Whilst at Oak Hill he was also sent as part of his training to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchal Stavropegic Monastery of St. John the Baptist[3] in Tolleshunt Knights, Essex,[4] where he came under the influence of Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov).

[citation needed] Ashenden engaged in postgraduate work at Heythrop College at the University of London with a Master of Theology degree on the psychology of religion.

[12] He was vice-chairman of the Keston Institute during the 1980s,[13] and a director of Aid to Russian Christians,[14] in which role he engaged in smuggling Bibles and medicine to the "Underground Church" in the Soviet Union during that decade.

[18] In early 2017, Ashenden resigned from his position as Chaplain to the Queen after writing in The Times criticising a service at St Mary's Cathedral, Glasgow, at which a Muslim student has been invited to read (in Arabic) a passage from the Koran that explicitly declared that Jesus is not the Son of God,[19][20] and because of his views on Islam and orthodox Christianity.

[21] Ashenden concluded that being a member of the Ecclesiastical Household was incompatible with being free to comment on issues of freedom of speech and the integrity of Christianity in the public square.

[20] One of the consequences of his resignation was a variety of media engagements in several countries, including Fox News in the United States,[22] and The Bolt Report in Australia.

[23][non-primary source needed] On 17 March 2017, Ashenden lodged a deed in the High Court of London under the Clerical Disabilities Act 1870 (33 & 34 Vict.

[24] In September 2017 Archbishop Theodore Casimes of the Christian Episcopal Church announced that Ashenden had been consecrated as a missionary bishop for the United Kingdom and Europe.

[29][non-primary source needed][30] Between 2013 and 2022 he wrote a weekly column in the Jersey Evening Post, where his defence of orthodox Christianity and its critique of modern culture caused both strong support and opposition.

[40] John Anderson, formerly deputy prime minister of Australia, conducted an interview on the dangers to freedom of speech in his series "conversations",[41] and he has become a regular guest on GB News.