Elaine Storkey: 'Most people do not understand academic Christians'

Sam Hailes meets prolific academic and Christian feminist, Dr Elaine Storkey

Dr Elaine Storkey’s CV is as impressive as it is lengthy. She has worked at Oxford University, lectured at King’s College London and was president of Tearfund for 16 years. In 1992 she succeeded John Stott as executive director of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity.

The prominent sociologist has published many books on feminism and theology, her latest being Scars Across Humanity: Understanding and Overcoming Violence Against Women (SPCK). And she is no stranger to the media, having been a columnist for The Independent and a contributor to the BBC’s Thought for the Day.

Despite her impressive credentials and wealth of experience, Elaine is modest, even self-effacing, about her influence. She is often humorous, describing her 28 years on the Church of England’s General Synod as a ‘life sentence’.