![Professor David Clough Professor David Clough](/img/200x200/staffpages/uploads/s11dc8/avatar/pQbdSAJBdGLZOGFQpU0kKChcD2SAlANXnnCyu2ie.png)
M.A. (Cantab.), M.St. (Oxon), Ph.D. (Yale), FHEA
Chair in Theology and Applied Sciences
- About
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- Email Address
- david.clough@abdn.ac.uk
- Office Address
- School/Department
- School of Divinity, History, Philosophy & Art History
Biography
David Clough was appointed to a personal Chair in Theology and Applied Sciences in 2021. He was previously Professor in Theological Ethics at the University of Chester (2007–2021); Tutor in Ethics and Systematic Theology at Cranmer Hall, St. John's College, Durham (2000–2007); and F.D. Maurice Postdoctoral Fellow in Christian Ethics, St. Chad's College, Durham (1999–2000).
David studied Natural Sciences and Theology as an undergraduate at Peterhouse, Cambridge (1986–1989) and Christian Political Thought as an M.St. student at St. Cross College. Oxford (1992–1993). He completed a PhD in Religious Ethics at Yale University (1994–1999), writing on the ethics of Karl Barth.
David is a Local Preacher in the Methodist Church. He was a member of the church's Joint Advisory Committee on the Ethics of Investment (2001–2015), the Methodist/URC Working Group on the Ethics of Modern Warfare (2006), and the Baptist/Methodist/URC Working Group on Theology and Climate Change (2009) which produced the report Hope in God's Future: Christian Discipleship in the Context of Climate Change.
Qualifications
- MA Natural Sciences/Theology1989 - Peterhouse, Cambridge
- M.St. Christian Political Thought1993 - St. Cross College, Oxford
- Ph.D. Religious Ethics2000 - Yale University
Dissertation title: 'Ethics in Krisis: The Significance of the Römerbrief for the Interpretation of Karl Barth’s Ethics’
External Memberships
President, Society for the Study of Theology
Member, Society for the Study of Christian Ethics (President 2014–2018; Hon. Secretary 2004–2007)
Member, American Academy of Religion (Co-Chair, Animals and Religion Group, 2013–2019)
Member, Society of Christian Ethics
Member, Countess of Chester Hospital Clinical Ethics Committee
Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Religious Ethics
Co-Founder and Co-President, CreatureKind
Founder, DefaultVeg
Latest Publications
Animal Welfare
The Routledge Companion to John Wesley. Norris, C. M., Cunningham, J. W. (eds.). 1st edition. Taylor and Francis Inc., pp. 387-397, 11 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003037972-38
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Christianity and Farmed Animal Welfare
Modern Believing, vol. 64, no. 3, pp. 236-243Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe Implications of James Cone’s critique of Barth and Barthians for the Practice of Academic Christian Theology
Black Theology , vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 88-97Contributions to Journals: ArticlesA Christian Critique of the Effective Altruism Approach to Animal Philanthropy
The Good It Promises, the Harm It Does: Critical Essays on Effective Altruism. Adams, C. J., Crary, A., Gruen, L. (eds.). Oxford University Press, pp. 94-107, 14 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197655696.003.0007
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Using Barth “to justify doing nothing”: James Cone’s Unanswered Challenge to the Whiteness of Barth Studies
Karl Barth and Liberation Theology. Jones, P. D., Dugan, K. (eds.). 1st edition. Bloomsbury T&T Clark, pp. 147-160Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters
- Research
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Research Overview
My research is driven by the question of what the implications of a Christian understanding of God and the world are for contemporary ethical challenges. My doctorate and first book considered questions of Christian ethical method in the ethics of Karl Barth (Ethics in Crisis: Interpreting Barth's Ethics, 2005). In my second co-authored book I defended Christian pacifism in debate with the just war tradition in the context of the 2003 Iraq war (Faith and Force: A Christian Debate about War, 2007). Since then my research has focussed on the place of animals in Christian theology and ethics. I have published a two-volume work exploring Christian animal theology and ethics (On Animals, vol. 1 Systematic Theology, 2012; vol. 2 Theological Ethics, 2019) and am currently pursuing related research projects on the human use of animals for food, in dialogue with applied sciences. In 2015 I co-founded the organization CreatureKind as a route to engage Christian churches with farmed animals as a faith issue. I initiated the DefaultVeg campaign as a simple means of achieving reductions in consumption of animals in institutional contexts. In future projects, I'm interested in exploring connections and tensions between theology, race, and animals.
Research Areas
Accepting PhDs
I am currently accepting PhDs in Divinity.
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your research ideas further.
Divinity
Accepting PhDsResearch Specialisms
- Ethics
- Theology
- Environmentalism
Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
Current Research
I'm currently Principal Investigator for the AHRC-funded Christian Ethics of Farmed Animal Welfare (CEFAW) project. The initial three-year project (2018–2021) enabled an interdisciplinary research team to work with a wide range of partners, including major UK churches. Alongside academic outputs, the project published a downloadable illustrated 60-page Policy Framework for Churches and Christian Organizations aimed at informing policy and practice.
The AHRC has also funded a follow-on impact project, CEFAW Education, which during the 2022 calendar year will work with a new range of partners to develop educational resources for schools and theological education institutions.
Knowledge Exchange
In 2015 I co-founded the organization CreatureKind as a route to engage Christian churches with farmed animals as a faith issue. I initiated the DefaultVeg campaign as a simple means of achieving reductions in consumption of animals in institutional contexts. The CEFAW project is engaging churches, Christian organizations, schools, and theological education institutions with farmed animal welfare as a faith issue.
Supervision
I supervise PhD projects in Christian theology and Christian ethics, with particular interests in the thought of Karl Barth, the ethics of war and peace, and theology and ethics in relation to the more-than-human world.
Funding and Grants
2021: Christian Ethics of Farmed Animal Welfare Education, Arts and Humanities Research Council, Follow-on Funding for Impact Scheme, £80K
2018: Christian Ethics of Farmed Animal Welfare, Arts and Humanities Research Council Standard Scheme, £458K
- Publications
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Claiming Barth for Ethic: The Last Two Decades
Ecclesiology, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 166–182Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] http://hdl.handle.net/10034/139136
- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/174413610x493737
Interpreting human life by looking the other way: Bonhoeffer on human beings and other animals
Bonhoeffer and the Biosicences: An Initial Exploration. Wüstenberg, R. K., Heuser, S., Hornung, E. (eds.). Peter Lang, pp. 51–74Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersAll God’s Creatures: Reading Genesis on Human and Non-human Animals
Reading Genesis after Darwin. Barton, S., Wilkinson, D. (eds.). Oxford Univerity Press; Oxford, pp. 145–161Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersOn the Relevance of Jesus Christ for Christian Judgements about the Legitimacy of Violence: A Modest Proposal
Studies in Christian Ethics, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 199–210Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0953946809103492
Creaturely Theology: On God, Humans and Other Animals
SCM Press, LondonBooks and Reports: BooksThe Anxiety of the Human Animal: Martin Luther on Non-Human Animals and Human Animality
Creaturely Theology: On God, Humans and Other Animals. Deane-Drummond, C., Clough, D. L. (eds.). SCM Press, pp. 41–60Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] http://hdl.handle.net/10034/133992
Angels, Beasts, Machines and Men: Configuring the Human and Nonhuman in Judaeo-Christian Tradition
Eating and Believing: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Vegetarianism and Theology. Muers, R., Grumett, D. (eds.). T&T Clark, pp. 60–72Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersPlaying Chicken: Theology, Economics, Politics and Ethics in the Campaign for Better Conditions for Poultry
Epworth Review, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 39–48Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] http://hdl.handle.net/10034/218491
Review: Britain's Bomb: What Next?
International Journal of Public Theology, vol. 1, no. 2007Contributions to Journals: Reviews of Books, Films and Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/156973207x194600
Book Review: Donna Yarri, The Ethics of Animal Experimentation: A Critical Analysis and Constructive Christian Proposal
Studies in Christian Ethics, vol. 20, no. 3Contributions to Journals: Reviews of Books, Films and Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09539468070200030609
Faith and force: a Christian debate about war
Georgetown University Press, Washington, D.C. 317 pagesBooks and Reports: BooksKarl Barth on Religious and Irreligious Idolatry
Idolatry: False Worship in the Bible, Early Judaism and Christianity. Barton, S. (ed.). T&T Clark, pp. 213–227Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersOn the Importance of a Drawn Sword: Christian Thinking about Preemptive War — and Its Modern Outworking
Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 253–271Contributions to Journals: ArticlesUnderstanding Christian Pacifisms: A Typology
Political Practices and International Order. Ulrich, H. G., Heuser, S. (eds.). Lit, pp. 370–381Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersVegetarianism
New Dictionary of Christian Apologetics. Campbell, J., McGrath, G. J. (eds.). Inter-Varsity Press, pp. 740–741Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] http://hdl.handle.net/10034/133852
Ethics in Crisis: Interpreting Barth’s ethics
Ashgate, Aldershot. 143 pagesBooks and Reports: BooksWhy do some people eat meat?
Epworth Review, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 32–40Contributions to Journals: ArticlesFighting at the Command of God: Reassessing the Borderline Case in Karl Barth’s Account of War in the Church Dogmatics
Conversing with Barth. McDowell, J., Higton, M. (eds.). Ashgate, pp. 214–225Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] http://hdl.handle.net/10034/134592
Social and Political Activism in the Methodist Church
Unmasking Methodist Theology: A Way Forward. Marsh, C., Wareing, H., Shier-Jones, A., Beck, B. (eds.). Continuum, pp. 41–47Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersUnweaving the Web: Beginning to Think Theologically about the Internet
Grove, CambridgeBooks and Reports: BooksThe Message of the Medium: The Challenge of the Internet to the Church and Other Communities
Studies in Christian Ethics, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 91–100Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/095394680001300206
Eros and Agape in Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics
International Journal of Systematic Theology, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 189–203Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1463-1652.00035
This Unemployment: Disaster or Opportunity?
Theology, vol. 97, no. 780, pp. 402–413Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0040571X9409700602