George McLeod Newlands is a Scottish

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

widely published in the fields of modern

systematic theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topic ...

Christology In Christianity, Christology (from the Greek grc, Χριστός, Khristós, label=none and grc, -λογία, -logia, label=none), translated literally from Greek as "the study of Christ", is a branch of theology that concerns Jesus. Differ ...

, emancipatory theology, and the history of Christian thought. He is Emeritus Professor of Divinity at the University of Glasgow, and served as Chair of the

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

Divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine< ...

& Religious Studies panel of the UK's 2008

Research Assessment Exercise The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) was an exercise undertaken approximately every five years on behalf of the four UK higher education funding councils (HEFCE, SHEFC, HEFCW, DELNI) to evaluate the quality of research undertaken by British hig ...

and as President of the Society for the Study of Theology for 2013–14.

Career

Newlands held the 1577/1640 Chair of Divinity at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

from 1986 to 2008. He was previously a University Lecturer at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

and Dean of Trinity Hall. He is now an Honorary Professorial Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow and an Honorary Fellow of

New College, University of Edinburgh New College is a historic building at the University of Edinburgh which houses the university's School of Divinity. It is one of the largest and most renowned centres for studies in Theology and Religious Studies in the United Kingdom. Students ...

. Newlands was Dean of Glasgow's Faculty of

Divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine< ...

from 1988 to 1990, Head of the Department of

and Church History from 1986 to 1992, and Director of the Centre for Literature, Theology and the Arts] from 1998 to 2002. He was appointed by the

General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body.''An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland'' by A. Gordon McGillivray, ...

to be Principal of

Trinity College, Glasgow Trinity College, Glasgow, Scotland, is the Church of Scotland's College at the University of Glasgow. It provides special supervision of candidates for the ministry through a Principal (appointed by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland ...

, the Church's college within the Faculty of Divinity, from 1991 to 1997 and again from 2001 to 2007. Newlands was educated at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

(MA, BD, DLitt), and gained a PhD in Theology in 1970;

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

(from where he travelled to attend the final seminar of Karl Barth in Basel);Newlands, George. "The Love of God and the Future of Theology: A Personal Engagement with Juengel's Work". In Traces of Liberality. Bern: Peter Lang, 2006. Page 66. Paris; Zurich; and Churchill College,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

(MA).

Theology

Newlands is best known for his work interpreting the love of God, particularly a

of divine love. In ''Hilary of Poitiers: a Study in Theological Method'' (1978), Newlands argues for concepts of love as the key to

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretation ...

in theology. In ''Theology of the Love of God'' (1980), Newlands takes concepts of the love of God to be the basic structuring element of Christian theology. Newlands engages interpretations of love in the Christian tradition and contemporary uses of concepts of faith, hope, and history, and proposes that the nature of God ''as'' love shapes every aspect of theology. In ''God in Christian Perspective'' (1994), Newlands's argument is developed further. An understanding of God as a multi-faceted model draws on Christology and

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...

, and faith and practice in community. God is personal, self-differentiated being, transcendent, yet also immanent in the created order as hidden divine presence. The core elements of theology (faith and revelation, divine action and Christology) are reappraised in the light of current theological proposals. Doctrines, Newlands argues, interact in a web of connection to shape Christian practice. A Christian understanding, however, must retain a basic core of unconditional love, Christologically characterised. A contemporary concept of God draws upon these core elements, and upon a retrieval of the historical traditions from which they arise. It can be articulated in language intelligible to contemporary citizens, and its consequences spelled out within the complexity of contemporary cultures. ''Generosity and the Christian Future'' (1997) carries this thesis to a further stage through engagement with emancipatory theologies,

postmodernity Postmodernity (post-modernity or the postmodern condition) is the economic or cultural state or condition of society which is said to exist ''after'' modernity. Some schools of thought hold that modernity ended in the late 20th century – in the ...

, and political theory. ''John and Donald Baillie: Transatlantic Theology'' (2002), built on first access to the Baillie Papers, lies at the heart of Newlands's constructive proposal. Newlands takes the work of John Baillie and Donald Ballie as seminal to the understanding, justification and revisioning of a progressive Christian theology. This tradition is a trajectory against the stream of contemporary theology. In '' The Transformative Imagination: Rethinking Intercultural Theology'' (2004), Newlands offers a comparative study of connections between theology and culture, through the arts, the sciences, political and human rights issues, and shapes reflection on the mystery of God in a postfoundational frame. Newlands is also a pioneer in his theological treatments of

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

, published as ''Christ and Human Rights'' (2006), ''Faith and Human Rights'' (2008), and ''Hospitable God'' (2010). He has also written on Christian ethics (''Making Christian Decisions'', 1985) and

ecclesiology In Christian theology, ecclesiology is the study of the Church (congregation), Church, the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its ecclesiastical polity, polity, its Church discipline, discipline, its escha ...

(''The Church of God'', 1984).

Ecclesiastical work

Newlands is probably unique in being both an ordained Minister of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

and a priest in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

. He is a past Convenor of the

's Panel on

Doctrine Doctrine (from la, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief syste ...

and has served on the Doctrine Commission of the Church of England, and the Doctrine Committee of the Scottish Episcopal Church. In May 2006, Newlands was involved in the creation of Affirmation Scotland a group within the Church of Scotland seeking "to affirm and celebrate Christ's call for inclusion, generosity and hospitality, and to see the full affirmation of all Christians, progressive and traditional, straight, gay and lesbian, within the Church of Scotland". He is also associated with OneKirk, a network "committed to working for an inclusive, affirming and progressive church". Both of these bodies came in the wake of controversies within the Church of Scotland regarding the

blessing In religion, a blessing (also used to refer to bestowing of such) is the impartation of something with grace, holiness, spiritual redemption, or divine will. Etymology and Germanic paganism The modern English language term ''bless'' likely ...

civil partnerships A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...

for

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

and lesbian people.

Selected publications

Monographs

Christ and Human Rights
2006.
The Transformative Imagination: Rethinking Intercultural Theology
2004.
John and Donald Baillie: Transatlantic Theology
2002.

1997. (The

Henson Henson may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places United States * Henson, Colorado, a ghost town * Henson, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Henson Creek, Colorado * Henson Branch, Missouri, a stream Antarctica * Mount Henson, Ross Dependency Other ...

Lectures for 1995.)
God in Christian Perspective
1994.

1985.

1984.

1980.

1978.

Edited and Cowritten Work

*
Hospitable God
(with Allen Smith), 2010. *
Faith and Human Rights
(with Richard Amesbury), 2008. *
Believing in the Text
(edited by Newlands and David Jasper), 2004. *
Fifty Key Christian Thinkers
(with Peter McEnhill), 2002. *
Scottish Christianity in the Modern World
(edited by Newlands and Stewart Brown), 2001. *
Explorations in Theology 8
( G.W.H. Lampe, edited by Newlands), 1981.

Collected Papers

*
Spirit of Liberality
2014. *
Traces of Liberality
2006.

Festschrift

*
The God of Love and Human Dignity
(edited by Paul Middleton), presented 2007.

References

External links

George Newlands - Systematic Theology Academic

Who's Who entry

University of Glasgow
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newlands, George Academics of the University of Glasgow Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 21st-century Scottish Episcopalian priests Deans of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Living people 21st-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Heidelberg University alumni Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Year of birth missing (living people)