Dr Laura Johnson

My passion for interfaith engagement was sparked originally by A-Level study of Hinduism and St Luke’s Gospel. I gained my PhD from Canterbury Christ Church University in 2013, which examined a theology of double religious identity (Hindu-Christian) through the lens of Christian mission/inculturation in India. After completing my PhD, I chose to work ‘in the field’, alongside Christians who were exploring interfaith engagement – both in rural and urban contexts, and often for the first time. This included a stint as the Churches Training Officer at the St Philip’s Centre in Leicester, where I worked predominantly with Anglicans and Methodists (both lay and ordained).

At Queens, I lead on the modules Christianity and Interfaith Engagement [undergraduate] and Theology in Dialogue [postgraduate], and am enjoying getting to know peoples of different faiths and places of worship around Birmingham. I have taught at both undergraduate and postgraduate level within the field of Religious Studies and have also had the opportunity to deliver a module on faith awareness for third-year medical students.

My research interests include Indian Christian art, the pedagogy of interfaith engagement and, of course, Hindu-Christian dialogue. I have recently stepped into the world of education on Israel-Palestine.