Dr Richard Burgess BA(Hons)(Bristol), MA (Brunel), PhD (Birmingham)

 

Research Fellow

Department of Theology and Religion

Dr Richard Burgess

Contact details

Telephone +44 (0)121 41 47192

Email r.h.burgess@bham.ac.uk

ERI Building
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

About

I am a research fellow in the Centre for Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies. Until 2010, I was employed on the NORFACE-funded research programme entitled ‘Re-emergence of Religion as a Social Force in Europe?’.

I am currently the Principal Investigator on a project entitled ‘Pentecostal Spirituality, Inter-religious Relations and Civic Engagement: A Comparative Study of Nigeria and Zambia’, which is part of the Pentecostal and Charismatic Research Initiative, funded by the University of Southern California’s Center for Religion and Civic Culture and the John Templeton Foundation.

Previously I worked as a lecturer at the Theological College of Northern Nigeria (affiliated to the University of Jos, Nigeria), where my main lecturing commitments were in African Christianity, History of Evangelical and Pentecostal Movements, Mission Studies and Biblical Studies.

Qualifications

  • MA in Biblical Hermeneutics (Brunel University, 1993)
  • PhD in Theology (University of Birmingham, 2004)

Teaching

I teach courses on the MA in Pentecostal/Charismatic Studies.

Research

  • Global Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, with a particular focus on Africa. I am currently studying Pentecostal civic engagement in Nigeria.
  • Religion and migration, especially in relation to African churches in Europe.

Other activities

Assistant Editor of PentecoStudies (since July 2009)

Publications

Books

  • Nigeria's Christian Revolution: The Civil War Revival and its Pentecostal Progeny (1967-2006), Carlisle: Regnum/Paternoster, 2008
  • Revival and the History of Christianity in Africa, Jos: ACTS, 2008

Articles

  • “Crisis and Renewal: Civil War Revival and the New Pentecostal Churches in Nigeria’s Igboland.” Pneuma, 24.2, 2002, pp. 205-24
  • “Freedom from the Past and Faith for the Future: Nigerian Pentecostal Theology in Global Perspective.” PentecoStudies, vol. 7, no. 2, 2008, pp. 29-63.
  •  “African Pentecostal Spirituality and Civic Engagement: The Case of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Britain.” Special Issue on Global Pentecostalism (edited by William Kay).” Journal of Beliefs  and Values, vol. 30, no. 3, December, 2009, pp.255–73
  • (with Kim Knibbe & Anna Quaas), “Nigerian-initiated Pentecostal Churches as a Social Force in Europe: The Case of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.” PentecoStudies, April, vol. 9.1, 2010, pp. 97-121.

Forthcoming

  • “Reverse Mission, Symbolic Mapping and the Re-occupation of Public Space: Nigerian Pentecostals in Britain”. Special Issue of Journal of  Religion in Europe, Theoretical reflection on Christian migrants from Africa
  • “African Pentecostals and Civic Engagement.” In Michael Wilkinson (ed), Many Tongues: Pentecostals in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, Leiden: EJ Brill
  • “Nigerian Pentecostal Contributions to Intercultural Theology.” In Mark J.  Cartledge and David Cheetham (eds.), Intercultural Theology: Approaches and Themes, London: SCM Press
  • “African Pentecostal Churches in Britain: The Case of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.” In Frieder Ludwig and Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu (eds.), The African Christian Presence in the West, Trenton: African World Press

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