The question How then shall we live? is a perennial challenge. However, today we face a smorgasbord of challenges across the cultural spectrum. If Christ is the clue to all that is then he is the clue to how then shall we live. KLC is committed to pursuing that clue which is Christ with all the rigour we can muster. Our particular contribution is at the level of Christian scholarship across the disciplines while also making our work available at an accessible level.
Vision: KLC becomes a major hub for Christian scholars and scholarship in public theology in the UK, Europe, North America and further afield, in the service of church and world.
Mission: KLC will nurture Christian research across the disciplines oriented towards the question “How then should we live?” This will be done in community rooted in deep Christian spirituality.
Rev Dr Craig G. Bartholomew is the Director of KLC and one of the Trustees. Craig is a native South African, and a graduate of Oxford University and the University of Bristol. He is the author and editor of numerous books, and is currently working on a multi-volume project entitled “Old Testament Origins and the Question of God.” Craig is Senior Research Fellow, Adjunct Faculty at Trinity College, Bristol, and supervises doctorates through them for the University of Aberdeen. Craig loves gardening, is passionate about horses and dressage in particular, and enjoys crafts and jewellery making in particular.
Otto Bam holds a master’s degree in English Studies from the University of Stellenbosch and is currently studying for a master’s degree in Religion and Literature at the University of Edinburgh. His research focuses on the role of the body in the imagination, and particularly as it relates to religious practice, and has a keen interest in what has been called “ritual poetics” in literature from the Romantic era through to the Postmodern. As a musician, Otto has released a full-length album, an EP and multiple singles under the alias Oddo Bam.
Rosemary is undertaking the role of Fellows Administrator on a voluntary basis. She was previously employed by The British and Foreign Bible Society, who seconded her to work with Craig Bartholomew as the Administrative Manager for the Scripture and Hermeneutics Seminar. This involved a period of time working in Canada.
C. Hugo Herfst, OblSB, PhD serves as KLC’s Director for Spirituality. Convinced that both communal and personal liturgical practices bring us into a deeper relationship with God and integrally transform us for mission, Hugo draws from the deep tradition of the Church as a Benedictine Oblate. Hugo and his wife, Jackie, recently returned to Guatemala where they had served for many years. In addition to working in his local diocese, he is the Spanish Liaison for the Henri Nouwen Society. Hugo enjoys baking artisan bread and strong espressos using beans from Guatemalan coffee farms. Jackie and Hugo have five married children in four countries.
Rev Dr David Larsen is a senior research fellow at KLC. His life story has three big chapters: a pastoral chapter, a business chapter during which he had the privilege of working with clients in over 100 countries, and now a theological research chapter. David loves sports (mostly just watching these days) and travel, enjoys good dinners with family and friends, and frequently attends theatre, especially musicals. Currently he resides in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, Vicky, and they have three grown children and eight grandchildren.
Lauren is our Postgraduate Studies Administrator. She is working on her Master’s Degree at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She resides in Michigan with her husband and children.
Dr Jordan Pickering manages our IT, digital communications and media. He has a biblical studies PhD; his dissertation focuses on the theme of Genesis. He has also published in the field of public theology. Jordan has been married since 2001 and has two daughters. He has worked as a graphic designer and dabbles in the arts.
Charlotte Sindle brings extensive experience and prospects to her role within KLC. Based in Cambridge, Charlotte will play an important role in developing the organisation’s presence within the city and will assist the Director with his calendar and other duties. Charlotte loves animals and likes to enjoy precious time with her family.
Istine is our executive administrator and an associate editor of The Big Picture. Having lectured in Mathematics for many years she has an excellent eye for detail, and is a lover of the arts. Contact Istine for administrative enquiries.
In addition to research, writing, and supervising graduate students, Rev Dr Michael Wagenman enjoys walking, hiking, cooking, reading, playing board games, and travelling. Contact Michael if you’d like to study or supervise students with us.
David McIlroy is a practising barrister, specialising in banking law. He is also Visiting Professor in the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London and Adjunct Professor at the University of Notre Dame (USA) in England. As well as being Chair of Trustees for KLC, David writes and speaks widely throughout Europe on questions relating to the theology of law. In 2019, he published The End of Law: How Law’s Claims relate to Law’s Aims, and gave the 12th Richard O’Sullivan Memorial Lecture asking ‘Why can’t we stop pretending law has anything to do with justice?’ You can find out more about David and the work he does at the intersection of the Christian faith and legal practice at his website theologyoflaw.org.
David Ball is the retired chairman of DB Group Holdings Ltd which he founded in 1970. He was widely involved in business and commerce, notably as a member of the Concrete Society, the British Standards Institution and the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Green Concrete Committee, and acted as advisor to several Engineering societies. His varied interests outside of commerce led to David contributing to education as a Trustee/ Director of Westcott House, Cambridge (2010-2015) and the Founding Governor of Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge; serving as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts Technical Committee, on Historic Church trusts and as Chairman of Cambridge Philharmonic Society – and founding a radio station in Cambridge. David is a minister in the Church of England and a trustee of a number of boards and institutions, including the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology.
Genevieve studied Theology at King’s College London, before doing an MA in European Classical Acting at Drama Centre London. She formed her own production company, touring the acclaimed one-woman drama Asena against sex trafficking (BBC Radio Northampton). She worked for three years as Development Officer at KLICE, which has now become The Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge and of which she is a Trustee and Fellow. Alongside managing her father’s small business, in the last year she has been presenting for Radio Maria England, including Faith and Family in the Time of Covid-19, Questions of Faith, and co-producing and presenting Women Together, which is now entering its second series.
Andrew Kirk is an ordained minister in the Anglican Church. After a curacy in North Finchley, he lived as a mission partner in Argentina, teaching theological subjects in tertiary educational institutions (1967-78). On returning to England, he has been on the staff of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, the Church Mission Society, the Selly Oak Colleges and the University of Birmingham. He has also taught courses on all six continents. Since retirement (2002) he has been involved, on a part-time basis, with graduate institutes in Eastern and Western Europe, Canada and the United Kingdom, mainly supervising students doing research degrees in the field of mission studies. His current main mission interest is in a theological and philosophical interpretation of current ‘culture wars’. Photo © 2020 Alasdair Kirk.
Having trained for ordination at Wycliffe Hall in Oxford (1995-1998), William served his title at Greyfriars Church in Reading. He went on to serve a second curacy at Holy Trinity Church in Cambridge and is delighted to have a reason to visit Cambridge again as a KLC trustee! Since 2011 he has been Incumbent of St Matthias’ Church, Killiney, in the Church of Ireland Diocese of Dublin. He serves the diocese of Dublin and the wider Church of Ireland in several capacities and he is theological adviser to the Archbishop of Dublin. William was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1993 as a member of Middle Temple and he was awarded a PhD in biblical hermeneutics from Liverpool University in 2007. He is married to Tanya and they have three adult children.
Andrew Campbell is Rector of St Patrick’s Broughshane (Parish of Skerry, Rathcavan and Newtowncrommlin) in the Church of Ireland Diocese of Connor. He holds degrees in Ancient History, Byzantine Studies and Theology. In 2017 he was awarded a PhD from Queen’s University Belfast for his research on Nonviolent Atonement Theology under the supervision of Stephen N. Williams. He has served the wider Church of Ireland in various ways, including
as visiting lecturer in Anglican Dogmatics at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute. He
continues his research into atonement theology, including its relationship to broader topics of justice, violence and sacrifice. Andrew is married to Allison; they have two children, Henry and Charlotte.
Integrally Christian research at the highest levels across the disciplines oriented toward the question how then shall we live? is at the heart of KLC. KLC is home to individual scholars, Fellows in a variety of disciplines, doctoral students, and a significant network of scholars through our Scripture Collective and Research Collective.
To embody community we need a place and a people of which, with Jesus, we can say “Come and see!” Central to KLC is our Research Collective (KRC) of interdisciplinary Christian scholars.
The Scripture Collective is made up of four Seminars: Scripture and Hermeneutics (SAHS), Scripture and Doctrine (SADS), Scripture and Church (SACS), and Scripture and University (SAUS). Each Seminar meets four times a year.
KLC is committed to Christian research, across the disciplines, oriented to the question, ‘how then should we live?’ In partnership with Union Theological College, Belfast, we have a team of senior scholars who supervise PhD students. Rethink Christian research from a missional standpoint.
KLC hosts a number of events every year, including the four Scripture Collective Seminars, a variety of online webinars in our Nuances series, an Annual Gathering, and an Annual Conference in liason with our partners.
Among our various resources, both academic and accessible, is our regular journal Ethics in Conversation, our magazine The Big Picture, our podcast Christianity for the Everyday, various books, and more.
KLC helps to adminster scholarships for Christian scholars conducting research in specific areas, including the Norman Anderson Law Award for the doctoral research of a young or early career Christian legal scholar, and the Bible Society Academic Grants Programme, supporting research in Bible and contemporary society.
We would love to keep you updated about our up-and-coming publications, webinars, and events. The primary way we do this is via our newsletter and mailing list. Ensure you don’t miss a thing by subscribing to our KLC community mailing list today.
As a not-for-profit organisation we rely on and are deeply grateful for every one of our donors who support us financially. If you believe in our mission to foster Christian scholarship across the disciplines and do public theology practiced in community, rooted in spirituality, for the glory of God and the good of the church and world, please consider supporting us with a regular or once-off donation.
If you are seeking a growing, supportive and generative community of scholars aiming to conduct research in their respective fields as Christians and with excellence, while also wishing to contribute to the growing work of public theology, we warmly invite you get in touch with us today.
If you are part of the KLC Community or an interested party familiar with our ethos and work, and would like to contribute to one of our publications and events, we invite you to explore our resources and contact us.
KLC is deeply committed to healthy strategic partnerships, of which we have several.
The Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge. Charity registered in England and Wales. Charity Number: 1191741
Kirby Laing Centre, The New Mill House, Unit 1, Chesterton Mill, French’s Road, Cambridge, CB4 3NP
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