Mark Chapman is Vice-Principal of Ripon College, Oxford, and is a historian and historical theologian. He is also Reader in Modern Theology, University of Oxford. He has written extensively on religion and its role in society. He is editor of numerous books and journals, and his publications include <i>By what authority? Authority, Ministry and the Catholic Church </i>(1997), <i>Liturgy, Socialism and Life: The Legacy of Conrad Noel</i> (2001), and <i>Building Community in South Africa: A Christian Perspective</i> (2003).