Leaders in Higher Education

Britain’s Black Christian community is filled with professionals working in leading higher education establishments. With this in mind, Keep The Faith is shining a spotlight on Christian academics, educationalists and researchers in our midst, who are playing their part in teaching and training the next generation, as well as carrying out academic research into the issues that affect us.

DR WILLIAM ACKAH
Reader in Social Sciences and African Diaspora Studies, Birkbeck University of London

Dr Ackah is a key Black academic figure in the UK, working at the intersection of race, religion and politics. He taught at the Universities of Liverpool and Edge Hill before joining Birkbeck, where he teaches and researches in the fields of geography, social sciences and education. He has written numerous publications, including Pan-Africanism: Exploring the Contradictions, Politics, Identity and Development in Africa and the African Diaspora; Religion, Culture and Spirituality in Africa and the African Diaspora; and The Black PhD Experience: Stories of Strength, Courage and Wisdom in UK Academia. He is a Fulbright Research scholar and has academic leadership roles in international organisations, The Transatlantic Roundtable of Religion and Race and the African Diaspora Consortium. In the UK, he is Chair of the Black Research Consortium and co-convenor of the African Diaspora Postgraduate Network. He is a member of the editorial boards of the journals Ethnic and Racial Studies and Black Theology: An International Journal.

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DR VALENTINA ALEXANDER
Tutor, Centre for Black Theology, The Queen’s Foundation

Dr Valentina Alexander is a theologian operating in the field of Black contextual liberation and womanist theology with a focus on the UK. Her PhD thesis, completed in 1996, was the first from a British Black academic to explore UK Black Church dynamics in relation to liberational praxis. Her research interests include historical and developing aspects of womanist and eco-womanist theology, as well as documenting and unearthing the significance of African and Caribbean spiritual heritage within Britain. Valentina also participates in numerous educational initiatives that include supplementary schools, Rites of Passage programmes, a community bookshop, and church- and community-based education projects. These have been central to her development as a theologian.

DR ROBERT BECKFORD
Professorial Research Fellow, The Queens Foundation

Dr Robert Beckford is an academic whose work touches the worlds of academia, books and media. He is the first Black man to teach theology in a British university, and last year witnessed the inauguration of a lecture in his name – The Beckford Lecture at the Queen’s Foundation, Birmingham, where he started his academic career. Latterly, he has been lecturing on climate change. Dr Beckford has written over 12 books and is a BAFTA award-winning documentary filmmaker, whose work has been broadcast on the BBC, Channel 4 and Discovery USA. His debut radio drama, Jesus Piece – about a gang member turned Pentecostal preacher-detective – was broadcast on the BBC Regions in 2017, and he also produced The Jamaican Bible Remix Project – a practical theo-musicological project. Robert is currently Professor of Climate and Social Justice at the University of Winchester, with associate roles as a Professor of Black Theology at the Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham and Professor of Theology at VU University in Amsterdam.

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PROFESSOR DAWN EDGE
Professor of Mental Health and Inclusivity, University of Manchester

Dawn Edge made history when she became Manchester University’s first Black female professor in its 200-year history. Currently Professor of Mental Health and Inclusivity, she was previously the Academic Lead for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) on Race, Religion and Belief. Aside from her academic work, Professor Edge has served as a governor of The Health Foundation, a non-executive director on NHS Trust Boards, and as a trustee of organisations committed to tackling disparities in health and care. An expert health services researcher, Dawn is committed to using her research to reform policy and practice, thus creating more equitable, effective and accessible care, treatment and outcomes for Black and other marginalised communities. Dawn believes strongly that the Church has an important role in advocacy and service, including improving the health and well-being of its members and wider community.

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DR DULCIE DIXON-McKENZIE
Director, Centre for Black Theology, Queen’s Foundation, Birmingham

Dr Dulcie Dixon-McKenzie leads theological training for students – the majority from Black-majority/Pentecostal churches across Britain, in her role as Director at the Centre for Black Theology. She is the first academic to study the history of Black gospel music in Britain, drawing on Black theology and other academic disciplines to demonstrate the significance of the Black Church. Dulcie has co-edited a book, Black British Gospel Music: From the Windrush Generation to Black Lives Matter. Her most recent academic writing was published last year, Give Me That Old-Time Religion: Towards a Black Pentecostal Aesthetics, where she wrote about the significance of old-time Pentecostal choruses shaping the identity and heritage of Black British gospel music.

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DR PAULINE MUIR
Senior Lecturer in Arts Management and Co-Programme Director of the BA (Hons) Arts Management programme, Goldsmiths, University of London

Dr Pauline Muir has a research and teaching profile that spans music, arts management, culture, faith, identity and social change. Dr Muir carries out research on Black British gospel music, congregational music, race and identity, Pentecostal worship, and music discourse analysis. Her publications include the co-edited volume Black British Gospel Music: From the Windrush Generation to Black Lives Matter. Her forthcoming book, Sounds Mega: The Music Discourse of Black-Majority Churches, set for a 2027 release, will examine the musical, cultural and theological dimensions of worship within Black-majority churches in Britain. Dr Muir is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), and a member of the New Testament Church of God, Chrisma, in Woolwich.

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REVD DR CALEB NYANNI
Principal, Waverley Abbey College

Revd Dr Caleb Nyanni made history earlier this year by becoming the first Black man to be appointed Principal of Waverley Abbey College, one of the largest providers of counselling and chaplaincy education for Christians in the UK. Prior to joining Waverley, Dr Caleb served as Academic Dean of Birmingham Christian College and has mentored leaders across Europe, Africa and Asia. Dr Nyanni is a member of the inaugural Catholic-Pentecostal Dialogue in England and Wales, and is the first non-white Chair of the European Pentecostal Theological Association (EPTA). He is also Executive Director at the Centre for African Christian Spirituality at the Pentecost University, Ghana, and a visiting lecturer at the Centre for Black Theology (Queen’s College, Birmingham). His research interests include pneumatology, diaspora studies, apologetics, and generational studies.

Visit www.waverleyabbeycollege.ac.uk

PROFESSOR ANTHONY G REDDIE
Professor of Black Theology, University of Oxford; Director of the Centre for Black Theology, Regent’s Park College, University of Oxford; Extraordinary Professor of Theological Ethics and Research Fellow at the University of South Africa

Professor Anthony Reddie is a history maker. He is the first person to be appointed as professor of Black Theology at Oxford University – the first appointment of its kind in 900 years. He is also the first Black person to get an ‘A’ rating in Theology and Religious Studies in the South African National Research Foundation, making him a leading international researcher. He is a prolific author of books, articles and chapters in edited books. His latest book, co-edited with Seidel Abel Boanerges with Pamela Searle,is Intercultural Preaching. Other books include Theologising Brexit: A Liberationist and Postcolonial Critique – the first theological exploration of the Brexit phenomenon. He is the editor of Black Theology: An International Journal. He is a recipient of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s 2020 Lanfranc Award for Education and Scholarship, given for ‘exceptional and sustained contribution to Black Theology in Britain and Beyond’. He is a member of the Archbishops’ Commission for Racial Justice in the Church of England.

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DR MARVIN SANGUINETTI (PhD, SFHEA)
Senior Lecturer, Christ the Redeemer College; Visiting Lecturer at the University of Roehampton and Birmingham Christian College

Dr Marvin Sanguinetti is a theologian who teaches at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and provides theological education within Christian communities. He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), and a member of the Society for Pentecostal Studies (SPS). His academic interests include Biblical Studies, Christian Theology, Christology and Pentecostal Theology, with a particular focus on Jewish and Christian understandings of Monotheism. His research contributes particularly to discussions and published articles surrounding Oneness Pentecostal Theology and its engagement with wider Christian scholarship. He is the author of Patterns of Christological Categorisation: Oneness Pentecostalism and the Renewal of Christian and Jewish Monotheism, published in 2023. Alongside his academic work, Dr Sanguinetti has nearly four decades of experience in Christian ministry and uses his social media platforms to generate interest and discussion in theological matters.

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