bennett returned to england to train for ordination at northern baptist college, manchester while also taking a ba in theology at the university of manchester where he developed his interest in world religions. his initial focus was on the religions of india. to matriculate, bennett spent his first year obtaining a certificate in biblical knowledge from the university and two 'a levels' (in religious studies and british constitution and politics) from the joint matriculation board (jmb). at university bennett was politically active through the liberal society. he was treasurer of the baptist-united reformed church society, served on the chaplaincy committee and as secretary of the theological society. in this capacity, he invited such theologians as maurice wiles, i. howard marshall, morna hooker and others to address the society, whose members included faculty alongside students. for the last six months of his final year he was baptist student leader at the college (where methodists were also training for ministry). he graduated in july 1978 and was ordained as a minister of the baptist union of great britain the same month. accepted for service with the baptist missionary society, bennett spent an academic year at the selly oak colleges, birmingham where he undertook missionary orientation. he was most influenced by lesslie newbigin, who taught missiology. in july 1979, bennett obtained a certificate in the study of islam from the university of birmingham through the centre for the study of islam and christian-muslim relations before proceeding to bangladesh, where he remained until 1982 engaged in pastoral care and distance education teaching as a tutor for the college of christian theology bangladesh (cctb). he passed the junior and senior level bengali examinations of the bangladesh language examination board. although he completed several units of a master's degree by distance learning from fuller theological seminary, pasadena, ca he was unable to complete the residential component because of the cost. when the bms chose not to support his plan to enroll for an ma at a college in bangladesh, he returned to birmingham, graduating ma in 1985 and phd in 1990. both research degrees were in islamic studies under the supervision of david kerr and . his external examiners were jan slomp and clifford edmund bosworth. bennett's doctoral thesis was subsequently published as "victorian images of islam" (1992) (in the csic studies on islam and christianity series). in 1985, bennett also passed the bengali 'o level' (london) achieving an 'a' grade. in 1996, bennett graduated from the university of oxford with the med through westminster college, oxford where he was teaching at the time. in 1994 he had completed the certificate of professional studies in education from the university's delegacy of local examinations also through westminster.