Chine McDonald unpacks our latest open letter calling for Theology and Religious Studies to be safeguarded in Higher Education. 22/08/2025

What do an LBC presenter, a Happy Valley star, and the former Archbishop of Canterbury have in common?  

Broadcaster Tom Swarbrick, actor James Norton, and Dr Rowan Williams are just some of the former theology undergraduates who have joined others as signatories to our open letter calling for the safeguarding of Theology & Religious Education in higher education.   

Last week saw A–Level students get their results, with record numbers achieving top grades. This autumn many will be going to university, but times are tough for the higher education sector; and theology departments are finding themselves among the hardest hit. 

In recent months, this slow erosion of theology and religious studies provision in universities across the UK has become increasingly difficult to ignore. There will soon be only 21 higher education institutions in England and Wales that offer an undergraduate degree in Theology and Religious Studies. For comparison, 90 run undergraduate degree courses in History, 80 in Music and 101 in Sociology.   

These closures – driven by financial pressures, shifting academic priorities, and failures to understand the relevance of theology today – signal not just the loss of a subject, but the loss of a discipline that can help us work towards a world of human flourishing for all, informed and shaped by ancient wisdoms that have stood the test of time over many centuries. 

As we wrote in the open letter, published last week in The Times Higher Education, this not only impacts student choice, but also has adverse effects for society. Theology plays a crucial role in the intellectual, ethical and cultural development of our common life. It equips people with the tools to engage more thoughtfully with global cultures and traditions and to engage deeply with complex sacred texts.  

It provides space for interfaith dialogue in an environment where people from different backgrounds (including the non–religious, because Theology and Religious Studies is by no means the preserve of believers), can explore issues of belief together.  

As someone whose life and work have been shaped profoundly by theological study, I find this trend deeply troubling. 

Arriving at university at 18, I didn’t yet realise the transformative impact this subject would have on me – intellectually, personally, and spiritually. I chose theology not because I had everything figured out, but because I was full of questions. I wanted to wrestle with meaning, morality, faith, justice, and identity. Theology gave me the tools to do just that. That is not to say that it was at all easy. I found some of my core beliefs tested, some of my ideas about the world, who we are as humans, and who God is, unsettled. But I was grateful for it. 

Because it was in the lecture theatre of the divinity faculty that I encountered the richness and complexity of Christian thought, the histories of belief and disbelief, and the messy, beautiful intersections between religion and society. I learned to think critically and empathetically, to practice seeing the world from another person’s point of view, even when it was easier not to.  

I sat in supervisions that stretched my mind and read texts that made me rethink the world. These weren’t just abstract exercises, they were deeply human explorations that helped shape my values and vocation. 

Studying theology gave me a framework for public engagement and for grappling with the biggest questions of our time. In a world marked by polarisation, inequality, ecological crisis, and spiritual searching, the theological imagination remains as vital as ever. 

And yet, at a time when public understanding of religion is arguably more needed than ever, when the assumption of secularisation is in question and The Quiet Revival seems to be getting louder; as faith continues to shape politics, conflict, and culture around the world – the very departments dedicated to studying it are being downsized or closed altogether. This is short–sighted. 

To dismantle theology and religious studies in our universities is to neglect a crucial resource for understanding ourselves and others. It is to ignore the realities of a world in which 84% of the population identifies with a religious group. It is to overlook the importance of religion in literature, politics, ethics, philosophy, art, and science. 

It is also to undercut a discipline that, at its best, fosters curiosity, humility, and critical thinking — values we urgently need in the public square. Religious education really does matter (see our report Why RE Matters from last year that makes this case). 

As director of Theos, I see daily how religion remains central to the big debates of our time. Whether it’s AI and ethics, nationalism and identity, or poverty and justice – theological and religious literacy matters.  

It’s not all doom and gloom, though.  

There are institutions that continue to take seriously theological education. One such place is the Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln, which was recently voted best in the UK for teaching in the 2025 National Student Survey.  

This university is the home of The World Religions and Education Research Unit (WRERU), which has been established as a research and knowledge exchange unit within BUG that can bring together, support and create new initiatives committed to research and development in world religions and education.  

Maybe, when it comes to safeguarding Theology & Religious Studies in higher education, there might be hope.  

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