Professor Nicola Slee

Theologian, Poet and Professorial Research Fellow at the Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education, Birmingham

Nicola has wide-ranging experience of adult education and has a particular interest in feminist theology, practical theology and the role of poetry and the arts in Christian education and life.

She is also Professor of Feminist Practical Theology (the Queen’s chair) at The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and Visiting Professor at the University of Chester.

Virtual lectures

Nicola is available to deliver her lectures online, via Zoom or streaming. Please ask about this option when making your booking.

Publications

Faith and Feminism (DLT)
Women's Faith Development (Ashgate)
Praying Like a Woman (SPCK)
The Book of Mary (SPCK)
Seeking the Risen Christa (SPCK)
Making Nothing Happen: Five Poets Explore Faith and Spirituality (Ashgate)
Sabbath: the Hidden Heartbeat of our Lives (DLT)
Fragments for Fractured Times: What Feminist Practical Theology Brings to the Table (SCM)
Abba, Amma: Improvisations on the Prayer of Jesus (Canterbury Press)

Lecture titles

Abba, Amma: Improvisations on the Prayer of Jesus
How is it possible to pray the prayer that Jesus taught his disciple in ways which remain fresh and freeing? In particular, can feminists pray this prayer that addresses God as ‘father’ and prays for the coming of the ‘kingdom’, thereby employing patriarchal and monarchical imagery which many of us do not subscribe to? In this lecture, Nicola offers her own creative responses to the Lord’s Prayer as a way of opening up some of the depths of this prayer which unites Christians across time and space.
Gender, prayer, language and imagery for God
How our language and imagery for God plays out in prayer and spirituality, taking into account feminist and other critiques of dominant patriarchal and hierarchical God language and imagery. This lecture may be particularly relevant to those engaged in spiritual accompaniment.
An Introduction to Christian Feminist Theology
An exploration and overview of what feminist theology is, developments in Christian feminist theology over the past four decades and key issues. Or a more focused introduction to key topics within feminist theology, such as the Bible, Christology, images of God and so on.
Fragments for Fractured Times
What can feminist practical theology offer in times we might describe as ‘fractured’? In this lecture, Nicola works with the metaphor of fragments, drawing on women’s artistic and craft work, to show how feminist practical theology may respond to the challenges of our time in creative and appropriately diverse ways. In particular, the lecture explores Judy Chicago’s feminist art installation, ‘The Dinner Party’, as a model for feminist practical theology.
Mary: Ideal Woman, Impossible Saint or Feminine Divine?
An exploration of the place of Mary in Christian faith, using both visual images and poetry.
Poetry and Faith
A consideration of the contribution of poetry to Christian faith and life, illustrated by reference to the work of twentieth and twenty-first century poets. This could include Nicola's own poetry and is very likely to focus strongly on women poets.
Sabbath: The Hidden Heartbeat of our Lives
A consideration of the significance of Sabbath in our increasingly driven and harried lives, and what Sabbath can mean for us in a time of Covid-19, as well as climate crisis.