School of Divinity, University of St Andrews

10/06/2026

📢 The 2026 Scottish Dogmatics Conference begins today

The School of Divinity at the University of St Andrews is pleased to welcome participants to the Scottish Dogmatics Conference 2026, taking place from 10 to 12 June at St Mary’s College.

This year’s theme, “The God Who Speaks,” explores how, in Christianity, God the Creator and Redeemer is understood as a God who speaks. Not only in the past but also in the present, God addresses human beings and all creation by the Word and the Spirit – calling, commanding, and comforting. The second Scottish Dogmatics Conference explores this activity of God with particular attention to the themes of Scripture and preaching, in dialogue with Christian tradition and in pursuit of constructive theology for today.

We are honoured to host plenary lectures from Ellen Davis, David Fergusson, our own Andrew Torrance, Kevin Vanhoozer, to Cambria Kaltwasser.

We look forward to several days of rigorous and collegial theological discussion in St Andrews. With thanks to Professor Oliver Crisp and colleagues across the School and University whose work has made this conference possible.

Equipping biblical scholars since 1931.

09/06/2026

Congratulations to Sir James MacMillan who has been appointed by the King to the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle. Sir James is an affiliate professor of our School and teaches on our Sacred Music MLitt which we run jointly with the St Andrews Music Centre.

For more information about this programme, see: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/divinity/sacred-music-mlitt/

🎖🎶 Congratulations to James MacMillan, who has been appointed by the King to the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle.

The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle represents the highest honour in Scotland. Revived by King James VII, the Order has a complement of 16 Knights and Ladies (KT). The King is the Sovereign of the Order, and appointments to the Order of the Thistle are entirely in the personal gift of The King.

James MacMillan has long been committed to the musical life of Scotland and has close relationships with all the major music organisations in his home country. He was awarded a Knighthood in the 2015 Queen's Birthday honours and Royal Communications announced on 3 March 2026 that His Majesty has approved the award of The King’s Gold Medal for Music to him.

➡️ Read more here: https://bit.ly/4xefa8L

05/05/2026

St Mary’s College Society will be hosting their annual BBQ and Boules this Thursday at 1.30pm in St Mary’s Garden. All are warmly invited along for free burgers and refreshments. Following the BBQ, there will be the staff vs student boules match - the staff team has won for the past two years, so come along and see if the students can finally clinch a win!

03/05/2026

The School of Divinity and Music Centre offer a unique interdisciplinary formation in Sacred Music for musicians, scholars and leaders in artistic ministry. Application are still open for the MLitt in Sacred Music (2026-2027)!

Click here to watch the full video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PV1RdLMhko

And here to apply to the Sacred Music MLitt: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/divinity/sacred-music-mlitt/

19/04/2026

Yesterday, we had the joy of participating in the annual Kate Kennedy Spring Procession, organised by the Kate Kennedy Club. Every year, the College hosts a tea party for Lady Kate Kennedy and Bishop Kennedy during the procession, and presents them with a gift to welcome the pair. Members of faculty and the college society are invited to attend the event.

This year, Professor George Corbett, acting on behalf of Head of School, welcomed the procession and gave a speech detailing the history of these characters in relation to the town and the College.

Thank you for all those who attended and worked to make the event happen. It’s another wonderful reminder of the unique and special traditions of the University and the College!

12/04/2026

Huge congratulations to Joel Butcher on completing his PhD! His thesis is titled ‘Jesus with His Disciples: The Evocation of OG Isaiah in Matthew’s Presence Theme’. A fascinating intertextual study between both the Old and New Testaments.

Well done Dr Butcher!

11/04/2026

"If It Feels Natural, Is It Right? A Theological Response"
Presented by Professor Brian Brock (University of Aberdeen)
🗓️ Monday 13th April 2026 at 5:15 pm
🎟️ Free Admission
📍 Booth Lecture Theatre, Medical and Biological Sciences Building, University of St Andrews

Professor Brian Brock is Professor of Moral and Practical Theology at the University of Aberdeen and a leading voice in contemporary Christian ethics. His work explores the intersection of theology, disability, technology, and the moral formation of Christian communities. This promises to be a thoughtful and engaging lecture on how Christian theology can respond to some of the moral and ethical assumptions of contemporary culture. For more details, please visit the James Gregory website: https://jamesgregory.org.uk/series-3/if-it-feels-natural-is-it-right-a-theological-response/

30/03/2026

All are warmly invited to attend the inter-university undergraduate Divinity conference taking place in Parliament Hall from 9-4.30 on Monday 6th April. We are delighted to have undergraduate presentations from St Andrews, Durham, and Edinburgh.

Please see the second photo for the conference schedule. The conference will conclude with a wine reception in the Senior Common Room, St Mary’s College.

21/03/2026

Congratulations to Dr Christian Kalmbach for successfully defending his PhD thesis entitled ‘God’s Communicative Relationality in the Theology of Petrus van Mastricht’!

What an amazing achievement, well done Christian!

26/02/2026

We are delighted to announce that Professor Kristin Kobes Du Mez (Calvin University) will be giving the 2026 Spring Smith Lecture, with a lecture on ‘The Secret History of Christian Women: Purity, Power, and the End of the American Century’. Prof. Kobes Du Mez is a New York Times bestselling author, alongside being a Professor of History. Her research focuses on the intersection of gender, religion, and politics. She holds the William Spoelhof Teacher-Scholar-in-Residence Chair at Calvin University, where she also served as Department Chair. She is a Distinguished Associate at the Institute for Christian Studies (Toronto) and served as a Fellow at the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Philosophy of Religion from 2024 to 2025.

The lecture will take place on Wednesday 11th March at 4pm in the Buchanan Lecture Theatre. Prior to the talk, there will be a lunch held by Logia in the Senior Common Room between 1-2pm, where scholars of any level will have the opportunity to talk with Prof. Kobes Du Mez in an informal setting.

Each semester, an outstanding female scholar from any sub-discipline of Divinity is invited to St Andrews to deliver the Smith Lecture in memory of Agnes Lewis and Margaret Dunlop (both née Smith), twin sisters from Ayrshire, whose contribution to Divinity led to the award of honorary doctorates in 1901 by the University.