Department of Theology and Religion

Our Research Excellence Framework 2021 results

Welcome to the Department of Theology and Religion

The Department of Theology and Religion submitted forty members of staff, comprising 37.2 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE), to the REF Theology and Religious Studies UoA. The submission included seven Early Career Researchers.

Find out more about us

4th in the UK for Research Power REF 2021

91% research graded world-leading or internationally excellent

2018 winner of the Athena Swan Bronze Award

TEF Gold rated for teaching excellence and student outcomes

Influencing church debates on same-sex relationships

Prominent theologians from our Department of Theology and Religion are driving the discussion forward on same-sex relationships and equal marriage.

Their pioneering research is making a difference in shaping church debates and policies.

Read the full case study

About Us

Key impact developments

Since the REF submission, Dr Anna Rowlands has informed debates about refugee migration brought about by the war in Ukraine.

See for example Government response to Ukrainian refugees 'completely inadequate' (thetablet.co.uk) and St Paul’s Cathedral lecture: Illuminating Dark Times Catholic Social Teaching for all - February 2022 - YouTube.

In 2021, Professor Chris Cook was awarded Oskar Pfister Award by the American Psychiatric Association, for outstanding contributions in the field of psychiatry and religion.

Read about Chris Cook’s research on Hearing Voices, Demonic and Divine: Scientific and Theological Perspectives and the WPA position statement on spirituality and religion in psychiatry.

Projects and Publications

The Department of Theology and Religion aims to to understand, challenge, and enrich traditions of thought and practice via an improved comprehension of their history, and by attending to neglected voices and resources. It trains researchers in an environment which is being continually developed through interdisciplinary interaction. The Department aims to shape academic and public discourse, on the understanding that many pressing social and political problems require a critical yet respectful engagement with religious commitments and practices.

Find out more about our research projects and publications by our research staff

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Theology and Religion REF Impact Case Studies

Same-Sex Relationships and the Churches

Spirituality and Psychiatric Care - International Policy

Receptive Ecumenism

Pile of books from the Department of Theology and Religion

The Jesuit Refugee Service and the Public Contexts of Political Theology

Research Themes

Our research themes - Biblical Studies (including Hebrew Bible, New Testament, early Christianity, early Judaism), Christian Theology (including historical and contemporary theology, philosophy, ethics), Study of Religion (including the study of contemporary religion and its contexts of practice).

More about our Research Themes

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Embracing Transformative Humanities, we respond to global change through the world-leading research being conducted in our Research Centres, including:

Dr Anna Rowlands’ work on migration in the context of the Ukraine Conflict (Centre for Catholic Studies)
Our development in the research area of Religion and Conflict (Michael Ramsey Centre for Anglican Studies)
Professor Chris Cook's work co-investigating on the ‘Hearing the Voice’ Project, the recipient of the 2020 AHRC prize for Best Research in Medical Humanities (Centre for Spirituality, Theology and Health)
Our growing engagement with local hospices and funeral directors – including within the Covid-19 context (Centre for Death and Life Studies).

Research Centres

Find out more about the research and engagement activities taking place within our Research Centres.
God, Evil and the Limits of Theology

Professor Karen Kilby, Bede Professor of Catholic Theology, recorded a short video about her latest book for the 2021 Faculty of Arts and Humanities Research Celebration.

Research Centres

Find out more about the research and engagement activities taking place within our Research Centres.

God, Evil and the Limits of Theology

Professor Karen Kilby, Bede Professor of Catholic Theology, recorded a short video about her latest book for the 2021 Faculty of Arts and Humanities Research Celebration.

Job Opportunities