After completing a BD(Hons) and a PhD in philosophy and theology at the University of Aberdeen (1999), I moved to Leeds and was employed by the Centre for Continuing Education, University of Leeds, where I taught a range of Philosophy modules to part time, mature students. This was followed by teaching a range of philosophy modules to part time students in the School of Philosophy and then by appointment to a Lectureship in Religion, Gender and Ethics in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Leeds (2002), where I taught feminist ethics and philosophy of religion.
I joined York St John University in 2006, I teach a range of modules on the Religion, Philosophy and Ethics Programme. My research spans philosophy of religion and public theology; I also supervise post graduate students and for 8 years I was Managing Editor of the International Journal of Public Theology and Chair of the Faculty Research Ethics Committee.
I currently Chair the Centre for Religion in Society research seminar series and convene the Ebor Lecture Series. I am a Trustee with Sabeel-Kairos, and UCU Branch Chair.
My primary teaching areas are feminist theology, ethics and philosophy of religion. I have taught Theoretical Philosophy, The Mind, Reason and Argument, Political and Social Philosophy, Christian Theology and Christian Doctrine and Practice and Systematic Theology. I have also delivered medical ethics teaching and supervised masters dissertations in healthcare. In addition, I have supervised a number of MRes and PhD students; acted as a referee for AHRC funding applications and examined masters and doctoral theses.
I am interested in supervising postgraduate theses in philosophy of religion, philosophical theology, gender, sexuality, ethics and intersectional feminist ethics. I have supervised theses on the following topics:
- Homosexuality in the Church of England
- Suffering in the Works of Kierkegaard
- Feminist Theologies in Light of Spinoza’s Pantheism
- Emotion in Tucker and Enlightenment Thought
- Revelation in the Theology of T. F. Torrance
- Christologies of Hick and Newbigin
- The Emergence of a Black British Feminist Theology
- A Feminist Examination of Evangelical Purity Culture
- Locating the Place of Hospitality in the ‘Mission-Shaped’ Church of England
My primary research interests are public theology, John Macmurray scholarship, philosophy of religion, Christian ethics and feminist theology; hence, my research is interdisciplinary. In particular, I am concerned with definitions of personhood and community, the ethics of personal relations, gender justice and the use of social media by religious communities. I have also worked with Professor Don MacDonald, Seattle Pacific University and Professor Chris Sink, Old Dominion University on links between Macmurray's thought, systems thinking and family therapy.
I am currently working on trauma theology, voluntary and involuntary childlessness, as well as an externally funded project on trans and non-binary support in higher education. I organise events for LGBT History Month and International Women's Week, and I am a co-convenor of the theological ethics seminar at the Society for the Study of Theology annual conference and European representative at the Global Network for Public Theology. I work with theological organisations and colleagues on campaigns and publications in solidarity with Palestine.
Recent publications
Membership of professional bodies
- Society for the Study of Theology, former 'Philosophy and Theology' seminar convenor; current 'Theological Ethics' seminar convenor
- European Society of Women in Theological Research
- Global Network for Public Theology and European representative and convenor of the Gender and Sexuality working group
- Society for the Study of Christian Ethics
- Society for the Study of Theology (elected committee member 2008 to 2011)
- Society for Women in Philosophy
- Religion and Society Network, Equality and Human Rights Commission
- Network for New Media, Religion and Digital Culture
- Northumbrian Triangle for Philosophy of Religion
- Cathedrals Group research network
Editorial
I am on the editorial board of the International Journal of Public Theology and the Philosophy and Religion book series published with Rodopi. I am also on the editorial board for the Political and Public Theologies series published by Brill.
Peer reviewing
Book endorsement Graham Adams, Holy Anarchy: Dismantling Domination, Embodying Community, Loving Strangeness (London: SCM Press); Rudolf von Sinner, Public Theology in the Secular State A Perspective from the Global South (Zürich: LIT-Verlag); book proposal Rebecca Todd Peters and Grace Yia-Hei Kao, eds, Encountering the Sacred: Feminist Reflections on Women’s Lives (T&T Clark); MSS 'John Macmurray: In Quest of Reality’ by Nozomu Miyahira (to be published in Japanese); MSS 'The Mystery and Agency of God' by Frank Kirkpatrick (Fortress Press); articles for International Journal of Public Theology, Religion and Education, Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, International Journal of Philosophy and Theology, Toronto Journal of Theology, Ethics and Social Welfare, Studies in Religion; grant applications for the British Federation of Women Graduates.
External examining
I have acted as external examiner for the following theses:
- The Church's Response to Gender-Based Domestic Violence against Women in Christian Families in India (University of Wales, 2014)
- The Role of the Imagination in Objective Moral Reasoning (University of Birmingham, 2008)
- Intentional Friendship: A Philosophy of Pastoral Care (University of Western Sydney, 2007)
- The Doctrine of the Trinity: Beyond Modernist Worldviews with Particular Reference to Christian Feminist Theology, Gregory of Nazianzus and the Anglo-American Postmodern Thought of Nancey Murphy (University of Aberdeen, 2003)
I have conducted external examining and review of programmes as follows:
- External panel member for periodic review and revalidation of Theology and Religious Studies programmes (University of Roehampton, 2019 to 2020)
- External examiner for taught MA programmes in Theology and Religious Studies (University of Chester, 2014 to 2019)
- Consultant on a revalidation committee (Open University, February to May 2014 and June to September 2017)
