James M. Houston

Last updated

James M. Houston
JamesMHouston.JPG
Houston in 2005
Born
James Macintosh Houston

(1922-11-21) November 21, 1922 (age 101)
Edinburgh, Scotland
TitlePrincipal of Regent College (1970–1978)
Spouse
Rita Houston
(m. 1953;died 2014)
[1]
Children4
Academic background
Alma mater University of Oxford
Thesis The Social Geography of the Huerta of Valencia (1950)
Influences
Main interests

James Macintosh Houston (born November 21, 1922) is a British-born Canadian Protestant theologian and academic who was Professor of Spiritual Theology and the first Principal of Regent College in Vancouver.

Contents

Biography

Born on 21 November 1922, [6] in Edinburgh, Scotland,[ citation needed ] Houston moved to Oxford in 1945 for doctoral studies in geography at the University of Oxford. [8] He received his doctorate in c.1950. [9] His thesis was titled The Social Geography of the Huerta of Valencia. [9] Houston was a fellow of Hertford College, Oxford, where he served as a geography lecturer. [10]

Houston emigrated with his wife and four children to North America in 1970, and became one of the founders of Regent College, a graduate school of Christian studies. From 1970 to 1978, he was Principal of the college, [lower-alpha 1] and in 1991 he was appointed to the chair. His major areas of interest include the Christian mind, the Trinity, prayer, and spiritual formation. He has published numerous articles in books and scholarly journals. [12] His autobiography, Memoirs of a Joyous Exile and a Worldly Christian, was published in 2020. [13]

Houston currently resides in Vancouver. 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 in her older years and died on 8 October 2014, at the age of 90. [14] [15] Houston turned 100 in November 2022. [16]

Works

Books

Edited work

Notes

  1. However, Houston did not formally resign from the University of Oxford until 1971. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teresa of Ávila</span> Roman Catholic saint (1515–1582)

Teresa of Ávila, OCD, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer.

<i>The Cloud of Unknowing</i> Medieval work of Christian mysticism

The Cloud of Unknowing is an anonymous work of Christian mysticism written in Middle English in the latter half of the 14th century. The text is a spiritual guide on contemplative prayer. The underlying message of this work suggests that the way to know God is to abandon consideration of God's particular activities and attributes, and be courageous enough to surrender one's mind and ego to the realm of "unknowing", at which point one may begin to glimpse the nature of God.

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 topics or what is true about God and his universe. It also builds on biblical disciplines, church history, as well as biblical and historical theology. Systematic theology shares its systematic tasks with other disciplines such as constructive theology, dogmatics, ethics, apologetics, and philosophy of religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Hybels</span> American church figure and author (born 1951)

William Hybels is an American church figure and author. He is the founding and former senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, one of the most attended churches in North America, with an average attendance of nearly 24,000 as of late 2018. He is the founder of the Willow Creek Association and creator of the Global Leadership Summit. Hybels is also an author of a number of Christian books, especially on the subject of Christian leadership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. I. Packer</span> English-born Canadian evangelical theologian (1926–2020)

James Innell Packer was an English-born Canadian evangelical theologian, cleric and writer in the low-church Anglican and Calvinist traditions. Having been considered as one of the most influential evangelicals in North America, Packer is known for his 1973 best-selling book Knowing God, along with his work as the general editor of the English Standard Version Bible. He was one of the high-profile signers on the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, a member on the advisory board of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and also was involved in the ecumenical book Evangelicals and Catholics Together in 1994. His last teaching position was as the board of governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, in which he served from 1996 until his retirement in 2016 due to failing eyesight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallas Willard</span> American philosopher (1935–2013)

Dallas Albert Willard was an American philosopher also known for his writings on Christian spiritual formation. Much of his work in philosophy was related to phenomenology, particularly the work of Edmund Husserl, many of whose writings he translated into English for the first time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian meditation</span> Form of prayer

Christian meditation is a form of prayer in which a structured attempt is made to become aware of and reflect upon the revelations of God. The word meditation comes from the Latin word meditārī, which has a range of meanings including to reflect on, to study, and to practice. Christian meditation is the process of deliberately focusing on specific thoughts and reflecting on their meaning in the context of the love of God.

Robert James "Sam" Berry was a British geneticist, naturalist and Christian theorist. He was professor of genetics at University College London between 1974 and 2000. Before that he was a lecturer in genetics at The Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine in London. He was president from 1983 to 1986 of the Linnean Society, the British Ecological Society and the European Ecological Federation. As a Christian, Berry spoke out in favour of theistic evolution, served as a lay member of the Church of England's General Synod and as president of Christians in Science. He was a member of the Board of Governors of Monkton Combe School from 1979 to 1991. He gave the 1997–98 Glasgow Gifford Lectures entitled Gods, Genes, Greens and Everything. His father, A. J. Berry, died in 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Card</span> American singer

Michael Card is an American, Christian singer-songwriter, musician, author, and radio host from Franklin, Tennessee. He is best known for his contributions in contemporary Christian music, which combine folk-style melodies and instrumentation with an in-depth study of the Bible. Since his debut in 1981, Card has sold more than 4 million albums and has written 19 No. 1 singles. He has also authored several books, including the Gold Medallion Book Award winner, A Sacred Sorrow.

Christian apologetics is a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity.

Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters of the divine, or how they are cultivating a life attuned to spiritual things. The director listens and asks questions to assist the directee in his or her process of reflection and spiritual growth. Advocates of Spiritual direction claim that it develops a deeper awareness with the spiritual aspect of being human, and that it is neither psychotherapy nor counseling nor financial planning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. T. France</span> New Testament scholar and Anglican cleric (1938–2012)

Richard Thomas France (1938–2012), known as R. T. France or Dick France, was a New Testament scholar and Anglican cleric. He was Principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, from 1989 to 1995. He also worked for the London School of Theology.

Donald George Bloesch was an American evangelical theologian. For more than 40 years, he published scholarly yet accessible works that generally defend traditional Protestant beliefs and practices while seeking to remain in the mainstream of modern Protestant theological thought. His seven-volume Christian Foundations series has brought him recognition as an important American theologian.

Richard Charles Lucas is an Anglican evangelical cleric, best known for his long ministry at St Helen's Bishopsgate in London, England, and for his work as founder of the Proclamation Trust and the Cornhill Training Course.

Clifford Williams is an American professor of Philosophy at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. He is also Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Trinity International University, Deerfield, Illinois. Williams graduated from Wheaton College in 1964 and from Indiana University with a Ph.D. in philosophy in 1972. He taught at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York from 1968 to 1982 with the exception of one semester at Houghton College. He then taught at Trinity International University from 1982 to 2012, becoming the chair of the philosophy department, with the exception of 1998–1999, where he taught at Wheaton College. He rejoined the faculty of Wheaton College in 2013. Williams is a historian of contemporary hobo culture and a part-time hobo, known in that subculture as "Oats."

Ronald Rolheiser, is a Catholic priest and theologian. He received his doctorate at the University of Louvain, and is a member of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the Canadian Theological Society, and the Religious Studies Association of Alberta. In August 2005 Rolheiser was elected president of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas.Before taking his current position, he taught for many years at Newman Theological College in Edmonton, Alberta. Rolheiser is a specialist in the fields of spirituality and systematic theology.

This is a list of writings by C. S. Lewis.

This is a list of all published works of John F. MacArthur, an evangelical Bible expositor, pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church, and president of The Master's Seminary, in Sun Valley, California. In addition to more than 150 individual books and monographs, MacArthur has also contributed to more than 30 multi-author works. His publications have been translated into more than two dozen languages, including ten or more titles each in French, Spanish, Romanian, German, Korean, Russian, Portuguese, and Italian.

Gary L. Thomas is an American evangelical minister and writer of Christian literature.

Klaus Erich Bockmuehl was a Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics at Regent College, Vancouver.

References

Footnotes

  1. "Rita Houston Dies Peacefully at the Age of 90". Vancouver, BC: Regent College. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  2. Cotherman 2017, p. 218.
  3. Cotherman 2017, pp. 119–121.
  4. Haroutunian, Aram (Fall 1996). "No One Closer: A Conversation with James Houston". Mars Hill Review. No. 6. pp. 51–66. Retrieved 23 January 2021 via LeaderU.com.
  5. Houston 2020, pp. 22, 64.
  6. 1 2 McGrath 1997, p. 226.
  7. McGrath 1997, pp. 226–227.
  8. Cotherman 2017, p. 117.
  9. 1 2 Houston 1950.
  10. Cotherman 2017, p. 106; McGrath 1997, p. 226.
  11. Cotherman 2020, p. 53.
  12. "James M. Houston". Religion and Culture. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  13. Houston 2020.
  14. Padilla, Kristen; Waller, Sarah (2 May 2018). "World-Renowned Scholar James M. Houston Speaks on Faith, Dementia at Samford University". Birmingham, Alabama: Samford University. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  15. "Rita Houston Dies Peacefully at the Age of 90". Vancouver, BC: Regent College. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  16. "Jim's 101st birthday video". Jim Houston. Retrieved 7 May 2024.

Works cited

  • Cotherman, Charles E. (2017). Awakening the Lay Evangelical Mind: Francis Schaeffer, James Houston, and the Christian Study Center Movement in North America (PhD thesis). Charlottesville, Virginia: University of Virginia. doi: 10.18130/V3406T .
  •  ———  (2020). To Think Christianly: A History of L'Abri, Regent College, and the Christian Study Center Movement. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press. ISBN   978-0-8308-3924-7.
  • Houston, James M. (1950). The Social Geography of the Huerta of Valencia (DPhil thesis). Oxford: University of Oxford. OCLC   890146669.
  •  ———  (2020). Memoirs of a Joyous Exile and a Worldly Christian. Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books. ISBN   978-1-5326-8007-6.
  • McGrath, Alister (1997). J.I. Packer: A Biography . Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books. ISBN   978-0-8010-1157-3.

Further reading