David Lonsdale

David Lonsdale

Research Associate

Research Profile April 2023

Academic Summary

  • At present Research Associate, Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology, Cambridge, UK.
  • Previously Senior Lecturer and Dean of Postgraduate Studies, Heythrop College, University of London.

Research Interests

  • Christian spirituality, its theology and practice.
  • Interfaces between literature, theology, philosophy, ethics and religious faith and practice.

Research Projects

  • Leading member of the Power of the Word international academic research project (powerofthewordproject.com) concerned with fostering interdisciplinary conversations among scholars and advanced students in literature, philosophy, religion, theology, ethics, spirituality.

Research Activities

  • 2022, Paper at Margaret Beaufort Research Seminar on Pope Francis, Let us Dream and discernment of spirits.

Conferences

  • Planning and organizing the next Power of the Word international conference to take place at the Sapienza University in Rome in September 2024 (see website above).

 Recent Academic Publications

  • ‘Prophecy and the Poetic Word’ in Mark S. Burrows, Hilary Davies, Josephine von Zitzewitz (eds) Prophetic Witness and the Reimagining of the World, Routledge, 2021.

Edited Volumes

  • Francesca Bugliani Knox and David Lonsdale (eds), Poetry and the Religious Imagination: The Power of the Word, Ashgate, 2015.

Future Publications

  • Editing papers from the previous (online) Power of the Word Conference of June-July 2021 on the subject of ‘The Call of Literature’, to be published by Routledge
  • I have also recently written and submitted to Routledge a proposal for a Power of the Word Series of books and a proposal for a first volume in this series. These proposals are currently being considered by the publishers’ Editorial Committee and I have been reliably informed that the signs of the proposals being accepted are favourable.