I am an Anglican lay theologian and the Howard Paterson Chair Professor of Theology and Public Issues at the University of Otago, Aotearoa New Zealand.

My work focusses on liberation theologies, theologies of reconciliation, and the cross. My research has pioneered the study of crucifixion as a form of torture, an instrument of state terror, and an open opportunity for sexual harm. I also write on how churches can make better responses to sexual and spiritual abuses within the church.

My publications include Latin American Liberation Theology (Brill 2002), Explorations in Reconciliation (co-edited with Joseph Liechty, Routledge 2006), When Did We See You Naked?: Jesus as a Victim of Sexual Abuse (co-edited with Jayme Reaves and Rocío Figueroa, SCM 2021), and The Crucifixion of Jesus: Torture, Sexual Abuse, and the Scandal of the Cross (Routledge, 2023).

I was appointed to Otago under the Leading Thinkers programme, a three-way ‘partnership for excellence’ between the New Zealand government, the University of Otago, and philanthropic donors.

Originally from the United Kingdom, David previously lectured at the University of Roehampton, London, and the Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. He studied theology at Oxford (MA), Union Theological Seminary, New York (STM), and London (PhD), and completed postgraduate studies in education at Birmingham (PGCE) and London (MA).