
M.A. (Cantab.), M.St. (Oxon), Ph.D. (Yale), FHEA
Chair in Theology and Applied Sciences
- About
-
Biography
David Clough was appointed to a personal Chair in Theology and Applied Sciences in 2021. He was previously Professor in Theological Ethics at the University of Chester (2007–2021); Tutor in Ethics and Systematic Theology at Cranmer Hall, St. John's College, Durham (2000–2007); and F.D. Maurice Postdoctoral Fellow in Christian Ethics, St. Chad's College, Durham (1999–2000).
David studied Natural Sciences and Theology as an undergraduate at Peterhouse, Cambridge (1986–1989) and Christian Political Thought as an M.St. student at St. Cross College. Oxford (1992–1993). He completed a PhD in Religious Ethics at Yale University (1994–1999), writing on the ethics of Karl Barth.
David is a Local Preacher in the Methodist Church. He was a member of the church's Joint Advisory Committee on the Ethics of Investment (2001–2015), the Methodist/URC Working Group on the Ethics of Modern Warfare (2006), and the Baptist/Methodist/URC Working Group on Theology and Climate Change (2009) which produced the report Hope in God's Future: Christian Discipleship in the Context of Climate Change.
Qualifications
- MA Natural Sciences/Theology1989 - Peterhouse, Cambridge
- M.St. Christian Political Thought1993 - St. Cross College, Oxford
- Ph.D. Religious Ethics2000 - Yale University
Dissertation title: 'Ethics in Krisis: The Significance of the Römerbrief for the Interpretation of Karl Barth’s Ethics’
External Memberships
Vice President, Society for the Study of Theology
Visiting Professor, Centre for Animal Welfare, University of Winchester
Member, Society for the Study of Christian Ethics (President 2014–2018; Hon. Secretary 2004–2007)
Member, American Academy of Religion (Co-Chair, Animals and Religion Group, 2013–2019)
Member, Society of Christian Ethics
Member, Countess of Chester Hospital Clinical Ethics Committee
Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Religious Ethics
Co-Founder and Co-President, CreatureKind
Founder, DefaultVeg
Latest Publications
Christianity and Farmed Animal Welfare
Modern BelievingContributions to Journals: ArticlesA Christian Critique of the Effective Altruism Approach to Animal Philanthropy
The Good It Promises, the Harm It Does. Adams, C. J., Crary, A., Gruen, L. (eds.). Oxford University Press, pp. 94-107, 14 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197655696.003.0007
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
The Bible and Animal Theology
The Oxford Handbook of the Bible and Ecology. Marlow, H., Harris, M. (eds.). Oxford Univerity Press; Oxford, pp. 401–412, 12 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersUsing Barth “to justify doing nothing”: James Cone’s Unanswered Challenge to the Whiteness of Barth Studies
Karl Barth and Liberation Theology. Jones, P. D., Dugan, K. (eds.). Bloomsbury T&T ClarkChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersPre-Pandemic Ethics: Triage and Discrimination
Crucible: The Journal of Christian Social Ethics, pp. 49–56Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] https://crucible.hymnsam.co.uk/
- Research
-
Research Overview
My research is driven by the question of what the implications of a Christian understanding of God and the world are for contemporary ethical challenges. My doctorate and first book considered questions of Christian ethical method in the ethics of Karl Barth (Ethics in Crisis: Interpreting Barth's Ethics, 2005). In my second co-authored book I defended Christian pacifism in debate with the just war tradition in the context of the 2003 Iraq war (Faith and Force: A Christian Debate about War, 2007). Since then my research has focussed on the place of animals in Christian theology and ethics. I have published a two-volume work exploring Christian animal theology and ethics (On Animals, vol. 1 Systematic Theology, 2012; vol. 2 Theological Ethics, 2019) and am currently pursuing related research projects on the human use of animals for food, in dialogue with applied sciences. In 2015 I co-founded the organization CreatureKind as a route to engage Christian churches with farmed animals as a faith issue. I initiated the DefaultVeg campaign as a simple means of achieving reductions in consumption of animals in institutional contexts. In future projects, I'm interested in exploring connections and tensions between theology, race, and animals.
Research Areas
Accepting PhDs
I am currently accepting PhDs in Divinity.
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your research ideas further.
Divinity
Accepting PhDsResearch Specialisms
- Ethics
- Theology
- Environmentalism
Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
Current Research
I'm currently Principal Investigator for the AHRC-funded Christian Ethics of Farmed Animal Welfare (CEFAW) project. The initial three-year project (2018–2021) enabled an interdisciplinary research team to work with a wide range of partners, including major UK churches. Alongside academic outputs, the project published a downloadable illustrated 60-page Policy Framework for Churches and Christian Organizations aimed at informing policy and practice.
The AHRC has also funded a follow-on impact project, CEFAW Education, which during the 2022 calendar year will work with a new range of partners to develop educational resources for schools and theological education institutions.
Knowledge Exchange
In 2015 I co-founded the organization CreatureKind as a route to engage Christian churches with farmed animals as a faith issue. I initiated the DefaultVeg campaign as a simple means of achieving reductions in consumption of animals in institutional contexts. The CEFAW project is engaging churches, Christian organizations, schools, and theological education institutions with farmed animal welfare as a faith issue.
Supervision
I supervise PhD projects in Christian theology and Christian ethics, with particular interests in the thought of Karl Barth, the ethics of war and peace, and theology and ethics in relation to the more-than-human world.
Funding and Grants
2021: Christian Ethics of Farmed Animal Welfare Education, Arts and Humanities Research Council, Follow-on Funding for Impact Scheme, £80K
2018: Christian Ethics of Farmed Animal Welfare, Arts and Humanities Research Council Standard Scheme, £458K
- Publications
-
Page 1 of 4 Results 1 to 10 of 39
Christianity and Farmed Animal Welfare
Modern BelievingContributions to Journals: ArticlesA Christian Critique of the Effective Altruism Approach to Animal Philanthropy
The Good It Promises, the Harm It Does. Adams, C. J., Crary, A., Gruen, L. (eds.). Oxford University Press, pp. 94-107, 14 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197655696.003.0007
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
The Bible and Animal Theology
The Oxford Handbook of the Bible and Ecology. Marlow, H., Harris, M. (eds.). Oxford Univerity Press; Oxford, pp. 401–412, 12 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersUsing Barth “to justify doing nothing”: James Cone’s Unanswered Challenge to the Whiteness of Barth Studies
Karl Barth and Liberation Theology. Jones, P. D., Dugan, K. (eds.). Bloomsbury T&T ClarkChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersPre-Pandemic Ethics: Triage and Discrimination
Crucible: The Journal of Christian Social Ethics, pp. 49–56Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] https://crucible.hymnsam.co.uk/
Le salut des animaux dans un contexte chrétien: Croyances futures et défis actuels
Revue d’éthique et de théologie morale, no. 306, pp. 51–66Contributions to Journals: ArticlesA Christian Case for Farmed Animal Welfare
Animals, vol. 9, no. 12, 1116Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9121116
On animals: Volume 2 Theological Ethics
Bloomsbury T&T Clark, London, UK. 299 pagesBooks and Reports: BooksBook Review: Jürgen Moltmann, Ethics of Hope
Studies in Christian Ethics, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 243-245Contributions to Journals: Reviews of Books, Films and Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0953946815570585b
ON THINKING THEOLOGICALLY ABOUT ANIMALS:: A RESPONSE
Zygon®, vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 764-771Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/zygo.12119