His MA was based on anthropological methods and theories and involved a short dissertation on Glastonbury.

Hexham then relocated to Canada and assumed the post of assistant professor at Regent College, Vancouver (1977–80).

[6] Hexham is a Fellow of both the Royal Anthropological Institute, and the Royal Historical Society has been a member of various professional organizations including the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, American Academy of Religion, Association for the Sociology of Religion, South African Institute of Race Relations, South African Society for Mission Studies, and the Berliner Gesellschaft fuer Missionsgeschichte of which he was a founding member with Ulrich van der Heyden.

[7] He served as a contributing editor to the Journal of Theology for Southern Africa (1981–1993), and is on the Editorial Board of Studies in Religion.

[a] Later he pioneered the study of the amaNazareta by publishing the complete scriptures of this important African Independent Church which in the past was often considered pagan.

[9] Alongside his South African studies Hexham also published extensively on New Religious Movements, Theology, the History of Christian Missions, and, more recently National Socialism.

[2] His contributions to scholarship were recognized by the award of an academic Festschrift on 23 May 2008 in the Faculty of Theology at the Humboldt University in Berlin.