Mark Finney

Dr Mark Finney is a Lecturer in Religion at the University of Sheffield's School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities. He holds a PhD from the University of Nottingham and has taught at institutions including St John’s College, Nottingham. His research focuses on religion’s role in conflict, particularly in the Middle East, and explores themes like afterlife concepts, religion & art, and social-scientific approaches to scripture. He is a member of the Sheffield Institute for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies and frequently contributes to BBC Radio discussions on religion and conflict.

• Education: BA, MLitt, PhD (Nottingham)

Research interests span ancient & modern religious conflicts, Middle Eastern politics, and biblical reception studies. His work examines how religious texts influence contemporary issues like the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Christian Zionism. He also studies early Christian and Jewish views on afterlife, integrating art history with theological analysis.

Teaching covers Islam studies, biblical languages, and historical methodologies. His courses include 'The Arab-Israeli Conflict' and 'Religion in an Age of Terror'.

• Professional Roles: Programme Director for Religion & Theology, External Examiner at Aberdeen University
• Publications: Over 10 scholarly works on religion, conflict, and biblical interpretation

Current research projects include studies on religion & violence across Abrahamic traditions and the socio-cultural context of 1 Corinthians.