MF, chair of the committee.

Ole Kolbjørn Kjørven - nr. 75

Thesis: RE Teachers' Religious Literacy: A Qualitative Analysis of RE Teachers' Interpretations of the Biblical Narrative The Prodigal Son

Disputation date: 23.05.2014

Opponents:  

• Professor Frank A. Rogers jr., Claremont (1)
• Associate Professor Astri Ramsfjell, Trondheim (2)
• Professor Sverre Dag Mogstad, MF, chair of the committee.

Svein E. Sando - nr. 74

Thesis: Barn, IKT og etikk. En studie i digital etisk dannelse, med norske barnehager som case

Disputation date: 09.05.2014

Opponents:  

• Professor Svend Andersen, Aarhus (1)
• Professor Helje Kringlebotn Sødal, Kristiansand (2)
• Professor Kjetil Fretheim, MF, chair of the committee.

Kaberia Isaac Kubai - nr. 73

Thesis: Just Reconciliation: The Church’s Response to Ethno-Political Violence in Kenya

Disputation date: 23.08.2013

Opponents:  

• Professor Martha Frederiks, Utrecht (1)
• Associate Professor Terje Mesel, Kristiansand (2)
• Associate Professor Roar Fotland, MF, chair of the committee

Raymond Lillevik - nr. 72

Thesis: Apostates, Hybrids, or True Jews? Jewish Christian and Jewish Identity in Eastern Europe 1860-1914

Disputation date: 16.08.2013

Opponents:  

• Kai Kjær-Hansen, Lystrup, Danmark (1)
• Professor Torstein Jørgensen, Stavanger (2)
• Associate Professor Kristin Norseth, MF, chair of the committee.

Roald Iversen - nr. 71

Thesis: Barmhjertighet og frigjøring. Sjelesorg som kritisk hermeneutisk praksis. Refleksjoner i grenselandet mellom teologi og filosofi

Disputation date: 26.04.2013

Opponents:  

• University Lecturer Hans Raun Iversen, Copenhagen (1)
• Professor Paul Leer-Salvesen, Kristiansand (2)
• Professor Gunnar Heiene, MF, chair of the committee

Torgeir Sørensen - nr. 70

Thesis: Epidemological studies of religious behaviours and health in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT 3), Norway

Disputation date: 30.11.2012

Opponents:  

• Professor Valerie DeMarinis, Uppsala (1)
• Professor Vinjar M. Fønnebø, Tromsø (2)
• Professor Hans Stifoss-Hanssen, chair of the committee

Oddgeir Synnes - nr. 69

Thesis: Forteljing som identitetskonstruksjon ved alvorleg sjukdom: Ein hermeneutisk analyse av alvorleg sjuke og døyande sine forteljingar

Disputation date: 31.05. - 01.06.2012

Opponents:  

• Professor Per Koren Solvang, Oslo (1)
• Professor Karin Sporre, Umeå (2)
• Professor Leif Gunnar Engedal, MF, chair of the committee

Reidar Salvesen - nr. 68

Thesis: The Problem with the Problem of Death: A systematic theological study of the phenomenon of death with special reference to Arthur Robert Peacocke and Ted Peters

Disputation date: 24.05. - 25.05.2012

Opponents:  

• Professor J. Wentzel van Hyussteen, Princeton (1)
• Professor Niels Henrik Gregersen, Copenhagen (2)
• Professor Svein Olaf Thorbjørnsen, MF, chair of the committee

Bård Eirik Hallesby Norheim - nr. 67

Thesis: Practicing Baptism: A theological Investigation of the Presence of Christ in Christian Practices in the Context of Youth Ministry

Disputation date: 22.03. - 23.03.2012

Opponents:  

• Professor Chris Scharen, St.Paul (1)
• Senior Lecturer Pete Ward, London (2)
• Professor Svein Olaf Thorbjørnsen, MF, chair of the committee