Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
- ashley.cocksworth@roehampton.ac.uk
- +44 (0) 20 8392 3000
- 106b, Howard, Digby Stuart
- @ash_cocksworth
- Virtual office hours: Tuesdays (3.30-4.30 pm) and Wednesdays (3.30-4.30 pm) - e-mail me for the link
I am Senior Lecturer in Theology and Practice at the University of Roehampton. I joined the University in 2018, having previously been Assistant Professor in Theology and Ministry in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University (2017-18) and Tutor in Systematic Theology at the Queen’s Foundation, Birmingham (2012-17). My studies were undertaken at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Cambridge.
I am the convener of:
- The Research Group in Theology, Religion and Practice.
- The Practical Theology (DTh) Programme.
My external roles include:
- Honorary Research Fellow, the Queen’s Foundation, Birmingham
- Associate, Aberdeen Centre for Protestant Theology, University of Aberdeen
- Editorial Board, Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care
- Editorial Board, Grove Books (Doctrine Series)
- External Examiner: University of Cambridge, University of Chester, and University of Winchester (Sarum College, Salisbury)
- Fellow (2021 Cohort) in Science-Engaged Theology, University of St Andrews.
Research interests
I work in the area of Christian theology. More specifically, I am interested in the relation between religious belief and religious practice. I am particularly interested how these questions get framed and theorised in modern theology and increasingly in Anglican systematic theology.
In terms of actual religious practices, I am primarily interested in ‘everyday’ (or nearly everyday) religious practices and some of the ordinary things religious people do. I have written on Evening Prayer in Anglican liturgy, the Sabbath as a form of contemplation, the Sabbath as a form of ecological practice, baptism, the saying of the creeds in worship, the idea of giving glory to God, the practice of 'reading', the smile, and more generally and variously theological matters relating to the practice of prayer - including when prayer goes wrong. I have found prayer to be a useful ‘way in’ to investigate the relation between belief-formation and practice. My next major research project develops a theology of joy in dialogue with strands of social and developmental psychology.
Publications
- Karl Barth on Prayer (Studies in Systematic Theology Series; T&T Clark / Bloomsbury, 2015)
- Prayer: A Guide for the Perplexed (Bloomsbury, 2018)
- The Grammar of Grace: Readings from the Christian Tradition (Cascade Books, 2019).
- The T&T Clark Handbook of Christian Prayer, co-edited with John C. McDowell (Bloomsbury, 2021).
- Karl Barth: Spiritual Writings, co-edited with W. Travis McMaken (Classics of Western Spirituality Series; Paulist Press, 2022).
- From the Shores of Silence: Conversations in Feminist Practical Theology, co-edited with Rachel Starr and Stephen Burns (London: SCM Press).
For some reviews of Karl Barth on Prayer, see: Religion and Theology, 23.2 (2016); Choice (2016); Theology in Scotland, 23.1 (2016); Expository Times, 28.3 (2016); International Journal of Systematic Theology, 19.2 (2017); Modern Theology, 33.3 (2017); Theologischen Literaturzeitung (2017, Nr. 4); Centre for Karl Barth Studies, Princeton Theological Seminary (December 2017); Journal of Reformed Theology, 11.4 (2018).
For some reviews of Prayer: A Guide for the Perplexed, see: Church of England Newspaper (Sep 2018); The Way, 58.2 (2019); The Reader Magazine (Winter, 2018); Church Times (January 2019); Reviews in Religion and Theology, 26.1 (2019); Theology, 122.2 (2019); Regents Review, 10.2 (2019); Anglican Theological Review, 102.2 (2020); Theological Studies, 81.2 (2020); Reading Religion, American Academy of Religion (2020); Scottish Journal of Theology, 73.4 (2021).
Publications [in preparation]
- Glorification, co-authored with David F. Ford (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic)
- The Modern Theologians: An Introduction to Christian Theology Since 1918, co-edited with Rachel Muers (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell).
Research projects
I am currently the PI on the Faith Long Lived: An Ecumenical Study of Experiences of Saying Creeds among Older Christians project funded by the Southlands Methodist Trust.
I am currently the recipient of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation as part of the New Visions in Theological Anthropology: Engaging with the Behavioral Sciences project at the University of St Andrews which is designed to get theologians thinking carefully about theological anthropology on those questions that involve evolutionary biology, developmental psychology, and cognitive science. My project is entitled Smiling for Joy: Theological Engagements with Psychology.
Previously, I was the PI on the God and Study Skills: Learning as Formation project funded by a Common Awards seedcorn grant.
Teaching
I am Programme Convener of the Professional Doctorate in Practical Theology (DTh). If you are interested in the DTh programme, please contact me and I will be pleased to provide further information.
I have convened a variety of modules accross all levels (FdA, BTh, BA, MA, DTh). In 2021/22, I am convening the following:
- Christian Doctrine in Practice [L6]
- Publishable Article [L8]
- Research Design (1): Literature Review and Research Question [L8]
Professional affiliations
External positions
Editorial Board, Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care
2021 → …
External Examiner, University of Winchester
2021 → 2024
Associate, Aberdeen Centre for Protestant Theology (University of Aberdeen)
2020 → …
External Examiner, University of Cambridge
2020 → …
External Examiner, University of Chester
2020 → …
Honorary Research Fellow, The Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education, Birmingham
2019 → 2024
External Examiner, St Albans Cathedral Study Centre
2018 → 2020
Editorial Group, Grove Books (Doctrine Series)
2017 → …
Treasurer, Society for the Study of Theology
2016 → 2020
Executive Committee Member, Society for the Study of Theology
2013 → 2016
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Faith Long Lived: An Ecumenical Study of Experiences of Saying Creeds among Older Christians
Cocksworth, A., Rogers, A. & Watkins, C.
1/01/22 → 1/07/23
Project: Research
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God and Study Skills: Learning as Formation
Cocksworth, A., Slee, N. & Allen, D.
1/09/18 → 31/08/19
Project: Research
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Dogmatics as Spirituality: Karl Barth's Spiritual Writings
Cocksworth, A. & McMaken, W. T. (ed.), 2022, Karl Barth: Spiritual Writings. New York / Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, p. 1-42 (Classics of Western Spirituality).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
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From the Shores of Silence: Conversations in Feminist Practical Theology
Cocksworth, A., Starr, R. (ed.) & Burns, S. (ed.), 2022, (Accepted/In press) London: SCM Press.Research output: Book/Report › Edited Book
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Introduction: Exploring the Boundaries of Speech
Cocksworth, A., Starr, R. & Burns, S., 2022, (Accepted/In press) From the Shores of Silence: Conversations in Feminist Practical Theology. Cocksworth, A., Starr, R. & Burns, S. (eds.).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
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Introduction to Symposium on Simeon Zahl's Holy Spirit and Christian Experience (OUP, 2020)
Cocksworth, A., 2022, Syndicate.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Book/Film/Article review
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Karl Barth: Spiritual Writings
Cocksworth, A. & McMaken, W. T. (ed.), 2 Jan 2022, New York / Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press. (Classics of Western Spirituality)Research output: Book/Report › Edited Book
Prizes
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Colin Gunton Memorial Prize
Cocksworth, Ashley (Recipient), 2010
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Activities
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Smiling for Joy
Ashley Cocksworth (Speaker)
9 Nov 2022Activity: Talk or presentation for an academic audience › Oral presentation for an academic audience
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New Visions in Theological Anthropology (NViTA) Fellowship at the University of St Andrews
Ashley Cocksworth (Recipient)
30 Apr 2021 → 29 Apr 2022Activity: Public engagement and outreach › Other
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The Smile: A Dogmatic Sketch
Ashley Cocksworth (Speaker)
25 Nov 2021Activity: Talk or presentation for an academic audience › Invited talk for an academic audience