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Dr Joanna Leidenhag

Dr Joanna Leidenhag

Lecturer in Science-Engaged Theology

Researcher profile

Phone
+44 (0)1334 462867
Email
jmbl1@st-andrews.ac.uk

 

Biography

Joanna Leidenhag joined the School of Divinity in 2018 on a project in?Science-Engaged Theology, funded by the John Templeton Foundation. She completed her?PhD in systematic and philosophical theology at the University of Edinburgh (2019), focusing on discussions in analytic philosophy of mind and the doctrine of?creation.?She?graduated with a joint Honours degree in Modern History and Theology from the University of St Andrews (MA?2013), and went on to complete a MA in Theological Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary (MA 2014). She also holds an Advanced Diploma in Fine Arts, and specialises in oil painting.? 

Teaching

Joanna Leidenhag teaches a range of courses that bring Christian theology into conversation with both contemporary philosophy and natural science: 

  • 'Science, Religion and the Mind', explores central issues such as?evolution and biblical interpretation, quantum physics and miracles, artificial intelligence and life-after-death, and?neuroscience and?the soul.
  • 'Saints and Cyborgs: The Imagination in Theology and Science' (co-taught with Dr. Rebekah Lamb) looks at the role of the imagination in our scientific and theological understandings of what it means to be human. Central topics include the imagination, the soul and technology, human creativity, cosmic despair, and the apocalypse. 
  • 'The Problem of Evil: Evolution, Tsunamis and God' seeks to explore the problem of evil in a new way. Instead of focusing on whether it is rationale to believe in a God who permits evil, this course pairs specific areas of scientific research, which focuses our understanding of evil and suffering within the world, with concrete responses from within Christian theology, such as models of atonement, lament, and divine participation. 
  • 'Holy Scripture, Sacred Earth: The Bible and Ecology' (co-taught with Prof. Michael Lyons) introduces students to the use of Christian Scripture as a resource for constructing ecotheology. This is done in conversation with empirical studies and ethical models of environmental care. She has also taught a unit on 'Bible and Ecology' within the distance-learning MLitt programme 'Bible in the Contemporary World'.? 

Selected publications

 

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