Associate Professor of Religious Education, University of Chester

James Daniel Holt is an associate professor of religious education at the University of Chester. In this role, he explores the representation and teaching of religion and worldviews in schools. He has lectured and written widely on issues of religion, Christian education, religion and popular culture, and the representation and experience of minority religions. Dr. Holt is chair of the board of trustees for Freedom Declared Foundation, a UK-based charity advocating for freedom of religion and belief. He is chair of examiners for the General Certificate of Education (GCSE), international GCSE, and A-level religious studies with one of the major awarding organizations in England. He is the author of Beyond the Big Six Religions: Expanding the Boundaries in the Teaching of Religion and Worldviews (University of Chester Press, 2019), Religious Education in the Secondary School: An Introduction to Teaching, Learning and the World Religions (Routledge, 2015, 2022), and Towards a Latter-day Saint Theology of Religions (2020). He is currently writing a series of six books for Bloomsbury that introduce each of the six largest world religions: Understanding Sikhism, Understanding Buddhism, and Understanding Hinduism were published in 2023 and 2024; Understanding Judaism will come out in early 2026.