Benjamin David Penny (born 27 October 1959) is an Australian academic specialising in religious and spiritual movements in modern and contemporary China.
[2] The Times Literary Supplement states that in The Religion of Falun Gong Penny "makes a good case for defining Falun Gong as a modern Chinese religion.
[He] provides an admirable guide to the short history of Falun Gong and the eclectic complexities of its doctrine, which he sets within the framework of indigenous religious belief over the centuries.
Benjamin Penny was born in Melbourne and attended Newington College (1972–1977).
Since January 2010 he has been Deputy Director, and a Research Fellow, at the School of Culture, History & Language ANU College of Asia and the Pacific.