James Haire

Reverend Professor Dr James Haire KStJ, MA (Oxon), Grad DipMiss (Leiden), PhD (Birmingham), HonDD (Belfast), Hon DUniv (GU) (b. 1946, Northern Ireland) is a Christian minister or religion, is the Director of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture in Canberra, Australia, current President of the National Council of Churches in Australia, and former President of the Uniting Church in Australia.

Education

Haire was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution, at Worcester College, and the University of Oxford where he studied on a scholarship classics and theology and was a rower, graduating with a B.A. (Hons) and M.A. in Theology.

He undertook management training in Britain and Europe, then postgraduate theological studies in Leiden, Birmingham and Belfast. His Ph.D. in Theology is from the University of Birmingham.

Honorary degrees

He received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Divinity (D.D., honoris causa) from the University of Belfast in 1999, and the Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University (D.Univ., honoris causa) from Griffith University, Brisbane in 2000.

Work

Haire was ordained as a Christian minister in 1972. From 1972 to 1985 he was a missionary of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, serving in Halmahera and Sulawesi, Indonesia, where he worked as a Lecturer and Principal of a Theological College, and as a Professor of Theology. He was a Minister of the Halmahera Synod, Indonesia from 1972 to 1985.

Haire served as Uniting Church Minister of Darwin City Parish (Northern Territory, Australia) from 1985 to 1986.

From 1987, he was Professor of New Testament Studies at Trinity Theological College, Brisbane, and was Principal of Trinity College from 1992 to 2000. He was also the Dean of the Brisbane College of Theology from 1991 to 1997, and President of the Brisbane College of Theology from 1997 to 1999. In addition, he is Professor of Theology at Griffith University in Brisbane, and was Head of the School of Theology at Griffith University from 1993 to 2000. He has examined for higher degrees at various universities in Australia, New Zealand, The Netherlands and South-East Asia. He is Visiting Professor at an Indonesian University and at an Indonesian Theological College and is on the Board of four international theological journals (in Australia, Scotland, Ireland, and The Netherlands).

He has been co-chair of the National Dialogue between the Uniting Church in Australia and Catholic Church in Australia. He represented the Uniting Church at the Fifth World Conference on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches in Spain in 1993, and Assembly of the World Council of Churches meeting in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 2006.

Haire has also been a member of the Advisory Board of the National Institute of Law, Ethics and Public Affairs (now the Key Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance), and of the Griffith Asia Pacific Council.

He became President-Elect of the Uniting Church in Australia in 1997, and President of the Uniting Church in Australia from 2000-2003.

He is currently Executive Director of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture associated with Charles Sturt University of which he is Professor of Theology and Director of the Public and Contextual Theology Strategic Research Centre.

Haire is currently President of the National Council of Churches in Australia.

He is a published author (also translated into Dutch and Indonesian) and has had many academic articles published.

He retains a deep interest in Indonesian social and church matters and advocates for the Christians in that country.

Family

He has been married to the Revd Mary Haire since 1968, and they have two children, Dr Julia Haire and Miss Miriam Haire.

Honours

He became a Knight of St John (K.S.J.) in 2000, and a Rotary Honorary Peace Ambassador in 2001.

External links

* [http://www.csu.edu.au/faculty/arts/theology/pact/haire.htm Charles Sturt University page]