Theology in Scotland

24/09/2025

Dear Friends of Theology in Scotland,

We’re planning our Spring 2026 issue of the journal, which will be on the theme of theology and mental health. If you’d be interested to submit a piece we’d be delighted to hear from you.

We’re looking for contributions (articles, academic interviews, theological reflections and creative compositions such as poetry and creative writing) that explore the intersections of theology and mental health.

We’re open to proposals for articles and creative contributions for the issue. The deadline to contact us by is 1 November 2025.

Full details: https://ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TIS/announcement/view/83

02/06/2025

The latest issue of Theology in Scotland has arrived!
https://ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TIS/issue/view/269

Our theme this time explores the fascinating intersection of faith and language through essays that examine:
• From Scotland to the Holy Land, how our cultural and linguistic contexts shape biblical interpretation
• Why churches should embrace linguistic diversity – with a special focus on Scots Gaelic
• Faith, the power of visual art and the limitations of religious language
• A creative dialogue between a liturgist and a poet on imaginative ways of reading biblical texts
• Why churches need to be trauma-informed with respect to submission language.

We’ve also got a great mix of reviews of recent books, and you should also check out another terrific Editorial from Lina Toth. This is her last issue as Editor of the journal – we’re going to miss her in lots of ways, but not least for her incisive writing. Read her Editorial here: https://doi.org/10.15664/tis.v32i1.2901

05/05/2025

Dear Friends of Theology in Scotland,

We hope you're doing well and that our followers here in the UK are having a nice bank holiday.

Looking ahead to next Monday, the University of Glasgow and Trinity College will be hosting the final memorial lecture for DWD Shaw, our founding editor.

Starting at 5.00pm, the lecture will be held in person in the Memorial Chapel, but accessible remotely via Zoom. Details below.

Thanks for following and for sharing.

Jonathan and the editorial team.

Topic: DWD Shaw Lecture - University of Glasgow
Time: May 12, 2025 5:00 PM London
Join Zoom Meeting
https://uofglasgow.zoom.us/j/82979786570?pwd=2wvbXlQeoRhLULkpEHxW45uA5uJNIc.1

Meeting ID: 829 7978 6570
Passcode: 889083

26/04/2025

Dear Friends of Theology in Scotland,

We hope this finds you well. The Spring edition of TiS is in the advanced stages of preparation. We look forward to sharing it with you soon.

But on the day that the Church universal and the wider world formally mourns the death of Pope Francis, we share a collection of condolences, tributes and reflections on Francis from representatives of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland:

https://ctbi.org.uk/news-and-events/tributes-and-reflections-on-pope-francis/ #:~:text=May%20the%20blessed%20memory%20of,May%20he%20rest%20in%20peace.&text=Please%20see%20the%20Church%20of%20Scotland%20website.

Rest in peace. Rise in glory.

Jonathan and the editorial team

18/03/2025

Date for your diary: D. W. D. Shaw Lecture on Monday 12 May

Join us for the final lecture in our series honouring Professor Bill Shaw, the founding editor of Theology in Scotland.

Delivered by Dr Joanna Leidenhag, Associate Professor in Theology and Philosophy at the University of Leeds, this lecture will be on the topic of panpsychism and the problem of evil.

Joanna will reference Bill Shaw’s contributions to Process Theology while sharing her perspective on the Christian theological significance of panpsychism – an emerging field bridging philosophy of mind, natural theology, and the science-religion dialogue

Where: The Memorial Chapel of the University of Glasgow. We also hope to stream the event online.

When: Monday 12 May at 5.00pm. A reception will follow the lecture.

More details will follow – see here for updates:

D. W. D. Shaw Memorial Lecture 2025 Posted on 2025-03-18 The concluding lecture of our series paying tribute to Professor Bill Shaw, the founding editor of Theology in Scotland, will be delivered by Dr Joanna Leidenhag.Dr Leidenhag is Associate Professor in Theology and Philosophy at the University....

09/02/2025

Dear Friends of Theology in Scotland,

We’re planning our Autumn 2025 issue of the journal. If you’d be interested to submit a piece for it we’d be delighted to hear from you.

We’re looking for contributions (articles, academic interviews, theological reflections, creative compositions) that explore the intersections of suffering, human and non-human experience, and divine presence in the world. The issue will seek to examine theological perspectives on suffering and its relationship to evil, and consider how Christian communities can respond to both in meaningful and creative ways.

We’re open to proposals for articles and creative contributions for the issue. The deadline to contact us by is 15 April 2025.

Full details: https://ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TIS/announcement/view/78

28/01/2025

Dear Friends of Theology in Scotland,

We hope 2025 has started well for you. Thanks to all our subscribers to the print edition for your patience, and to all our readers of the digital edition for your engagement so far.

Our most recent edition contains a number of book reviews which might help you when drawing up your reading lists for the year. You can find reviews by...

Joanna Leidenhag (University of Leeds) on J. Aaron Simmons et al (eds.) "Philosophies of Liturgy: Explorations of Embodied Religious Practice" (Bloomsbury, 2023: https://ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TIS/article/view/2812

George M. Coghill (University of Aberdeen and Edinburgh Theological Seminar) on Bruce Ritchie, "James Clerk Maxwell: Faith, Church, and Physics" (Handsel Press, 2024): https://ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TIS/article/view/2813

Levi Checketts (Hong Kong Baptist University) on Calum MacKellar and Trevor Stammers (eds.) "The Ethics of Generating Posthumans: Philosophical and Theological Reflections on Bringing New Persons into Existence" (Bloomsbury 2022): https://ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TIS/article/view/2814

Tin Tsz Fung (China Graduate School of Theology) on Declan Kelly, "The Defeat of Satan: Karl Barth’s Three-Agent Account of Salvation” ( T&T Clark 2022): https://ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TIS/article/view/2815

Liam Waldron (Robert Gordon University) on Andrew M. Yuengert, "Catholic Social Teaching in Practice: Exploring Practical Wisdom and the Virtues Tradition" (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003): https://ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TIS/article/view/2816

Enjoy the reviews - and quite possibly the books.

Kind regards,

Jonathan and the TiS editorial team

“Catholic Social Teaching in Practice: Exploring Practical Wisdom and the Virtues Tradition” by Andrew M. Yuengert Article Sidebar PDF Published: Dec 1, 2024 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15664/tis.v31i2.2816 Keywords: Catholic Social Teaching, CST, practical wisdom, prudentia Main Article Content Lia...

02/12/2024

Hot off the press! The new issue of Theology in Scotland is here!
https://ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TIS/issue/view/233

Exploring the shifting theological landscapes in contemporary Scotland, it’s a bumper issue taking in:

• analysis of the state of the nation by a distinguished sociologist
• insights from the 2022 Scottish Census on religion
• challenges and opportunities for diaspora congregations
• reimagining church and society in present-day Scotland
• rehabilitating the concept of mission in the Scottish church.

Plus:
• shorter pieces offering cause for hope and insightful reflection
• reviews of recent books – everything from James Clerk Maxwell to posthumans
• and the latest in our DWD Shaw lecture series: David Fergusson on the changing relationship between the church and universities in Scotland.

Don't miss out on these thought-provoking reads!

11/10/2024

Dear Friends of Theology in Scotland,
This is an invitation to write for us.
For our Spring 2025 issue of the journal we will be exploring the vital role and limitations of language in faith and the church. From Scripture to worship, theological discourse to private devotion – how does language shape, challenge, and sometimes limit Christian faith in Scotland?
We’re still open to proposals for articles and creative contributions for the issue. The deadline to contact us by is 1 November 2024.
Contribute your insights, whether in articles, interviews, reflections, or creative compositions. Share your experiences and learnings on topics such as Bible translations, evolving church language, and the linguistic challenges faced by diverse communities.
Full details:
https://ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TIS/announcement/view/74
We’ll look forward to hearing from you!

12/09/2024

Dear Friends of Theology in Scotland,

We hope you enjoyed your summer. As a new academic year is upon us, and we are preparing our Autumn Edition of the journal, we are also looking ahead to our first 2025 issue, with this...

CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS:

Vol 32 No 1 (2025) of Theology in Scotland will be devoted to the theme of faith and language.

We are looking for contributions (articles, academic interviews, theological reflections, creative compositions) on the role and limitations of language in the life of faith and the church.

Words play a key role in Christian faith: from Scripture, to public worship, to various levels of theological articulation, whether in academic discourse or in private devotional life. This issue of Theology in Scotland will seek to explore how language shapes, challenges, and perhaps sometimes limits, Christian faith, particularly in the context of historical or contemporary Scotland. What can be learned from different Bible translations, or in ways language evolves in the life of the church or in missional endeavours? What challenges are faced by those whose linguistic abilities are limited, or those who are non-verbal, when it comes to their belonging to a community of faith? What should be learned from their experience, or that of minority linguistic groups in Scotland? Contributions are welcome on these, and other, related questions.

If you are interested in submitting a contribution for this themed issue, please send your proposal /abstract to the Editor at [email protected]. The deadline for proposal/abstract submissions is 1 November 2024. If accepted, the deadline for the final version of the article/contribution will be 10 March 2025. Further instructions on submitting to Theology in Scotland can be found here: https://ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TIS/information/authors

Thanks for following and for sharing.

Kind regards,

Jonathan and the editorial team

Interested in submitting to this journal? We recommend that you     – check the call for contributions for forthcoming issues and the themes they will be focussed on    – review the About the Journal page for the journal's section policies    – and read through the author guidelines. Aut...

08/07/2024

Dear Friends of Theology in Scotland,

We hope you're enjoying your summer. With election 'fever' over and a new UK government in place, a pause in the Euros before the semi-finals, and Sir. Andy Murray's final Wimbledon appearance prematurely behind us - you may be in the mood for something different...

So, for those who have not yet exhausted the riches of our latest - unthemed - edition, here are a few highlights for your consideration:

John Carswell, minister of Cadzow Parish Church in Hamilton, considers the comprehensibility and plausibility of the Christian faith inside and outside the contemporary Church, in 'Gospel plausibility and Community Organising: A missionary endeavour': https://ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TIS/article/view/2751

Mary Cullen, editor of the Roman Catholic periodical Open House, considers the importance of lay engagement within the Church since, in 'Vatican II: Keeping the conversation open
Open House and Vatican II': https://ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TIS/article/view/2755

And Prof. David Jasper, for many years the Gifford Lectures supremo at the University of Glasgow, writes about some of the contributors he helped appoint and who made an impact on this famous lecture series in natural theology: 'Reflections of a Gifford Committee convenor': https://ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TIS/article/view/2757

Enjoy the articles. More posts coming.

With best wishes,

Jonathan and the editorial team

Reflections of a Gifford Committee convenor Article Sidebar PDF Published: May 21, 2024 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15664/tis.v31i1.2757 Keywords: Gifford lectures, Simon Blackburn, David Fergusson, Charles Taylor, Gianni Vattimo, Jean-Luc Marion Main Article Content David Jasper Emeritus Professor at t...

21/05/2024

Dear friends of Theology in Scotland,

Our latest issue of the journal is available now, PLUS we've got news about a special event taking place next week.

The Spring 2024 issue has just been published online:
https://ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TIS/issue/view/258

For this issue of the journal we've taken a short break from our usual practice of focussing on particular themes. This time we've got a very diverse selection of contributions, with articles on:

- Mission through community engagement
- Christians engaged in non-violent protest
- The place of the offering, past and present
- Vatican II's vision of lay participation

plus poetry, the latest in our series on the Gifford lectures, and a selection of book reviews.

The print version of the journal will be out in a couple of weeks.

ALSO:

On Wednesday 29 May the latest in our series of D. W. D. Shaw lectures is being given by Prof David Fergusson in Kings College, Aberdeen. His topic is "Church and University in Scotland: Challenges and Prospects".

If you can't make it to Aberdeen, the lecture is being streamed online. Full details at
https://ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TIS/announcement/view/73