Editorial

THE INVITATION TO TAKE UP THE EDITORSHIP of Pacifica has been an unexpected but delightful part of my initiation into the Australasian theological community. I arrived in Australia in 2009, after ten years teaching New Testament in Manchester, England. Much of what I knew about theological work being done in my new home I had learned from glancing through the pages of Pacifica in those UK libraries that subscribed to it. The quality of the scholarship I encountered there impressed me then, as now. However, it is only since moving to Melbourne that I have come to appreciate fully the journal’s clear commitment to what we might call the ecumenical character and contextual location of academic theology. These core features of Pacifica's history and identity should, I believe, be applauded and preserved.

Pacifica has long been a journal in good hands. Those who write, review, edit, copy edit, set up, proof read, distribute, and administer the journal are committed to the vision of a scholarly yet accessible publication that shows an explicit concern for the theological work being done in Australasia and the West Pacific Basin. Their commitment shows in the care with which they do their work. As a new Editor, I want to acknowledge that the production of Pacifica is a genuinely collaborative effort that draws in scholars from all over the region to produce issues of consistently high quality and interest.

Of course, particular mention must be made of my predecessor Brendan Byrne S.J. In October 2010 a “Farewell Event” was held for Brendan, and many gathered to recognise the immense contribution that he has made to Pacifica over more than a decade. In the February 2000 issue, Brendan wrote his first editorial (as well as contributing an article) in which he spoke of the “significant role the journal has played and continues to play in promoting theological research, reflection and exchange at the highest professional level”. That, at the start of 2011, Pacifica continues to have this reputation – not least as this is reflected in the recent ERA journal ranking, where it was listed in the A category – has everything to do with the dedication, care and intellectual rigour that Brendan brought to the editorial task over eleven years. His keen theological mind is matched only by his unfailing courtesy in dealing with authors, reviewers and other interested parties. The fact that his will be a hard act to follow is only mitigated by the fact that he is close by and on hand to give advice and insight when a new Editor might need it.

Pacifica’s reputation for quality and consistency is a matter for ap¬propriate pride. Yet, it is not something we can take for granted. Those involved in the life of the journal need to consider how it might adapt to meet new circumstances, new demands, new insights, and new possibilities. A change of Editor perhaps provides an appropriate context in which to ask and begin to answer such questions about the future. Along with the Editorial Board and the Executive I hope to preserve the journal’s reputation, but also to enhance it by exploring what might be done differently or better. The quality of theological scholarship contained in the pages of Pacifica speaks for itself. The planning, presentation, and dissemination of that scholarship through Pacifica may require some change. I would value the insights and contributions of readers as we seek to secure Pacifica’s reputation into the next decade.