In September 2024, the Rev. Benjamin King, Ph.D. traveled to Oxford, England to deliver a keynote address at the international conference “Newman as Preacher,” held in honor of the bicentennial of St. John Henry Newman’s first sermon in Oxford. His keynote, titled “Preaching the Church Fathers for Good and for Ill,” was well received and is now published in the Newman Studies Journal. While in Oxford, he also preached from Newman’s former pulpit at the Sunday Eucharist at the historic University Church.
In July 2025, the Vatican reported that Pope Leo XIV will soon confer on St. John Henry Newman the title of Doctor of the Universal Church. Dr. King was among the twenty international scholars, most of whom were Catholic, who contributed to the theological document (or positio) that the cardinals and bishops read before deciding to make this conferral. King’s contribution to the positio concerned Newman’s scholarship of the Church Fathers. On a related topic, Dr. King completed a chapter for the forthcoming book Newman and Nicaea, which is scheduled for publication in 2026.
A major highlight of the year was the publication of his own book, The Oxford Movement and the People of God: Enslavement, Education, and Empire, released by Oxford University Press in January 2025. The book has already received international critical acclaim, including effusive reviews in the Journal of Anglican Studies and the Theologische Literaturzeitung. In support of this work, Dr. King produced an educational video for ChurchNext, making the history of the Oxford Movement more accessible to the wider Episcopal Church.
Looking ahead, Dr. King has been invited by the Historiographer of the Episcopal Church to contribute an article to a commemorative issue of Anglican and Episcopal History, marking the 250th anniversary of the Episcopal Church. This invitation underscores his ongoing role as a leading voice in Anglican historical studies.
