New Publication

Early Christianity. Sarah Parkhouse has published 'Fatal Charades and the Christian Martyrological Imagination' in Classical Antiquity 45.1 (2026): 218–241. Further information.

New Postdoctoral Appointment

Lincoln Theological Institute. The Department is delighted to announce that Dr Chrissie Thwaites has been appointed as the new postdoctoral researcher at the Lincoln Theological Institute, from 1 September 2026. Chrissie joins us from the University of Leeds, where she completed her PhD in 2025. Her research project, “Post-Institutional Religion: Informal Authority, Belonging and Religious Formation in Contemporary Christian Life”, will investigate how authority, belonging and religious formation are being reconfigured outside traditional institutional structures. The two-year project is funded by the LTI trustees and continues the long-standing and fruitful relationship between the Institute’s trustees and the Department of Religions and Theology.

Celebrating Sustainability Impact Ratings

Sustainability goals. The University of Manchester has been ranked first in the world in the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings. This means we’re leading globally for our contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Ranking first for: Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure; Sustainable Cities & Communities; Responsible Consumption & Production; Life Below Water; and Life on Land. We’re also the only university to feature in the global top ten every year since the rankings began. Further information.

Spotlight: Alumni Profile

Careers. Ilaria Di Vincenzo graduated with a degree in Religions, Theology and Ethics and now works as a Digital Inclusion and Community Engagement Manager at Conversations Over Borders. Ilaria writes: "My degree really helped me to work with people from a wide range of countries, cultures, religions, and language backgrounds, which really is at the heart of what I do now. By choosing modules on different faiths and traditions, I built a deeper cultural awareness that has helped me approach my work with care, sensitivity, and respect." Read about their journey here.

PhD Success

Biblical studies. Congratulations to Dr Lev Eakins who has successfully completed his PhD. The thesis is titled 'Reassessing the Date and Provenance of the Gospel of Mark' and was supervised by Todd Klutz and Sarah Parkhouse and examined by Andy Boakye and James Crossley (Cambridge).

Lunchtime Talk and Book Signing

Christian studies. On 27th July, Siobhán Jolley will give a National Gallery lunchtime lecture followed by a book signing to celebrate the launch of her newly published book Saints. Further information.

Conference Paper

Jewish Studies. The annual conference of the British and Irish Association for Jewish Studies takes place from 13–15 July at Birkbeck. Katja Stuerzenhofecker will deliver a paper entitled ‘The dislocation of place-based ritual community’. 

Collaborative Writing Workshop

Biblical studies. On 22–24th June, Sarah Parkhouse attended a writing workshop at the University of Copenhagen to develop a co-written book on biographies of Jesus (under contract with Bloomsbury) as part of a Royal Society of Edinburgh collaboration grant.

Research Presentation

Biblical studies. On 28th May, Siobhán Jolley presented "A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Traction: Rethinking “Holy Family” with Early Modern Magdalenes" at a National Gallery symposium about family in the visual arts. Further information.

Professional Development Session

Teaching development. In collaboration with the University of Manchester and validation partner Nazarene Theological College, our validation partner Cliff College held an event on 24th June on AI and thinking about its practical and ethical use amongst faculty and students. Pete Phillips offered a presentation on using digital theology to help think critically and creatively about the use of AI in teaching and learning in theology and religious studies.

New Publications

Theology and Religion. Our validation partner Nazarene Theological College is excited to see two postgraduate students published in the journal Theology in Scotland in a special edition on Theology and Mental Health: Jonathan Shamshad, a recent MA graduate, transformed a class assignment into "Be Still and Be Present: Psalm 46 and the Challenge of Super-Modern Anxiety" and Kate Bowen-Evans, a current lecturer and PhD student, shares in the same volume a dialogue with her brother Mark as "A Conversation on Faith and Mental Health: Breath, Presence, and the Imago Dei." Further information.

BBC Radio 4, Sunday

 

Religion and art. Siobhán Jolley has been interviewed on Radio 4's 'Sunday' programme about the new Anish Kapoor exhibition that opened this week at the Hayward Gallery in London. Siobhán's section starts around minute 20. Listen here.

New Publication

Biblical studies. Samuel Hildebrandt (NTC), “‘Let Us Strike Him with the Tongue!’ The Violence of Speech in Isaiah and Jeremiah.” In The Bible and Violence. Volume I: Violence in Biblical Texts. Edited by C. Greenough, J. Stiebert, J. Jodamus, and M.D. Kebaneilwe. London: T&T Clark, 2026. Further information.