Canon Professor Vernon White

Visiting Professor in Theology at King's College London

Vernon is Visiting Professor in Theology at King's College London, and freelance lecturer and writer. Until recently, he was Canon Theologian at Westminster Abbey.

He has wide-ranging interests in public, moral, philosophical and 'literary' theology, and varied experience for working in Theological Education, University Chaplaincy, Cathedral and Parish ministry.

Publications

The Fall of a Sparrow: An Essay on the Concept of Special Divine Action (1985)
Atonement and Incarnation (1991)
Paying Attention to People: An Essay on Individualism and Christian Belief (1996)
Identity (2002)
Life Beyond Death: Threads of Hope in Faith, Life and Theology (2006)
Purpose and Providence: Taking Soundings in Western Thought, Literature and Theology (2015)
Meaning, Mattering, Transcendence: Essays on Meaning, Morality, and God (Wipf & Stock/Cascade, 2023)

Lecture titles

Faith and Ethics in a Secular World
Does the Christian faith have any distinctive perspectives to offer on ethical issues or issues of public policy, or does the so-called secular world now in some ways have better moral instincts than religious groups? And if that’s the case, what does that mean for the wider truth and significance of Christian faith? This lecture also explores whether there are other contributions faith can offer to public life which do not depend on claiming higher moral ground. Vernon White roots the lecture, and illustrates it, from his experience as Canon Theologian at Westminster Abbey.
Images of God
What do we mean by ‘God’? What is God like? This lecture is not primarily an exploration of the character of God (e.g. as loving or judgmental) but instead inquires into the fundamental nature of God’s being and existence. What kind of reality is God? Is ‘God’ a spirit, a person, a causal force, a moral idea, or just a symbol? The lecture discusses the credibility (or otherwise) of traditional images for God in scripture, classical theology, mysticism and post-modern philosophy. It offers constructive suggestions for drawing on all these images and re-imagining them in a way that is both faithful to Christian tradition and credible.
Life Beyond Death
How credible is belief in personal life beyond death? How central is it to Christian belief? This lecture discusses grounds for hope in life beyond death. How plausible and imaginable is it, especially in the light of new knowledge, both in cosmology and human psychology? This is not primarily a discussion about traditional Christian eschatology (judgment, heaven and hell) but about the more basic question of how we can credibly imagine any personal future at all beyond own death, and beyond the end of the world.
Personal Identity and the Virtue of Fidelity
In a social life characterized by rapid change and fragmented identities, this lecture explores how the neglected virtue of fidelity can help heal the strain. The notion of ‘creative fidelity’ is discussed as a positive contribution to personal and social stability, incorporating the dynamism also vital for human flourishing. Its theological basis is examined, and its practical possibilities are explored in the arena of human relationships (e.g. with ex-partners, ‘broken’ families, dementia patients), and in the world of work and wider social relationships.
Providence: A Necessary but Impossible Doctrine
This lecture focuses on the traditional Christian belief (which is also a much wider human instinct) that there is a purpose in everything that happens – that events are not just random, nor being steered only by natural causation or human action, but also by God. Is this really believable? Is it important or ‘necessary’ to believe it? What consequences does the belief in providence have pastorally and personally, and for the public mission of the Church?