Research Interests:
- Augustinian Ethics and Desire
- Trinitarian Systematics
- Theology of Love and Asceticism
- Analytic and Philosophical Theology
- Political Theology and Theory
- Ethics of the Body, Sexuality, and Gender
- Anglican Moral and Pastoral Theology
- Contemporary Queer Theory and LGBTQI+ Studies
Biography:
Dr David Bennett is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics at the Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Oxford, and Associate Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall. His research stands at the intersection of patristics, systematic theology, and ethics, with particular attention to questions of revelation, desire, theological anthropology, and love. His work bridges the academic, ecclesial, and public spheres, offering constructive theological engagement with some of the most contested questions in contemporary Christianity.
Bennett came to Oxford in 2013 with a background in Writing, Cultural Studies, and French, earning his Certificate in Pastoral and Theological Studies and PGDip in Theology and Religion. He completed an MLitt in Divinity (Analytic and Exegetical Theology) at the University of St Andrews in 2018, receiving the Dean's Award for Academic Excellence. His master's research offered a reconstructive critique of Sarah Coakley's new asceticism.
His Oxford doctoral thesis, Queering the Queer: An exploration of how gay celibate asceticism can renew and inform the role of desire in contemporary Anglican theology, advances a reconstructive critique of both queer theology and contemporary Anglican theology through a distinctly Hookerian and Augustinian ethics of desire. The book is under contract with T&T Clark/Bloomsbury, tentatively titled An Augustinian Ethics of Same-Sex Desire and Gay Celibacy: Queering the Queer in Contemporary Theology.
As co-founder and principal investigator of the Augustinian Resemblances Project, Bennett leads a major research initiative exploring the contemporary relevance of Augustinian thought for systematic theology, ethics, and ecclesiology. He has also worked to establish The Public Legitimacy of the Church of England Project with Prof. Joshua Hordern through a TORCH knowledge exchange fellowship with Bishop Graham Tomlin at the Centre for Cultural Witness, Lambeth Palace. As author of the bestselling book A War of Loves, he was appointed to the Archbishop of Canterbury's College of Evangelists and works internationally as a speaker and writer, seeking to connect rigorous academic theology with church practice and public discourse.
Research Centres and Projects
Augustinian Resemblances Project (Co-founder and Principal Investigator)
A major research initiative exploring the retrieval and application of Augustinian thought to contemporary systematic theology, Christian ethics, and ecclesial practice.
The Public Legitimacy of the Church of England Project (Instigator and Research Assistant)
Collaborative research with Prof. Joshua Hordern examining the theological foundations of the Church of England's public witness and institutional legitimacy.
Public Engagement and Media
Bennett's work has reached audiences far beyond the academy, demonstrating theology's relevance to contemporary ethical debates:
Recent Interviews and Media
- Interview on theology of sexuality and desire, The DeepEnd with Lecrae, November 2024 (over 1 million views)
- Mighty Pursuit Podcast, "Three Gay Men Discuss Faith," November 2024 (over 1 million views)
- BBC One, Sunday Morning Live panellist on the Church of England and sexuality, September 2022
- BBC One, Young, Gay and Christian documentary, 2019
Church and Academic Leadership
- Theologian in Residence at Reality Church, San Francisco, and Church of the City, New York for one month a year
- Advisor, Church of England's Prayers of Love and Faith Pastoral Guidance Group (by invitation of the Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally), 2023
- Participant and Presenter, Shared Conversations, General Synod, Church of England, 2017
- Preacher, Oriel College Chapel, October 2023
- Sermon on Augustine and home, Westminster Abbey (Westminster School), May 2023
Speaking Ministry
Extensive speaking and consulting for churches and Christian communities, particularly in the USA, UK, and Europe.
Selected Publications
Published
Bennett, David. 'Retrieving Augustine's "way in": knowing Trinitarian ontology through the beauty of God in the deformed Christ.' In Trinitarian Ontologies: Towards a Trinitarian Transformation of Philosophy: Studies on Triadic Ontology and Trinitarian Philosophy, edited by Eduard Fielder and Ryan Haecker. Baden Baden: Verlag Karl Alber, November 2025.
Bennett, David. 'From Eunuchs to LGBTQ Christians: Navigating Theodicy, Inclusion, and Holiness.' In Christlike Acceptance across Deep Difference: Constructive Conversations on Sexuality and Gender, edited by Karen R. Keen and Ron W. Pierce. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2025.
Bennett, David. 'Returning to Spiritual Sense: Cruciform Power and Queer Identities in Analytic Theology.' Religions14, no. 12 (2023): 1445. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14121445
Bennett, David, and Ashley Moyse. 'Learning Personhood Again: The Importance of the Trinity in Understanding Personal Humanity.' Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity 34, no. 4 (2021): 50–61.
Forthcoming
Bennett, David, and Ashley Moyse. 'Human Becoming unto Death and Resurrection: A Christological Resistance to Idolatries of Health, Wealth, and Prosperity.' In Oxford Handbook of Theological Anthropology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, late 2025.
Bennett, David. '"Come Down So That You May Ascend": Augustine's Christological Ascent as Incarnational Subversion of Classical Views of Eudaimonia.' Studia Patristica, Oxford Patristics Society, 2025.
Bennett, David. 'A Christological Theodicy of Cruciform Friendship for Today.' Book review of Why the Cross? Divine Friendship and the Power of Justice by Litiga Riliskyte (Cambridge University Press, 2022). Heythrop Journal, November 2026.
Bennett, David. Book Review of Intimacy and Intelligibility: Word and Life in Augustine’s De Magistro by Erika Kidd (University of Notre Dame Press, 2025), International Journal of Systematic Theology, 2026.
Bennett, David. 'Sexuality and Gender.' In Encyclopaedia of Christian Theology, edited by Christa McKirkland. London: T&T Clark, November 2025
Book Reviews
Bennett, David. Review of Gender as Love: A Theological Account of Human Identity, Embodied Desire, and Our Social Worlds by Fillipe Do Vale (Baker Academic, 2023). International Journal of Systematic Theology, 2025.
Bennett, David. Review of The Widening of God's Mercy: Sexuality within the Biblical Story by Richard B. Hays and Christopher Hays (Yale University Press, 2024). Studies in Christian Ethics, 2025
