People
The Reverend Professor James Haire
AM KSJ MA PhD DD DLitt DUniv
Professor James Haire is Executive Director of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture (ACC&C), Professor of Theology of Charles Sturt University (CSU), and Director of the Public and Contextual Theology Strategic Research Centre (PACT), all based in Canberra. He took up his appointment in Canberra in October 2003.
Before coming to Canberra, from 1987 to 2003 he was Professor and Head of the School of Theology at Griffith University in Brisbane, Professor of New Testament Studies and Principal at Trinity College, Brisbane, and Dean and President of the Brisbane College of Theology.
From 1985 to 1987 he was Uniting Church Parish Minister in Darwin.
Prior to that, he served, from 1972 to 1985, as a theologian in Indonesia (College Principal, Lecturer in New Testament, Church Administrator and Professor of Theology).
He served as President of the Uniting Church in Australia, and was Chairperson of the National Heads of Churches, from 2000 to 2003. He served as President of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) from 2003 to 2006.
Professor Haire has actively sought cooperation between the various denominations, and was from 1992 to 2004 Co-chair of the National Dialogue between the Uniting Church and Catholic Church in Australia. Since 2002 he has been a member of the Joint International Commission between the Vatican and the World Methodist Council. Since 2005 he has been on the Executive of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA).
He was involved in peace and reconciliation negotiations involving Christians and Muslims in the Moluccas, Indonesia from 2001 until 2005.
Professor Haire graduated with Honours and Masters degrees from the University of Oxford (where he also rowed), and a PhD in Theology from the University of Birmingham. He received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Divinity from Belfast in 1999, the Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University from Griffith University in 2000, and the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from The University of Ulster in 2006. He became a Knight of St John in 2000, and a Rotary Honorary Peace Ambassador in 2001. He was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2003, and was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2006.
He has been on the Boards of four international theological journals, based in Scotland, Ireland, The Netherlands and Australia.