Faculty members

Professor David Ford

Regius Professor of Divinity, and Fellow of Selwyn College

Courses taught this academic year

• Who is Jesus Christ? (first year course)
• The Study of Theology I (second year course)
• The Study of Theology II (third year course)
• The Christian God (MPhil course)
• and doctoral supervisions

Research interests

At present I am starting work on a major new project – a theological interpretation of the Gospel of John. I am also writing a Manifesto on the future of Christian theology for Blackwell Publishing, which will appear in 2008. In addition, I am preparing an edited collection of my earlier works, to appear in the Blackwell series ‘Challenges in Contemporary Theology’, and a reader for the third edition of The Modern Theologians. My current research interests in the area of contemporary Christian thought are focussed in two directions: first, in the direction of hermeneutics, the interpretation of scripture and substantive issues in contemporary Christian thought and practice; and second, in the direction of inter-faith theology and relations, particularly the issues of inter-faith scriptural interpretation and the relation of faiths to secular cultures, traditions and forces. Among my other research interests are: the shaping of universities and of the field of theology and religious studies within them; political theology; ecumenical theology; and Christian theologians and theologies. I have supervised postgraduate research across this range of interests.

Publications

Below is a list of selected recent publications:

Books

• Christian Wisdom. Desiring God and Learning in Love (Cambridge Studies in Christian Doctrine series; Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2007).
• The Shape of Theology (Challenges in Contemporary Theology series; Blackwell, Oxford, 2007).
• Musics of Belonging. Edited with Marc Caball. With chapter ‘Life, Work, and Reception’ (Dublin, 2007).
• The Promise of Scriptural Reasoning. Edited with C. C. Pecknold. With chapter ‘An Inter-Faith Wisdom: Scriptural Reasoning between Jews, Christians and Muslims’ at pp. 1-22 (Blackwell, Oxford, 2006) 232pp.
• The Modern Theologians - An Introduction to Christian Theology since 1918. Edited with Rachel Muers. With ‘Introduction to Modern Christian Theology’ and ‘Epilogue: Twelve Theses for Christian Theology in the Twenty-first Century’, third edition (Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, Malden [MA] 2005; Korean edition, Christian Literature Crusade, Seoul 2005) 832pp.
• Fields of Faith - Theology and Religious Studies for the Twenty-First Century. Edited with Ben Quash and Janet Martin Soskice. With ‘Introduction’ at pp. xiii-xvii (CUP, Cambridge 2005) 248pp.
• Jubilate. Theology in Praise, with Daniel W. Hardy (Darton, Longman and Todd, London 1984; US edition, Praising and Knowing God, Westminster Press, Philadelphia 1985) 216pp, revised and updated as Living in Praise - Worshipping and Knowing God, with Daniel W. Hardy (Darton, Longman and Todd, London 2005) 214pp.
• Self and Salvation: Being Transformed (Cambridge Studies in Christian Doctrine Series, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1999)
• Theology: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, Oxford 1998, 2000)

Other publications

• ‘The God of Blessing Who Loves in Wisdom’ in Denkwürdiges Geheimnis - Beiträge zur Gotteslehre, edited by Ingolf U. Dalferth, Johannes Fischer, Hans-Peter Großhans (Festschrift für Eberhard Jüngel zum 70. Geburtstag; Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2004), pp. 113-126
• ‘The Responsibilities of Universities in a Religious and Secular World’ in Studies in Christian Ethics, Vol. 17, No. 1, 2004, pp. 22-37
• ‘An Easter Sermon: The Third Day He Rose Again from the Dead’ in Exploring and Proclaiming the Apostles’ Creed, edited by Roger E. Van Harn (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids 2004), pp. 154-160
• ‘Wilderness Wisdom for the Twenty-First Century: Arthur, L’Arche and the Culmination of Christian History’ in Wilderness - Essays in Honour of Frances Young, edited by R. S. Sugirtharajah (T&T Clark, London 2005), pp. 153-166
• ‘Reading Scripture with Intensity: Academic, Ecclesial, Interfaith, and Divine’ in The Princeton Seminary Bulletin, Vol. XXVI (ns), No. 1, 2005, pp. 22-35
• ‘Incarnation, Rationality, and Transformative Practices’ in Truth, Religious Dialogue and Dynamic Orthodoxy - Reflections on the works of Brian Hebblethwaite, edited by Julius J. Lipner (SCM, London 2005), pp. 187-202
• ‘Theology’ in The Routledge Companion to the Study of Religion, edited by John R. Hinnells (Routledge, London and New York, 2005), pp. 61-79
• ‘Faith and Universities in a Religious and Secular World (1)’ in Svensk Teologisk Kvartalskrift, Vol. 81, No. 2, 2005, pp. 83-91
• ‘Faith and Universities in a Religious and Secular World (2)’ in Svensk Teologisk Kvartalskrift, Vol. 81, No. 3, 2005, pp. 97-106
• ‘A Third Epoch: The Future of Discourse In Jewish-Christian Relations’ (with Peter Ochs) in Challenges in Jewish-Christian Relations, edited by James K. Aitken and Edward Kessler (Paulist Press, New York 2006), pp. 153-170

Additional information

Below is an excerpt from my resumé:

David F. Ford
B.A. Mod. (Dubl), M.A., Ph.D. (Cantab), S.T.M. (Yale), Hon. D.D. (Birmingham)
Born 23 January 1948

University Education:

• Trinity College, Dublin (Classics)
• St John's College, University of Cambridge (Theology)
• Yale University
• University of Tübingen

Career and Present Responsibilities:

• 1976-1991, Lecturer, later Senior Lecturer, University of Birmingham
• 1991- present, Regius Professor of Divinity, University of Cambridge
• St John's College, Member; Selwyn College, Fellow; Trinity College, Foundation Member, Chair, Management Committee of the Centre for Advanced Religious and Theological Studies (CARTS)
• Acting Director, Cambridge Inter-faith Programme
• Member, Cambridge University Press Syndicate (1992-present). Member of steering groups for 9-volume Cambridge History of Christianity and four-volume Cambridge History of the Bible
• Member, Arts and Humanities Personal Promotions Committee (2003-present)
• Member, Committee for Fundraising for 800th Anniversary of University of Cambridge in 2009
• Member, University of Cambridge Arts and Humanities Personal Promotions Committee (2003- )
• Member, University of Cambridge General Board Advisory Committee on Senior Appointments (2005- )

National:

• Member, Postgraduate Panel in Philosophy and Theology, Humanities Research Board of The British Academy (later AHRB then AHRC) (1997-1999)
• President, Society for the Study of Theology (1997-1998)
• Member, AHRC Peer Review College (2005- )
• Canon Theologian, Birmingham Cathedral (2006- )
• Ebor Lecturer, York Minster (2006)
• Stephenson Lecturer, University of Sheffield (2007)
• Papers or lectures in Universities of Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Durham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Kent, King’s College London, Lampeter, Lancaster, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford, Surrey

International:

• Editorial Board Member, Modern Theology
• Editorial Board Member, Scottish Journal of Theology
• Editorial Advisory Board Member, ‘Current Issues in Theology’ series with Cambridge University Press
• Editorial Board Member, ‘Real Challenges to Contemporary Theology’ series with the Heyendaal Instituut, University of Nijmegen
• Consultant, L’Arche Communities (a federation of over 100 communities for those with severe mental disabilities worldwide) (1993- )
• Invited Speaker, Lambeth Conference of the Anglican Communion (1998)
• Consultant, Anglican Primates’ Meetings (2000-2003)
• Hollis Lecturer, Church of South India General Synod (2002)
• Co-founder, Network of Theological Enquiry (Christian theologians from five continents meeting every two years, so far in Cambridge twice, Hong Kong and Madras; 2004 in South Africa)
• External Adviser, Centre for Christian Studies, Hong Kong (2006-)
• Trustee, Golden Web Foundation (developer of a global multimedia publishing system, focusing on pre-modern world history, heritage, and culture) (2006- )
• Invited Consultation Leader, Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton (2007)
• Papers or lectures (recent) in American Academy of Religion, Society for Biblical Literature, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; and in Universities of Beijing, Dublin, Duke, Hong Kong, Kampen, Madras, Nationalities (Beijing), Nijmegen, Shanghai, Toronto, Yale.

Inter-faith:

• Co-founder, Society for Scriptural Reasoning (Jewish, Christian, and Muslim academic philosophers, text scholars and theologians from Africa, America, Asia and Europe) (1996- )
• Founding Director, Cambridge Inter-faith Programme (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) in the Centre for Advanced Religious and Theological Studies. CIP is at present conducting a three-year feasibility study aimed at major new development (2002- )
• Designer, Participant, Paper-giver, Building Bridges Seminars (international Muslim-Christian consultations): London January 2002; Qatar, April 2003
• Academic Member, Council of 100 Leaders for West-Islamic World Dialogue, World Economic Forum (Davos): (20 leaders each from academy, business, media, religion, politics). Addressed the Council in Amman, May 2004 on ‘Religion, Secularism and Modernity’.
• Invited Member, Clinton Global Initiative meetings: New York, 2005 and 2006

Contact details

Faculty of Divinity
West Road
Cambridge CB3 9BS

Tel.: +44 (0)1223 763031
Fax: +44 (0)1223 763003
Email: dff1000@cam.ac.uk