Study English penned by theologian — it's awful (7)
I believe the answer is:
dreaded
'awful' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'study english penned by theologian' is the wordplay.
'study' becomes 'read' (synonyms).
'english' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'penned by' indicates putting letters inside.
'theologian' becomes 'dd' (Doctor of Divinity degree).
'read'+'e'='reade'
'reade' put within 'dd' is 'DREADED'.
'it's' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for dreaded that I've seen before include "Regarded with great apprehension" , "Anticipated with fear" , "Was fearful of" , "Greatly feared" .)