Dr. David Bennett
Dr. David Bennett was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. There, he studied creative writing, journalism, international relations, and French, before continuing his studies at Oxford University.
Upon moving to the UK, Dr. Bennett studied theology, gaining undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, as well as a master’s degree in Analytic & Exegetical Theology from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland.
In 2018, David released his bestselling book A War of Loves, an autobiography detailing his experience of being an atheistic gay activist to becoming a follower of Jesus. Along with his story of encountering the love of God and the person of Jesus, David advocates for a positive moral vision of biblical sexuality and discipleship.
More recently, Dr. Bennett completed his doctorate (DPhil) in theology at Oxford University where he now works as a postdoctoral research fellow as a part of the Theology & Religion Faculty. He specializes in the relationship between the Trinity, Christian ethics, patristics, queer theology, discipleship, and contemporary Anglican theology – especially in regards to the role of desire in knowing God.
As an author, speaker, and theologian scholar, Dr. Bennett speaks and writes on a wide range of topics including theology, desire, beauty, gender, theodicy, suffering, ethics, and sexuality. He is frequently asked to appear and speak internationally in a variety of settings including churches, academic conferences, national radio, and TV. David also serves as a theologian in residence at Church of the City, New York, and as an Associate Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall.
As a gay celibate Christian, David seeks to be a fresh voice on the topics of love, holiness, desire, and sexuality in order to show how people can live and flourish through Christ’s cross-shaped teaching. He is passionate about equipping the Church to better love the LGBTQI+ and other minority communities, and the art of showing solidarity to those who are different or other to us.
As the theologian in residence at Reality SF, Dr. Bennett teaches several times a year and works closely with our executive leadership and pastoral staff to develop content.
David lives in Oxford, England and outside of work, he enjoys writing, traveling, cooking, reading, and living in Christian community.
Meet Our Team
Learn about some of the other folks who lead our church.
