Alister McGrath
Encyclopedia
Alister Edgar McGrath is an Anglican priest, theologian
, and Christian apologist
, currently Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Education at Kings College London and Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture. He was previously Professor of Historical Theology
at the University of Oxford
, and was principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford
until 2005.
McGrath is noted for his work in historical, systematic, and scientific theology, as well as his writings on apologetics
and his opposition to antireligion
ism. He holds both a DPhil (in molecular biophysics
) and an earned Doctor of Divinity
degree from the University of Oxford
.
, Northern Ireland, and grew up in Downpatrick
, County Down
, where he attended Down High School
. In September 1966 he became a pupil at the Methodist College Belfast
, where his studies focused on mathematics
, physics
and chemistry
. He went up to Wadham College, Oxford
in 1971 and gained first class honours in chemistry in 1975. He began research in molecular biophysics in the Oxford University Department of Biochemistry under the supervision of Professor Sir George Radda
, FRS and was elected to an E.P.A. Cephalosporin Research Studentship at Linacre College, Oxford
, for the academic year 1975-6, and to a Domus Senior Scholarship at Merton College, Oxford
, for the period 1976-8. During these three years, he carried out scientific research while studying for the Oxford University Final Honour School of Theology. He was awarded an Oxford D.Phil.
for his research in molecular biophysics
(December 1977), and gained first class honours in Theology
in June 1978.
McGrath then left Oxford to work at Cambridge University
, where he also studied for ordination
into the Church of England
. In September 1980, he was ordained deacon
, and began work as a curate
at St Leonard's Parish Church, Wollaton
, Nottingham
, in the English
East Midlands. He was ordained priest at Southwell Minster in September 1981. In 1983, he was appointed lecturer
in Christian doctrine
and ethics
at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and a member of the Oxford University Faculty of Theology. McGrath spent the fall semester of 1990 as the Ezra Squire Tipple Visiting Professor of Historical Theology at the Divinity School of Drew University
, Madison, New Jersey
.
McGrath was elected University Research Lecturer in Theology at Oxford University in 1993 and also served as research professor of theology at Regent College
, Vancouver
, from 1993-1999. In 1995, he was elected Principal of Wycliffe Hall, and in 1999, was awarded a personal chair in theology by Oxford University, with the title "Professor of Historical Theology". He was awarded the Oxford degree of Doctor of Divinity
in 2001 for his research in historical and systematic theology
, and was a founding member of the International Society for Science and Religion
. On 1 September 2008 McGrath took up the Chair of Theology, Ministry and Education in the Department of Education and Professional Studies at King's College London. Mcgrath was included in "The 20 Most Brilliant Christian Professors" list.
that atheism was in decline though the standard of scholarship in that book is disputed. He has been highly critical of Richard Dawkins
, calling him "embarrassingly ignorant of Christian theology". His book: The Dawkins Delusion?
– a response to Dawkins's The God Delusion
– was published by SPCK
in February 2007, and the two had public debate on the topic, "Does religious belief damage the health of a society, or is it necessary to provide the moral and ethical foundations of a healthy society?"
McGrath has also debated with Daniel Dennett
, at the Greer-Heard Point-Counterpoint Forum (February 2007) in New Orleans. He was interviewed by Richard Dawkins
about his book Dawkins' God
and faith in general for the television documentary The Root of All Evil?
McGrath's interview was not included in the final cut, but the unedited footage is available online. He states that he is not opposed to atheism itself, but rather the views of atheism held by people such as Dawkins.
Christian theology
- Divisions of Christian theology :There are many methods of categorizing different approaches to Christian theology. For a historical analysis, see the main article on the History of Christian theology.- Sub-disciplines :...
, and Christian apologist
Christian apologetics
Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views...
, currently Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Education at Kings College London and Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture. He was previously Professor of Historical Theology
Historical theology
Historical theology is a branch of theological studies that investigates the socio-historical and cultural mechanisms that give rise to theological ideas, systems, and statements. Research and method in this field focus on the relationship between theology and context as well as the major...
at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, and was principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford
Wycliffe Hall, Oxford
Wycliffe Hall is a Church of England theological college and a Permanent Private Hall of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located on the Banbury Road in central North Oxford, between Norham Gardens and Norham Road.-Overview:...
until 2005.
McGrath is noted for his work in historical, systematic, and scientific theology, as well as his writings on apologetics
Christian apologetics
Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views...
and his opposition to antireligion
Antireligion
Antireligion is opposition to religion. Antireligion is distinct from atheism and antitheism , although antireligionists may be atheists or antitheists...
ism. He holds both a DPhil (in molecular biophysics
Molecular biophysics
Molecular biophysics is a rapidly evolving interdisciplinary area of research that combines concepts in physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and biology...
) and an earned Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
degree from the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
Biography
McGrath was born in BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland, and grew up in Downpatrick
Downpatrick
Downpatrick is a medium-sized town about 33 km south of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the county town of Down with a rich history and strong connection to Saint Patrick. It had a population of 10,316 at the 2001 Census...
, County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, where he attended Down High School
Down High School
'Down High School, also called DHS and Down High Grammar School, is a controlled co-educational Grammar School located in Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland...
. In September 1966 he became a pupil at the Methodist College Belfast
Methodist College Belfast
Methodist College Belfast , styled locally as Methody, is a voluntary grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland, one of eight Northern Irish schools represented on the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, and is a member of the Independent Schools Council...
, where his studies focused on mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
. He went up to Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, located at the southern end of Parks Road in central Oxford. It was founded by Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham, wealthy Somerset landowners, during the reign of King James I...
in 1971 and gained first class honours in chemistry in 1975. He began research in molecular biophysics in the Oxford University Department of Biochemistry under the supervision of Professor Sir George Radda
George Radda
Professor Sir George Charles Radda was born in 1936 in Hungary. In 1956, he attended Merton College, Oxford to study chemistry. His early work was concerned with the development and use of fluorescent probes for the study of structure and function of membranes and enzymes...
, FRS and was elected to an E.P.A. Cephalosporin Research Studentship at Linacre College, Oxford
Linacre College, Oxford
Linacre College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the UK, currently offering graduate entry only. It is located on St Cross Road at the corner of St Cross Road and South Parks Road, next to the University Parks and opposite the Tinbergen Building, which is shared by...
, for the academic year 1975-6, and to a Domus Senior Scholarship at Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
, for the period 1976-8. During these three years, he carried out scientific research while studying for the Oxford University Final Honour School of Theology. He was awarded an Oxford D.Phil.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
for his research in molecular biophysics
Biophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems...
(December 1977), and gained first class honours in Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
in June 1978.
McGrath then left Oxford to work at Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, where he also studied for ordination
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
into the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. In September 1980, he was ordained deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
, and began work as a curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at St Leonard's Parish Church, Wollaton
Wollaton
Wollaton is an area in the western part of Nottingham, England. It is home to Wollaton Hall with its museum, deer park, lake, walks and golf course...
, Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
East Midlands. He was ordained priest at Southwell Minster in September 1981. In 1983, he was appointed lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
in Christian doctrine
Doctrine
Doctrine is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system...
and ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and a member of the Oxford University Faculty of Theology. McGrath spent the fall semester of 1990 as the Ezra Squire Tipple Visiting Professor of Historical Theology at the Divinity School of Drew University
Drew University
Drew University is a private university located in Madison, New Jersey.Originally established as the Drew Theological Seminary in 1867, the university later expanded to include an undergraduate liberal arts college in 1928 and commenced a program of graduate studies in 1955...
, Madison, New Jersey
Madison, New Jersey
Madison is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the population was 16,530. It also is known as "The Rose City".-Geography:Madison is located at ....
.
McGrath was elected University Research Lecturer in Theology at Oxford University in 1993 and also served as research professor of theology at Regent College
Regent College
Regent College is an international graduate school of Christian Studies, located next to the campus of the University of British Columbia in the University Endowment Lands west of Vancouver, British Columbia, and is an affiliated college of that university....
, Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, from 1993-1999. In 1995, he was elected Principal of Wycliffe Hall, and in 1999, was awarded a personal chair in theology by Oxford University, with the title "Professor of Historical Theology". He was awarded the Oxford degree of Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
in 2001 for his research in historical and systematic theology
Systematic theology
In the context of Christianity, systematic theology is a discipline of Christian theology that attempts to formulate an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the Christian faith and beliefs...
, and was a founding member of the International Society for Science and Religion
International Society for Science and Religion
The International Society for Science and Religion is a learned society established in 2001 for the purpose of the promotion of education through the support of inter-disciplinary learning and research in the fields of science and religion conducted where possible in an international and...
. On 1 September 2008 McGrath took up the Chair of Theology, Ministry and Education in the Department of Education and Professional Studies at King's College London. Mcgrath was included in "The 20 Most Brilliant Christian Professors" list.
Views
McGrath espouses evolutionary creation. McGrath was formerly an atheist. In 2004 McGrath suggested in The Twilight of AtheismThe Twilight of Atheism
The Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World is a book by Christian apologist Alister McGrath, in which he traces what he perceives to be the decline of secular thought over the last two centuries....
that atheism was in decline though the standard of scholarship in that book is disputed. He has been highly critical of Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins
Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
, calling him "embarrassingly ignorant of Christian theology". His book: The Dawkins Delusion?
The Dawkins Delusion?
The Dawkins Delusion?, subtitled Atheist fundamentalism and the denial of the divine, is a book by Christian theologian Alister McGrath and psychologist Joanna Collicutt McGrath. It is written from a Christian perspective as a response to arguments put forth in The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins...
– a response to Dawkins's The God Delusion
The God Delusion
The God Delusion is a 2006 bestselling non-fiction book by British biologist Richard Dawkins, professorial fellow of New College, Oxford, and inaugural holder of the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford.In The God Delusion, Dawkins contends that...
– was published by SPCK
SPCK
The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge is the oldest Anglican mission organisation. It was founded in 1698 by Thomas Bray , and a small group of friends. The most important early leaders were Anton Wilhelm Boehm and court preacher Friedrich Michael Ziegenhagen...
in February 2007, and the two had public debate on the topic, "Does religious belief damage the health of a society, or is it necessary to provide the moral and ethical foundations of a healthy society?"
McGrath has also debated with Daniel Dennett
Daniel Dennett
Daniel Clement Dennett is an American philosopher, writer and cognitive scientist whose research centers on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate to evolutionary biology and cognitive science. He is currently the Co-director of...
, at the Greer-Heard Point-Counterpoint Forum (February 2007) in New Orleans. He was interviewed by Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins
Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
about his book Dawkins' God
Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life
Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life is a book by Alister McGrath, a molecular biophysicist and theologian who is currently Professor of Historical Theology at Oxford University. The book, published in 2004, aims to refute claims about religion made by another well-known professor at...
and faith in general for the television documentary The Root of All Evil?
The Root of All Evil?
The Root of All Evil?, later retitled The God Delusion, is a television documentary written and presented by Richard Dawkins in which he argues that humanity would be better off without religion or belief in God....
McGrath's interview was not included in the final cut, but the unedited footage is available online. He states that he is not opposed to atheism itself, but rather the views of atheism held by people such as Dawkins.
Writings
Among McGrath's more notable works are:- Iustitia Dei: A History of the Christian Doctrine of Justification (1986) ISBN 0-521-62426-6
- Understanding the Trinity (1988) ISBN 0-310-29680-3
- Understanding Doctrine (1992) ISBN 0-310-47951-7
- Bridge-Building: Effective Christian Apologetics (1992) ISBN 0-85110-969-1
- Intellectuals Don't Need God and Other Modern Myths (1993) ISBN 0-310-59091-4
- A Life of John Calvin (1993) ISBN 0-631-18947-5
- A Passion for Truth: The Intellectual Coherence of Evangelicalism (1996) ISBN 0-8308-1866-9
- Science and Religion: An Introduction (1998) ISBN 0-631-20842-9
- Historical Theology: An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought (1998) ISBN 0-631-20844-5
- "I Believe": Exploring the Apostles' Creed (1998) ISBN 0-8308-1946-0
- T. F. Torrance: An Intellectual Biography (1999) ISBN 0-567-08683-6
- The Journey: A Pilgrim in the Lands of the Spirit (2000) ISBN 978-0-385-49588-2
- Christian Theology: An Introduction (2001) ISBN 0-631-22528-5 (often used as a seminary textbook)
- The Christian Theology Reader (2001) ISBN 0-631-20637-X (containing primary sources referred to in his Christian Theology)
- In the Beginning : The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language,and a Culture (2001) ISBN 0-385-72216-8
- Glimpsing the Face of God: The Search for Meaning in the Universe (2001) ISBN 0-8028-3980-0
- The Reenchantment of Nature: The Denial of Religion and the Ecological Crisis (2002) ISBN 978-0-385-50059-3
- Knowing Christ (2002) ISBN 0-385-50316-4
- A Scientific TheologyA Scientific TheologyA Scientific Theology is a set of three books by Alister McGrath that explores the parallels between the working assumptions and methods of Christian theology and those of the natural sciences. Scientific Theology is also the "running title" of the project which gave rise to the trilogy...
v. 3 (2003) ISBN 0-567-08349-7 - A brief history of Heaven (2003) ISBN 0-631-23354-7
- The Twilight of AtheismThe Twilight of AtheismThe Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World is a book by Christian apologist Alister McGrath, in which he traces what he perceives to be the decline of secular thought over the last two centuries....
: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World (2004) ISBN 0-385-50061-0 - Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of LifeDawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of LifeDawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life is a book by Alister McGrath, a molecular biophysicist and theologian who is currently Professor of Historical Theology at Oxford University. The book, published in 2004, aims to refute claims about religion made by another well-known professor at...
(2005) ISBN 1-4051-2538-1 (A critique of scientist Richard DawkinsRichard DawkinsClinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
' attitude towards religion) - Christianity’s Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution from the Sixteenth to the Twenty-First Century (2007) ISBN 978-0-06-082213-2
- The Dawkins Delusion?The Dawkins Delusion?The Dawkins Delusion?, subtitled Atheist fundamentalism and the denial of the divine, is a book by Christian theologian Alister McGrath and psychologist Joanna Collicutt McGrath. It is written from a Christian perspective as a response to arguments put forth in The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins...
(2007) ISBN 0-281-05927-6 A critical response to Dawkins'Richard DawkinsClinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
book The God DelusionThe God DelusionThe God Delusion is a 2006 bestselling non-fiction book by British biologist Richard Dawkins, professorial fellow of New College, Oxford, and inaugural holder of the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford.In The God Delusion, Dawkins contends that... - The Open Secret: A New Vision for Natural Theology (2008) ISBN 978-1-4051-2691-5
- A Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology (2009) ISBN 0-664-23310-4
- Heresy: A History of Defending the Truth (2009) ISBN 978-0-06-082214-9
- Mere Theology: Christian Faith and the Discipleship of the Mind (2010) ISBN 0-281-06209-9
- Chosen Ones (Series: The Aedyn Chronicles Volume: 1) (2010) ISBN 0-310-71812-0
- Flight of the Outcasts (Series: The Aedyn Chronicles Volume: 2) (2011) ISBN 0-310-71813-9
- Darkness Shall Fall (Series: The Aedyn Chronicles Volume: 3) (2011) ISBN 978-0-3107-1814-7
External links
- Alister McGrath homepage
- Open Forum with Alister McGrath - 'Is God a Delusion? Atheism and the Meaning of Life'
- Alister McGrath on The Hour (CBC television)
- Richard Dawkins Interviews Alister McGrath Video
- Alister McGrath talks to Nigel Bovey of The War Cry: Part 1; Part 2
- Christopher Hitchens debates (with) Alister McGrath
- Alister McGrath debates with Peter Atkins at Edinburgh University
- Alister McGrath debates Sue Blackmore at Bristol University on the motion that "belief in God is a dangerous delusion". November 13. 2007.
- Full texts of McGrath's 2009 Gifford Lectures on natural theology