Revd Dr Stephen John Wright

Senior Lecturer in Christian Theology and Wesley Studies

I arrived from Australia to teach theology at NTC in 2015. Having forsaken the southern sunshine, I distract myself from the intemperate English weather with books, warm drinks, and conversation. I was raised in the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Australia and undertook my first degrees at Kingsley College in Melbourne. After moving to Sydney to engage in pastoral ministry, I studied for an MTh with the Catholic Institute of Sydney before pursuing PhD studies in theology at Charles Stuart University. My doctoral research saw me construct a theology of beauty in dialogue with the work of Robert W. Jenson.

I teach and supervise in areas relating to Christian doctrine, culture, theological aesthetics, and historical theology. Recent essays have seen me working on theologies of beauty, christology, music, Robert Jenson, Wesleyan theology, and the theology of prayer. I also have interests in a wide array of early and modern theologians. I welcome inquiries from students interested in studying or researching in these or other areas of theology.

I publish articles and reviews in a variety of forums. I edited Robert W. Jenson’s most recent book of essays: Theology as Revisionary Metaphysics: Essays on God and Creation (Cascade, 2014). And my doctoral thesis has been published as Dogmatic Aesthetics: A Theology of Beauty in Dialogue with Robert W. Jenson (Fortress Press, 2014).

Revd Dr Stephen John Wright has a comprehensive academic background with multiple degrees and certifications, which include:

  • 2019: Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education from Oxford Brookes University.
  • 2014: PhD from United Theological College/Charles Sturt University, NSW, with a thesis titled “Dogmatic Aesthetics: A theology of Beauty in Dialogue with Robert W. Jenson”.
  • 2009: MTh from Catholic Theological Institute/Sydney College of Divinity, with a thesis titled “No ‘Where’: The Ascended Body of Christ in Robert Jenson’s Theology”.
  • 2006: GradDipArts from Kingsley College/Sydney College of Divinity.
  • 2006: BA (Hons) (First Class) from Kingsley College, VIC.

Stephen John Wright has been involved in teaching a variety of courses at Nazarene Theological College, Manchester, UK, since 2015. His teaching responsibilities include:

Undergraduate Courses
 
  • Introduction to Theology
  • Christian Doctrine
  • Knowing God in Christ
  • Knowing God as Triune
  • Knowing God in the Spirit
  • Knowing God: Christian Hope
  • Historical Theology 1 & 2
  • Contemporary Theology 1 & 2
  • Christian Holiness
  • Contemporary Issues: Believing in Music
  • Trajectories in Wesleyan Theology
Postgraduate Courses
 
  • Prayer and Personhood
  • Theology and Culture
  • Holiness in Theological Perspective
  • Holiness in the Christian Tradition
  • Christ in the Contemporary World
  • Theology of John Wesley

Stephen John Wright has made significant contributions to academic literature, particularly in the fields of Christian theology and Wesley studies. Below is a categorized list of his publications, organized by type and year:

Books
 
  • 2024: Whistling in the Dark: Of the theology of Craig Keen (As editor with Janice McRandal). Cascade Books.
  • 2017: The Promise of Robert Jenson’s Theology: Constructive engagements (As editor with Chris E. W. Green). Fortress Press.
  • 2014: Dogmatic Aesthetics: a theology of beauty in dialogue with Robert W. Jenson. Fortress Press.
  • 2014: Theology as Revisionary Metaphysics: Essays on God and Creation (As editor). Cascade Books.
Book Chapters
 
  • Forthcoming: “Robert W. Jenson”, in T&T Clark Handbook of Modern Theology, edited by Philip Ziegler and R. David Nelson. T&T Clark.
  • 2024: “Beauty as Person”, in T&T Clark Handbook of the Doctrine of Creation, edited by Jason Goroncy. T&T Clark.
  • 2024: “On Loving Spiders”, in Whistling in the Dark: Of the theology of Craig Keen. Cascade Books.
  • 2021: “History’s God: On Robert Jenson’s Doctrine of Creation”, in Science and the Doctrine of Creation: A Handbook of Modern Theological Approaches, edited by Joel Chopp and Geoffrey Fulkerson. IVP Academic.
  • 2018: “Restlessly Thinking Relation: Robert Jenson’s Theological Uses of Hegel”, in Essays on the Trinity, edited by Lincoln Harvey. Cascade Books.
  • 2017: “A Precise Mystery”, in The Promise of Robert Jenson’s Theology: Constructive Engagements, edited by Stephen John Wright and Chris E. W. Green. Fortress Press.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
 
  • 2022: ‘Wonder’s Call: Anti-Theodical Aesthetic Judgement in Brian Brock’s Theology of Disability’, Journal of Disability and Religion 26:2, 229–241.
  • 2019: ‘Sounding out the Gospel: Robert Jenson’s Theological Project’, Pro Ecclesia: A Journal of Catholic and Evangelical Theology 28:2, 149–166.
  • 2015: ‘Beyond Words: A question for Oliver Davies about transcendence and transformation’, Journal of Pentecostal Theology 24:2, 154-163.
  • 2012: ‘The Creator Sings: A Wesleyan rethinking of transcendence with Robert Jenson’, The Heythrop Journal 53:6, 972-982.
  • 2011: ‘Apocalyptic Beauty: God’s priority and the ontology of the future’, Aldersgate Papers Vol. 9, 9-22.
  • 2008: ‘Loving the unknown?: Predestination and foreknowledge in open theism’, Australasian Pentecostal Studies Vol. 11, 58-75.

Want to learn more about our programs?

Take the first step towards a theological education by booking a no obligation intro call with our recruitment team.

Schedule a campus tour

Campus tours are a great way to learn more about the college and decide if NTC is the place for you.

Scroll to Top