Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter (Faculty of Catholic Theology)
Contact
Mailing address
Universität Erfurt
Faculty of Catholic Theology
Postfach 90 02 21
99105 Erfurt
Alumnus (Max Weber Centre for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies)
Contact
Office hours
nach Vereinbarung
Mailing address
Universität Erfurt
Max Weber Centre for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies
Postfach 90 02 21
99105 Erfurt

Curriculum Vitae
Academic study and employment
since 2022 | University of Erfurt. Research associate – Religious Studies |
2022 | University of Cologne. Visiting Lecturer – Music |
2015 - 2019 | Max Weber Center for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies, University of Erfurt. Junior Fellow. Funded through the following awards: Postdoctoral Fellowship of the University Erfurt; Initialisation Scholarship of the University Erfurt; Postdoctoral Fellowship of the Max Weber Centre; Postdoctoral Fellowship of the Research Group "Religious Individualisation in Historical Perspective"; Postdoctoral Fellowship of the Max Weber Centre |
2011-2014 | University, London. PhD – Music (external examiner: theology). Dissertation title: That’s not my music: experiences of contemporary worship music in relation to extraeccleiastical musical attachments. Recipient of the Mercers’ company music prize for outstanding academic achievement |
2007-2008 | King’s College London. MMus – Music |
2002-2005 | University College, University of Oxford. BA – Music |
Additional academic roles
2020 and 2021 | Eco-creativity: Music, Religion, Activism online conference co-convenor (Open University) |
2020 | Worship and the Megachurch: Australasia and Beyond digital conference committee member |
since 2011 | Christian congregational music: local and global perspectives conference (Ripon College, Cuddesdon). Co-founder. Since 2019, programme chair |
Publications



Books
Books
- Porter, Mark and Nathan Myrick (Eds.) (2021). Ethics and Christian Musicking. Abingdon: Routledge.
DOI: 10.4324/9781003001485 - Porter, Mark (2020). Ecologies of Resonance in Christian Musicking. Monograph manuscript published in the American Academy of Religion’s Religion, Culture, and History series by Oxford University Press.
DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197534106.001.0001
Reviewed in Reading Religion, Theology, Practical Theology. - Porter, Mark (2016). Contemporary worship music and everyday musical lives. Abingdon: Routledge.
DOI: 10.4324/9781315451299
Reviewed in the Church Times, Music and Letters, Global Forum on Arts and Christian Faith, Journal of Popular Music Studies.
Shorter Writings
Shorter Writings
- Porter, Mark (2023). ‘Christian Musical Innovation and Changing Ecological Relationships’ accepted for publication in the Journal of Contemporary Religion.
DOI: 10.1080/13537903.2022.2153477 - Porter, Mark (forthcoming). ‘The intersectional ecologies of civic musical spaces’. Invited chapter for the Oxford Handbook of Music and Christian Theology.
- Porter, Mark (2021). Contribution to an online installation for The Christian Nation Project: A Multimedia Installation Exploring Christian nationalism looking at diversity in the 2020 Irish Blessing YouTube video.
- Porter, Mark (2020). ‘Fleeing the Resonance Machine: Music and sound in “emerging church” communities’ in: Journal of Contemporary Religion.
DOI: 10.1080/13537903.2020.1816306 - Porter, Mark (2020) ‘How (Ethno)musicological is God? Ethnomusicology, Theology, and the Dynamics of Interdisciplinary Dialogues’. In: “Religion – Musik – Macht. Ed. by Wolfgang Müller and Franc Wagner. Basel: Schwabe Verlag.
DOI: 10.24894/978-3-7965-4220-6 - Porter, Mark (2020) ‘(Almost) a decade of congregational music studies’. Invited article for The Hymn.
- Porter, Mark (2019) Expert contributor to the new edition of the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Update of articles: Anglican chant; Anthem; Antiphon; Bach, Johann Sebastian; Baker, Sir Henry Williams, Bart; Blow, John; Britten, Edward Benjamin; Byrd, William; Cantata; Cecilia, St; Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da; Passion, Musical Settings for the; Purcell, Henry; Tenebrae.
- Porter, Mark (2017) ‘Charismatic worship and cosmopolitan movement(s)’ in: Liturgy.
DOI: 10.1080/0458063x.2018.1449512 - Porter, Mark (2017) ‘Singing beyond territory: Hillsong and church planting in Oxford, UK’. In: “You call me out upon the waters”: Critical Perspectives on the Hillsong movement. Ed. by Tanya Riches and Tom Wagner. Palgrave Macmillan.
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-59656-3_9 - Porter, Mark (2016). ‘Sounding back and forth: directions and dimensions of resonance in congregational musicking’ in: Journal of the American Academy of Religion.
DOI: 10.1093/jaarel/lfw078 - Porter, Mark (2016). ‘Marginal spaces at St Aldates, Oxford’ in: Journal of Contemporary Religion 31.2, pp. 239–253.
DOI: 10.1080/13537903.2016.1152680 - Porter, Mark (2014). ‘The Developing Field of Christian Congregational Music Studies’ in: Ecclesial Practices 1.2, pp. 149–166.
DOI: 10.1163/22144471-00102004 - Porter, Mark (2013). ‘Moving between musical worlds: Worship music, significance and ethics in the lives of contemporary worshippers’. In: Christian congregational music: performance, identity, and experience. Ed. by Monique M Ingalls, Carolyn Landau and Tom Wagner. Aldershot: Ashgate.
DOI: 10.4324/9781315571850 - Porter, Mark (2013). ‘Contemporary worship music: different perspectives’. In: Church Music Quarterly March 2013, pp. 16–18.
Media
Media
- July 2023. Blog post for Ich mag meine Uni … ‘Grüne Narrative: Studierende widmen sich in Erzählungen der Öko-Krise’.
- June 2023. Opinion piece for the Church Times regarding safeguarding allegations at Soul Survivor.
- May 2023. Article for Zeitschrift für Religion und Weltanschauung ‘Wie weit darf ziviler Ungehorsam gehen? Zur Debatte um die Aktionen der „Letzten Generation“’.
- April 2023. Article for Werkheft – Berufungspastoral 2023 ‘Musikalische Vielfalt Erleben: Von Worship Wars und Tradition’.
- January 2023. Blog post for Theologie Aktuell – Der Blog der Katholisch-Theologischen Fakultät der Uni Erfurt ‘Das Internet als Vermittler zwischen Menschen, Räumen und dem Göttlichen. Livestreams & das Gebetshaus Augsburg’.
- January 2023. Interview for Hörenswert Podcast ‘Die Rolle der Kirchenmusik bei Online-Gottesdiensten’.
- November 2022. Blog post for Theologie Aktuell – Der Blog der Katholisch-Theologischen Fakultät der Uni Erfurt ‘Bewahrung der Schöpfung und ziviler Ungehorsam – Über die Rolle des Christentums bei Umweltprotesten’.
- August 2021. Interview for Music and the Church Podcast ‘Ethics and Christian Musicking’.
- July 2022. Interview for Theologie Aktuell – Der Blog der Katholisch-Theologischen Fakultät der Uni Erfurt ‘Glauben in Musik erfahren – Ein Interview mit Mark Porter’.
- August 2021. Interview for Music and the Church Podcast ‘Ethics and Christian Musicking’.
- April 2021. Invited panelist for book launch of Church Music Through the Lens of Performance.
- December 2020. Interview for New Books Network.
- November 2020. Online book launch via Zoom.
- December 2018. Interview for Church Times feature ‘Where next for Contemporary Worship Music’.
- November 2017. Interview for Music and the Church Podcast ‘Who Listens to Contemporary Worship Music’.
- June 2017. Interview for WortMelder blog ‘140 Zeichen für die Forschung: Soziale Medien in der Wissenschaft’.
- June 2017. Guest curator, @WeTheHumanities twitter account.
- 2012 ‘Review: pay the musick by the king/cave project’ – blog post for transpositions.co.uk.
- 2011. ‘A transformational passion’. – blog post for transpositions.co.uk.
Reviews
Reviews
- Porter, Mark (Forthcoming). Review of ‘Music, Branding and Consumer Culture in Church: Hillsong in Focus’ in: Journal of Media, Religion and Digital Culture.
- Porter, Mark (2022). Review of ‘Monumental Sounds: Art and Listening before Dante.’ in: Journal of Sonic Studies.
- Porter, Mark (2020). Review of ‘Music, Education, and Religion: Intersections and Entanglements.’ in: Music & Letters.
- Porter, Mark (2020). Review of ‘Jewish Religious Music in Nineteenth-Century America’ in: Reading Religion.
- Porter, Mark (2019). Review of ‘The Devil’s Music: How Christians Inspired, Condemned, and Embraced Rock ‘n’ Roll’ in: Popular Music.
- Porter, Mark (2019). Review of ‘@ Worship’ in: Journal of Media, Religion and Digital Culture.
- Porter, Mark (2018). Review of ‘Singing the Gospel along Scotland's North-East Coast, 1859-2009’ in: Folk Music Journal.
- Porter, Mark (2017). Review of ‘Kirchenmusik als sozioreligiöse Praxis’ in: The World of Music (New Series).
- Porter, Mark (2016). Review of ‘Resounding transcendence: transition in music, religion, and ritual’ in: Music & Letters.
- Porter, Mark (2015). Review of ‘Evangelicals, Worship and Participation’ in: Theology 118.4, pp. 295–296.