External links
- Profile: Revd Professor David Wilkinson Durham University
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
David Wilkinson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 May 1963 |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Theological college, project director |
| Title | Director of Equipping Christian Leadership in an Age of Science (ECLAS), St John's College, Durham |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Astrophysics and theology |
| Institutions | University of Liverpool University of Durham St John's College,Durham |
David Adam Wilkinson,FRAS (born 16 May 1963) is a British Methodist minister,theologian,astrophysicist and academic. He was the Principal of St John's College,Durham (2006-2023),and is a professor in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University. [1] He remains at St John's College,having been appointed,in September 2023,Director of Equipping Christian Leadership in an Age of Science (ECLAS),an international project based at St John’s College. [2] He is the author of several books on the relationship between science and religion, [3] [4] and a regular contributor to Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4. [5] He has a PhD in astrophysics and is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Wilkinson was born on 16 May 1963. [6] An undergraduate at Grey College,Durham,he studied at the University of Durham,graduating with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in 1984. [7] He remained at Durham to undertake a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in theoretical astrophysics. [7] [8] His PhD was awarded in 1987:his doctoral thesis was titled "Molecular hydrogen in galaxies" and related to the study of star formation. [9] [10]
After completing his science doctorate,Wilkinson changed direction. [8] He studied theology at Fitzwilliam College,Cambridge alongside his training as a Methodist minister at Wesley House,Cambridge. [7] [11] He graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1989:as per tradition,his BA was promoted to a Master of Arts (MA Cantab) degree. [7] He would later study for a PhD in systematic theology at the University of Durham,which he completed in 2004 with a doctoral thesis titled "Christian eschatology and the physical universe". [12]
After ordination,he was a Methodist minister in Letchworth from 1990 to 1991. [7] He then took on two posts:as minister of Elm Hall Drive Methodist Church in Liverpool and a chaplain at the University of Liverpool. [7] [8] In 1999,he moved to Durham where he had been appointed a fellow in Christian apologetics at St John's College,Durham. [7] [8] Then,from 2004 to 2006,he was Wesley Research Lecturer in Theology and Science in the University of Durham's Department of Theology and Religion. [7] [13] In December 2005,it was announced that he would be returning to St John's College,having been appointed its next principal in succession to Professor Stephen Sykes. [14] He had to be given permission by the Methodist Church for the appointment due to the college's Anglican foundation:St John's college is both a college of Durham University and an evangelical Anglican theological college. [1] He took up the post in 2006. [7] He was additionally made a professor in the Department of Theology and Religion in 2011. [7]
Wilkinson's academic interests focus on the interaction between theology and science. [14] He has also published on Stephen Hawking,spirituality in contemporary cinema and the doctrine of holiness. [15] He has been a council member of the Evangelical Alliance. [15]
In January 2024,he was installed as an ecumenical Canon of Durham Cathedral. [16]
In 1992,Wilkinson married Alison. [7] She is also a Methodist minister. [14] Together they have one son and one daughter. [7]
the Rev Prof David Wilkinson, Principal of St John's College, University of Durham, 50
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
