Launch of WRERU: the World Religions and Education Research Unit

By | September 30, 2023

We are celebrating the launch of WRERU: the World Religions and Education Research Unit, at Bishop Grosseteste University. 

The launch is on Thursday 23rd November from 4.00-9.00 pm (UK time). 

At the launch, we’ll also be ‘launching’ the professorships at BGU of Julian Stern and Leslie Francis, with inaugural professorial lectures, and launching the latest book by John Holdsworth, Hidden in Plain Sight

There are more details about WRERU, and about the lectures and book, on the Evenbrite page (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wreru-launch-tickets-710976920107?aff=oddtdtcreator) where you can book attendance. 

The launch will be a ‘real’ event, at BGU in Lincoln, with some drinks and nibbles (and easy parking, for those driving here), and it will also be online (on zoom), so we hope as many of you as possible will be able to attend.  It will be lovely to see you there!  And if you know of others who would be interested, do please pass this invitation on to them.

WRERU currently has 49 members, of whom 30 are visiting or honorary staff, ten are established staff, and nine doctoral researchers.

Visting and honorary members of Bishop Grosseteste University:

Dr Geoffrey Ahern, Visiting Fellow in Religious and Spiritual Experience

Professor Elisabeth Arweck, Honorary Professor in Contemporary Religion

Professor Michael Buchanan, Honorary Professor in Catholic Education

Professor Francis Davis, Visiting Professor in Social Institutions & International Studies

Rev Canon Dr Randolph Ellis, Honorary Fellow in Sacred Place

Canon Dr Neville Emslie, Honorary Fellow in Ministry Studies

Dr Hümeyra Guleryuz-Erken, Visiting Fellow in Islam and Education

Rev Canon Dr James Francis, Visiting Fellow in Theology and Discipleship

Rev Professor John Gay Visiting Professor in Higher Education

Professor John Harper, Visiting Professor in Sacred Music Studies

Rev Professor Sally Harper, Honorary Professor in Cathedral and Sacred Music Studies

Venerable Professor John Holdsworth, Honorary Professor in Theology and Ministry

Very Rev Professor Susan H Jones, Honorary Professor in Cathedral Studies

Rabbi Dr Eli Kohn, Honorary Reader in Judaism and Education

Professor David Lankshear, Visiting Professor in Church School Studies

Revd Dr Sarah Lawrence, Honorary Fellow in Practical Theology

Professor Patrick Laycock, Visiting Professor in Religions and Statistics

Rev Dr Sally Myers, Visiting Fellow in Ministry Studies

Revd Canon Professor Peter Neil, former Vice Chancellor, Bishop Grosseteste University

Dr Kevin O’Grady, Visiting Senior Fellow in Religious Education

Professor Dr Dr theol h c Mualla Selçuk, Visiting Professor in Islam and Education

Rev Dr Greg Smith, Honorary Fellow in Ministry Studies

Dr Francis Stewart, Director of the Edward Bailey Centre for the Study of Implicit Religion, Bishop Grosseteste University

Phra Dr Nicholas Thanissarro, Visiting Senior Fellow in Buddhism and Education

Rt Rev Professor David Walker, Bishop of Manchester, Honorary Professor in Anglican Studies

Dr Jacqui Wilkinson, Visiting Fellow in Anglican Education Studies

Professor Andy Wright, Visiting Professor in Religious and Theological Education

Dr Elina Wright, Visiting Senior Fellow in Religious Education

Professor Yaacov Yablon, Visiting Senior Fellow in Judaism and Education

Associate Professor Celeste Yuen, Visiting Reader in Intercultural Education

Doctoral researchers at Bishop Grosseteste University:

Catriona Card, researching disciplinary approaches to religious education in the early years

Devora Shabtai Greer, researching connections between psychological type and religious expressions among your female Orthodox Jews

Dr Huw Humphreys, researching how Church of England primary schools find ways to be prophetic and missional

Francis Loftus, researching the application of the SIFT approach to biblical hermeneutics for interpreting the Lucan parable of the rich man and Lazarus

Yehuda Pearlman, researching a curriculum for spirituality in Orthodox Jewish primary schools

Ian Poulton, researching young adolescents’ ordinary theology and its implications for schooling

Gill Simpson, researching an authoethnographic approach to religious education and learning in higher education

Adam Stevenson, researching what is distinctive about Methodist worship from conceptual and empirical perspectives

Alison Stowe, researching children’s responses to primary collective worship

Staff at Bishop Grosseteste University:

Revd Professor Jeff Astley, Professor of Religious and Spiritual Experience

Dr Jack Cunningham, Associate Professor of Ecclesiastical History

Emma Eccles, Research Associate in Religions and Education

Revd Canon Professor Leslie J Francis, Professor of Religions, Psychology and Education

Revd Dr Peter Green, Dean of Chapel

Dr Ursula McKenna, Senior Research Fellow in Implicit Religion

Mark Plater, Senior Lecturer, Religion and Education

Revd Dr Tania ap Siôn, Reader of Religions, Humanities and Education

Professor Julian Stern, Professor of Education and Religion