About IFTAG members

Stephen Roberts is Senior Lecturer in Modern Theology at the University of Chichester where he teaches modules on Christian theology, inter-religious dialogue, the relationships between religion and violence and between theology and popular culture.

His PhD explored the relationship between inter-religious dialogue and the public sphere, and his current research continues to focus on the relationships between religion, theology and the public sphere.

An ordained Anglican, he has served in parishes in the Diocese of London, worked as a university chaplain and, prior to his current role, was Vice Principal of St Michael’s College Llandaff, the Church in Wales theological college in Cardiff.

His experience of and interest in inter-faith relations stems primarily from his time as a university chaplain, although he has been involved in Jewish-Christian dialogue for more than twenty years, most recently as a member of CCJ’s theological dialogue project.

Stephen’s University of Chichester web-page is: http://www.chi.ac.uk/staff/stephen-roberts

Since 2012 Revd Dr Graham Adams has been Tutor in World Christianity (including Mission Studies) and Religious Diversity with Northern College (United Reformed and Congregational), a constituent college of the ecumenical partnership, Luther King Centre for Theology and Ministry, in Manchester. He also teaches with the Congregational Institute for Practical Theology.

Graham previously was in church ministry in Manchester, while first studying part-time for a PhD, and subsequently working in training development for the Congregational Federation. His doctoral thesis was revised for publication as a book, Christ and the Other: In dialogue with Hick and Newbigin (Ashgate, 2010). Working with a framework from Andrew Shanks to help assess the Christologies of John Hick and Lesslie Newbigin, the book proposes a ‘social christology’, an understanding of Jesus fostering our ‘mutual humanization’ through relationship with others – those within our own tradition, those in other traditions, and those who are ‘invisible’.

In 2019 he wrote, Theology of Religions: Through the lens of ‘truth-as-openness’ (Brill), which works further with Shanks to illuminate the dynamics in the field now generally called ‘theologies of religious diversity’. Otherwise, his research interest is mission in the context of Empire, leading most recently to: Holy Anarchy: Dismantling Domination, Embodying Community, Loving Strangeness (SCM, 2022). He is currently working on a new book, God the Child: Small, Weak and Curious Subversions.

Dr Anthony Allison specialises in the fields of Muslim-Christian Relations and Religion in Contemporary Society and has additional interests in the field of law and religion. He previously lectured in these topics for almost a decade at the University of Glasgow and then, latterly, at the University of Edinburgh. In addition to IFTAG, he is also a member of the Bishops’ Conference Committee for Interreligious Dialogue, an Executive Board Member of the Centre for Theology and Public Issues at the University of Edinburgh, and Treasurer and Trustee of Interfaith Glasgow.

Until her retirement in 2018 Canon Dr Clare Amos was head of the World Council of Churches office for Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation. Prior to moving to Geneva in 2011 Clare had held a similar role in the Anglican Communion Office. Clare is a biblical scholar by background with a particular interest in the interface between interreligious concerns and biblical studies, stemming partly from the years she spent living in Jerusalem and then Beirut. Her commentary on the book of Genesis, Birthpangs and Blessings, reads Genesis in the light of current concerns in the Middle East. Clare is currently writing a book for the World Council of Churches focusing on the topic of religion and violence, which seeks to take account of the interreligious perspective.

The Revd Dr Peter Colwell is Deputy General Secretary of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, with particular responsibility for inter faith and faith and order matters. He is an ordained minister of the United Reformed Church (since 1994), having served as local church minister in London. Prior to his appointment at CTBI he was Deputy Director of the London Inter Faith Centre, which promoted dialogue and study between different religions. His own doctoral research is concerned with the Jewish-Christian encounter in Israel-Palestine.

Since 2012, Rose Drew has managed a new project called Interfaith Glasgow, which supports interfaith engagement in Glasgow through innovative initiatives fostering friendship-building, dialogue, and cooperation between people from diverse religious and non-religious backgrounds (see www.interfaithglasgow.org).

Prior to taking up her current post, Rose was a Lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Glasgow, UK and, in 2011, a Research Scholar at Uppsala University, Sweden. Her research interests are predominantly in Buddhist-Christian dialogue and the theology of religions.

Her monograph, Buddhist and Christian? An Exploration of Dual Belonging (Routledge, 2011) won the 2013 Frederick J. Streng Award for Excellence in Buddhist-Christian Studies. It is the first in-depth study of the thought and practice of those who take themselves to be both Buddhist and Christian. Drawing on interviews with individuals in the vanguard of this growing phenomenon, the book engages from Buddhist and Christian perspectives the theological, philosophical, and practical questions that arise. See: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415611237/

Bonnie Evans-Hills is a priest in the Scottish Episcopal Church and has considerable experience in inter-religious dialogue, working with organisations such as the EU Commission on Foreign Affairs & Security, the World Council of Churches, Churches Together in Britain & Ireland, the Anglican Communion, and the Anglican Mission organisation USPG (United Society for Partners in the Gospel). Bonnie has been involved in contributing to the UN Office for the Prevention of Genocide’s Global Plan of Action for Religious Leaders & Actors. Alongside several other publications, Bonnie is co-author of the book ‘Engaging Islam from a Christian Perspective,’ published by Peter Lang. She was recently awarded the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

You can find Bonnie on the X social media platform.

Leao Neto is the Inter-faith officer for the Methodist Church in Britain. He is the Chairperson of the Inter Religious Relationships Standing Committee of the World Methodist Council.

Leao obtained his PhD at Birmingham University at the Centre of the Studies of Islam and Christian Relationships.

Leao was the Chair of the Brent Multi Faith Forum 2015-2018. The Chair of the Grassroots Ecumenical/Interfaith programme in Luton for 9 years and a trustee for 12 years.

Andy S-J Lie is of Indonesian Chinese origin but grew up in Singapore from the late 1950s onwards, and has lived with his family in the UK since 1986. Besides a professional interest in inter-religious (especially Christian-Muslim) relations, he had worked in the NHS, higher education, and third sectors. For the past 17 years, Andy has sat as a Lay Member of Employment Tribunals (Ministry of Justice). A communicant member of the Church of England, he has served voluntarily for 30 years as a Reader in the Diocese of Newcastle. From 1996-2005, he served on the CofE’s Inter-Faith Consultative Group. Since 2011, he has worked as the Ecumenical & Inter-Faith Officer for the United Reformed Church Northern Synod and plans to retire in mid-2024.

From December 2015 to February 2016, Andy participated in the WCC’s Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme for Palestine and Israel based in the much-troubled town of Bethlehem. This was meaningfully followed by a 10-day intensive Seminar at Yad Vashem (Jerusalem) in September 2019.
Besides a few light-weight articles in collected volumes and several book reviews since 1997, Andy had two stints at teaching: New Testament Greek at St John’s College, Nottingham (1991-1993); Muslim-Christian Relations at Department of Religious Studies, Newcastle University (1997-1999). Andy is also a life member of the Society for Old Testament Study.

Last but not least, Andy is a keen runner and most recently completed Athens as his 50th marathon/ultra-marathon record.

Stuart Masters is Programme Coordinator for History & Theology at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre in Birmingham. His book, The Rule of Christ: Themes in the Theology of James Nayler, was published in June 2021 as part of the Brill Quaker Research Perspectives series. His research and teaching focuses on Quaker spirituality and theology, eco-theology, and the relationship between Quakerism and other faith traditions. Stuart is the West Midlands Regional Representative for the Anabaptist Mennonite Network, and a member of the Advisory Council for the American Journal, Quaker Religious Thought.

Rajbharat Patta is currently a PhD student at the University of Manchester. He has been a recipient of Lincoln International Doctoral Studentship (2014-17) from Lincoln Theological Institute of the University of Manchester. He is currently writing a thesis on “Constructing a Subaltern Public Theology for India”, where he is engaged in researching what is public from a non-public perspective and what is theological about such an enterprise. He also works as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) at the University of Manchester leading seminars for the courses ‘Religion in Modern South Asia’ and ‘Introduction to Christian Theology’ for the graduate students.

Raj is an ordained minister of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church in India and currently serves as Honorary Chaplain at St. Peter’s Church and Chaplaincy, ministering to the higher education communities in Manchester. Prior to this, he served as the general secretary of the Student Christian Movement of India, and also served as an executive secretary of the National Council of Churches in India. He was a visiting faculty member at the United Theological College, Bangalore where he taught Dalit Theology. He was commissioned by the Alternative Tourism Group in Palestine on a study on the Theology of Pilgrimage in Palestine Israel and has released the book titled Listening to Living Stones: Towards a Theology of Kairos Pilgrimage in December 2014. He is also the author of the book A Violent Sight on a Silent Night: Missological Discourses on Violence against Dalit Christians in India in 2008. He has written extensively on contemporary theological and political issues and has lectured at several places. He is a blogger and blogs at thepattas.blogspot.co.uk.

Dr James Roberts is Senior Programme Manager at the Council of Christians and Jews. He holds a DPhil (PhD) in modern theology from the University of Oxford, where he wrote on the theological writings of the Orthodox monastic and Righteous Among the Nations, Mother Maria Skobtsova. He is an Approved Tutor at the University of Winchester through Sarum College. Prior to joining CCJ he worked as an Associate at the social consultancy group, the Good Faith Partnership. James also has experience working in churches, firstly in the Diocese in Europe and then in Oxford, after studying theology at the University of St Andrews. James is passionate about interfaith dialogue, theological studies, and connecting faith communities to work for social change.