New Staff Appointment: Lecturer in Christian Ethics

Westcott House is very pleased to announce that Dr Jenny Leith has been appointed as Lecturer in Christian Ethics with effect from September 2022.

The Principal of Westcott House, the Revd Dr Helen Dawes, said: ‘Jenny is well known to the Westcott House community and it is a delight to be able to share the news that she will be joining our staff team this coming September. Jenny is a skilled teacher and a fascinating theologian who brings depth of learning into conversation with the social and political issues that shape the communities our students are preparing to serve. Her research in Christian formation will enrich our teaching and our life as a Christian community here at Westcott and we look forward to welcoming her to her new role.’

Speaking on her appointment, Jenny said: ‘It is a privilege to take up this role at Westcott House and to have the chance to think together with those training for ministry on how to make ethical reflection part of the Church’s ongoing formation and calling. Having been a part of the community at Westcott for the past four years, I know that this is a community that takes seriously the importance of reflection on how we live well in the world and I’m delighted to be able to continue to be a part of Westcott House’s life.’

Dr Jenny Leith is a political theologian and ethicist, with a particular interest in Christian formation. She began her graduate studies with an MA in Systematic Theology at King’s College London and completed her PhD in Theology at Durham University. She has taught ordinands and those training for lay ministry at the Lindisfarne College of Theology and the College of the Resurrection, and has been a visiting lecturer at King’s College London and Sarum College. Jenny is currently the Dean of Studies at the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide.

Her research interests bring together negative theology, spirituality, political theory, and ecclesiology. Her first monograph is shortly to be published under the title Political Formation: Being formed by the Spirit in church and world (SCM Press, 2022), exploring the question of how Christian ethical and political formation takes place, with a particular focus on how this happens in the context of the Church of England. This research grew out of several years spent working as a parliamentary researcher and in social policy.

The appointment is subject to DBS clearance.