Iain Torrance
The Very Reverend
Iain Torrance (born
Aberdeen,
Scotland,
1949), is President of
Princeton Theological Seminary and a former
Moderator of the General Assembly of the
Church of Scotland. He is married to Morag Ann (née MacHugh), whom he met while they were students at the
University of St. Andrews, and they have a son, Hew, and a daughter, Robyn.
Torrance is the son of
Thomas Torrance, Moderator of the Church of Scotland in 1976. He was educated at the
Edinburgh Academy and
Monkton Combe School in
Bath,
England, then graduated
MA (
University of Edinburgh),
BD (University of St Andrews),
DPhil (
Oriel College, Oxford).
Iain Torrance was installed as the sixth president of Princeton Theological Seminary, and Professor of
Patristics, on 11 March, 2005, at a service in the
Princeton University Chapel. The inauguration featured more than 64 delegates from institutions of higher education including the four ancient universities of Scotland (Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow, and St. Andrews) as well as The Chapel Royal in Scotland,
Yale University Divinity School,
Duke University, and
Howard University School of Divinity. Twelve ecclesiastical delegates, including
Rick Ufford-Chase, the Moderator of the
Presbyterian Church (USA), attended. The service also highlighted "Christ is the World's Redeemer," a
hymn written by John Ferguson and commissioned by Princeton Theological Seminary for the inauguration.
Iain Torrance's tenure as Moderator was marked by a
nationally reported controversy which followed his public comments on homosexuality. Stating that he was "utterly untroubled" by the ordination of
gay clergy, provided that they proved to be "disciplined and effective" ministers, Dr Torrance became the first leader to welcome the idea of gay ordination in the Church's 500-year history. His words were interpreted as marking a major shift in the Church's view, and were met with fierce opposition from traditionalists. The Moderator subsequently used a Christmas sermon to challenge
homophobia within
his own church. The Reverend David W Lacy, Torrance's successor as Moderator,
publicly opposed his stance, arguing that the appointment of openly gay ministers would rip the Church of Scotland apart. Torrance's inclusive attitude to
gay and
lesbian church members contrasts sharply with the public position of his predecessor at Princeton Seminary, Dr
Thomas W. Gillispie, a leading player in the divisive debate about
homosexuality within the
Presbyterian Church (USA).
* President,
Princeton Theological Seminary (2004-)
* Master,
Christ's College, Aberdeen (2001-2004)
* Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Divinity,
University of Aberdeen (2001-2004)
* Professor of Patristics and Christian Ethics,
University of Aberdeen (1993-2004)
* Lecturer in New Testament and patristics,
University of Birmingham (1985-1993)
* Co-editor of the
Scottish Journal of Theology (1982-)
* Represented the
Church of Scotland at the installation of
Pope Benedict XVI (2005)
*
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (2003-4)
* Appointed Chaplain-in-Ordinary to
Her Majesty the Queen in Scotland (2001-)
* Convenor, General Assembly of the Church of Scotland's Committee on Chaplains to the Forces (1998-2002).
*
Army Cadet Force Chaplain (1996â€"2000)
*
Territorial Army Chaplain (1982â€"1997)
*
Minister,
Northmavine parish,
Shetland Islands,(1982-1985)
In Praise of God: Essays on Modern Reformed Liturgy (edited with Bryan Spinks; Edinburgh/Grand Rapids, 1999)
Ethics and the Military Community (London, 1998)
*
Human Genetics: A Christian Perspective (co-edited with William Storrar)
Christology after Chalcedon (Cambridge, 1988, 1998)
Iain Torrance's father is the distinguished theologian
Thomas F. Torrance, former Professor of
Systematic Theology at
New College, Edinburgh, who served as Moderator of General Assembly in 1976, and his cousin Alan Torrance is Professor of Systematic Theology at St Andrews University. His uncle,
Ronald Wallace, was Professor of
Biblical Theology at
Columbia Theological Seminary* Emeritus Professorship,
Aberdeen University.
* Honorary
DD (Both St Andrews University and Aberdeen University)
* Awarded
Territorial Decoration (
TD) by
Her Majesty the Queen (1997).
*
Pride Scotia "Friend for Life" Award for "his efforts to promote equality and the inclusion of gay people in Scotland".
*
Princeton Theological Seminary website*
Church of Scotland*
Scottish Journal of Theology*
Scottish Gay Pride*
Presbyterian Church (USA)
