About me

I am an Anglican lay theologian, originally from the United Kingdom. Since 2015 I have served as the Howard Paterson Chair Professor of Theology and Public Issues at the University of Otago | Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka , Aotearoa New Zealand. 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.

I work on contextual approaches to public theology, including liberation theologies and theologies of reconciliation. I am probably best known for my research on forced nudity during crucifixion as a form of torture, state terror, and abuse. I also write on how churches can make better responses to sexual and spiritual abuses.

I previously lectured at the University of Roehampton, London, and the Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. I 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).

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),

• The Crucifixion of Jesus: Torture, Sexual Abuse, and the Scandal of the Cross (Routledge, 2023).

• Visit my University of Otago staff web-page.