James Macintosh Houston (born 21 November 1922) is a British-born Canadian theologian and academic who was Professor of Spiritual Theology and the first Principal of
Regent College
Regent College is an interdenominational evangelical Christian College of Christian studies, and an affiliated college of the University of British Columbia, located next to the university's campus in the University Endowment Lands west of Van ...
in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
.
Biography
Born on 21 November 1922, in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, Scotland, Houston moved to
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
in 1945 for doctoral studies in
geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
at the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
. He received his doctorate in . His thesis was titled ''The Social Geography of the Huerta of Valencia''. Houston was a fellow of
Hertford College, Oxford
Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main ga ...
, where he served as a geography lecturer.
Houston emigrated with his wife and four children to North America in 1970, and became one of the founders of
Regent College
Regent College is an interdenominational evangelical Christian College of Christian studies, and an affiliated college of the University of British Columbia, located next to the university's campus in the University Endowment Lands west of Van ...
, a graduate school of Christian studies. From 1970 to 1978, he was Principal of the college, and in 1991 he was appointed to the chair. His major areas of interest include the Christian mind, the
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 the F ...
, prayer, and
spiritual formation. He has published numerous articles in books and scholarly journals. His autobiography, ''Memoirs of a Joyous Exile and a Worldly Christian'', was published in 2020.
Houston currently resides in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
. In addition to his continuation of writing, Houston spends a great deal of time mentoring students. Houston has four children, nine grandchildren, and fifteen great-grandchildren. Houston was the primary caretaker for his wife, Rita, who had
dementia
Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...
in her older years and died on 8 October 2014, at the age of 90.
Works
Books
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Edited work
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Notes
References
Footnotes
Works cited
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Further reading
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External links
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James Houston's Personal Website.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Houston, James M.
1922 births
Academics in British Columbia
Canadian people of Scottish descent
Canadian Protestant theologians
Fellows of Hertford College, Oxford
Living people
Academics from Edinburgh
Plymouth Brethren
Academic staff of Regent College
Social geographers