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]