Dr Jonathan Brant

Biography:

Jonathan Brant’s research in theology of culture and the arts includes: his monograph, Paul Tillich and the Possibility of Revelation through Film (OUP, 2012) which draws on systematic theology, film theory, and qualitative research to consider the religious impact of contemporary Latin American cinema; plus, published chapters and articles on the director Terrence Malick and on the theology of Documentary Film.  With respect to virtue ethics, he has co-edited Cultivating Virtue in the University (OUP, 2022) and co-authored several articles in the Journal of Moral Education, Journal of Character Education, and International Journal of Ethics Education.  He is the Dean for Research and Culture, and the Director of the Renaissance Project, at Wycliffe Hall. And is an Associate Fellow with the Oxford Character Project where, from 2014 to 2023, he served as the Founding Director.

 

Research Area(s): 

Historical and Systematic Theology

Christian and Religious Ethics

 

Research Interests:

(1) The theology of culture: especially, the thought of Paul Tillich; contemporary literature and film; the use of empirical / qualitative research in theology; and construals of freedom in contemporary narrative fiction.

 

(2) The theory and practice of moral formation / character development: specifically, the question of what resources might be created and offered to help develop wise thinkers and good leaders who may be expected to have a beneficial impact around the world throughout their careers.

 

Education Background:

DPhil in Theology, On the Possibility of Revelation through Film, 2006 – 2008, Trinity College, University of Oxford, Supervised by Professor George Pattison                     

MPhil in Theology, Modern Systematic Theology, 2004 – 2006, Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford

MA (Distinction), Theological Education, 2001 – 2002, King’s College, University of London

 

Recent Publications:

Books:

Cultivating Virtue in the University: Perspectives from History, Literature, Philosophy, Theology, and the Social Sciences, Jonathan Brant, Ed Brooks and Michael Lamb (eds.), contributors include: Nigel Biggar (Oxford), Christian Miller (Wake Forest), Paula Moya (Stanford), Onora O’Neill (Cambridge), Julie Reuben (Harvard). (New York: Oxford University Press, 2022).

Paul Tillich and the Possibility of Revelation through Film: A Theoretical Account Grounded by Empirical Research (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012).

Articles:

‘Documentary’ in The Oxford Handbook of Theology and Film (Oxford: Oxford University Press, forthcoming 2024).

‘How is Virtue Cultivated? Seven strategies for postgraduate character development’, Lamb, M., Brant, J. & Brooks, E. Journal of Character Education (2020).

‘Cultivating virtue in postgraduates: An empirical study of the Oxford Global Leadership Initiative’ Brant, J, Lamb, M, Burdett, E, Brooks, E, Journal of Moral Education (2019).

‘How can universities cultivate leaders of character? Insights from a leadership and character development program at the University of Oxford’ Brooks, E, Brant, J, & Lamb, M, International Journal of Ethics Education (2019).

'The End of Difficulty: S. T. Coleridge and Rowan Williams on Bible and Literature', in the Context Journal, Volume 16 (2017), pp. 109-16.

‘The Unique Difficulty of Days of Heaven’ in Theology and the Films of Terrence Malick, Christopher Barnett and Clark Ellison (eds.), (London: Routledge, 2016).

Select Publications