I have four main areas of research at the moment:
Apophaticism: I am interested in the view, under-represented in contemporary analytic theology and philosophy of religion, but with plenty of classical precedence, that there is an interesting sense in which we do not know what God is. My book Negative Theological and Philosophical Analysis : Only the Splendour of Light (Palgrave) explores this, and locates contemporary wariness about apophaticism in certain unexamined commitments in the philosophies of language and mind. With Fillipo Casati I am writing a book drawing parallels between responses to the so-called paradox of ineffability and to paradoxes of self-reference in logic and mathematics.
Marx and Christian Theology: My research here is concerned with what Christian theology can gain from an engagement with Marx. I am currently writing a short book which critically interrogates afterlife beliefs in the light of Marx's criticism of religion. My basic position here is that afterlife belief indeed can function as an opiate, and that Marx is a needed corrective against it acting in this way.
Theology of Mental Illness: Drawing on my own experience of living with a serious mental illness, I am interested in reflecting theologically on this and similar experiences in others: how does mental illness affect our understanding of the human person, of God, and of the value, or otherwise, of suffering? I am particularly concerned to combat views which sacralise mental suffering, whilst leaving open the possibility that the experience of this can be transformative.
The Place of the Doctrine of Creation: I have a longstanding interest in the doctrine of creation, and in particular in its place within the structure of Christian systematic theology. I argue that this doctrine has a logically foundational role within theology, of a sort often attributed to the doctrines of the person and work of Christ. I want to explore the implications of this position for the theology of interfaith dialogue and for conversations between theology and the sciences.