Topic: John Bowker

John Westerdale Bowker (born July 30, 1935) is a professor of religious studies who has taught at the universities of Cambridge, Lancaster, Pennsylvania and North Carolina State University. He is an Honorary Canon of Canterbury Cathedral, a consultant for UNESCO, as well as a BBC broadcaster and author and editor of several books.

Bowker was educated at St John's School, Leatherhead, Worcester College, Oxford and Ripon Hall, Oxford. After national service in RWAAF N Nigeria he became Henry Stevenson Fellow at the University of Sheffield in 1961. He then moved to the University of Cambridge where he was Dean of Chapel of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (1962) and Assistant Lecturer (1965) and Lecturer (1970). In 1974 he was appointed Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Lancaster, and in 1984 moved back to Cambridge as Dean of Chapel of Trinity College, Cambridge (1984–91) and a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge (1984–93), also teaching, supervising and researching at the University. From 1992 to 1997 he was Gresham Professor of Divinity at Gresham College, London.

He was appointed Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and at North Carolina State University in 1986.