Nigel Biggar

Nigel John Biggar (born 14 March 1955) is an Anglo-Scottish[3] Anglican priest and theologian. Since 2007, he has been Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at the University of Oxford

The Reverend Canon

Nigel Biggar
Born
Nigel John Biggar

(1955-03-14) 14 March 1955
Castle Douglas, Scotland
Ecclesiastical career
ReligionChristianity
ChurchChurch of England
Academic background
Alma mater
Doctoral advisorJames Gustafson
Influences
Academic work
DisciplineTheology
Institutions

Early life

Biggar was born on 14 March 1955 in Castle Douglas, Scotland.[4][5] He was educated at Monkton Combe School, an independent school near Bath, Somerset. He studied modern history at Worcester College, Oxford, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1976: as per tradition, his BA was promoted to a Master of Arts (MA Oxon) degree in 1988. He attended the University of Chicago, graduating with a postgraduate Master of Arts (AM) degree in religious studies in 1980; and the evangelical Regent College, Vancouver, graduating with a Master of Christian Studies in 1981. He returned to the University of Chicago to study for his doctorate in Christian theology, and completed a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1986.[4]

Career

On his return to Oxford in 1985, Biggar became Librarian and Research Fellow at Latimer House.[4] He additionally taught Christian ethics at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford from 1987 to 1994.[4] He was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1990 and as a priest in 1991.[6] For most of the 1990s, he was Chaplain and Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford. In 1999, he took the Chair of Theology at the University of Leeds, and in 2004 he moved to the Chair of Theology and Ethics at Trinity College, Dublin.[7] Since 2007, he has been Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at the University of Oxford.[7][8] He is additionally a canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.[6]

Colonialism

Biggar is the leader of a five-year project at Oxford University entitled "Ethics and Empire".[9] In 2017, Biggar addressed the ethics of colonialism in an op-ed for The Times. Writing about the work of Bruce Gilley, a political scientist at Portland State University in the United States, he defended Gilley's "courageous call for a balanced reappraisal of the colonial past" and called for the recognition "that the history of the British Empire was morally mixed".[10] Cambridge University's Reader of Post-colonial Literature Priyamvada Gopal said his article contained opinions which amount to "outright racist imperial apologetics".[11] One of Biggar's Oxford colleagues, James McDougall wrote an open letter disagreeing with Biggar signed by around 170 international academics.[12][13] Trevor Phillips, the former chairman of the Equalities Commission, defended Biggar against his critics in a letter to The Times: "Students’ misreading of history is entirely understandable if they are instructed by the academics who criticise Nigel Biggar for asking ‘the wrong questions, using the wrong terms'".[14]

Selected publications
  • In Defence of War
  • Behaving in Public: How to Do Christian Ethics
  • Burying the Past: Making Peace and Doing Justice After Civil Conflict
  • Aiming to Kill
  • The Hastening that Waits: Karl Barth's Ethics
  • Good Life: Reflections on What We Value Today
  • Biggar, Nigel; Hogan, Linda, eds. (2009). Religious Voices in Public Places. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199566624.

References
  1. Biggar, Nigel (2010). "Karl Barth's Ethics Revisited". In Migliore, Daniel L. (ed.). Commanding Grace: Studies in Karl Barth's Ethics. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-8028-6570-0.
  2. Jensen, David (17 August 2018). "Oxford's Nigel Biggar: Anglicanism Sustains Democracy & Religious Freedom". Juicy Ecumenism. Washington: Institute on Religion and Democracy. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  3. Biggar, Nigel (2 August 2018). "Obsession with Gender Identity Goes Too Far". The Times. London. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  4. "Biggar, Rev. Canon Prof. Nigel John, (born 14 March 1955), Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology, since 2007 and Director, McDonald Centre for Theology, Ethics and Public Life, since 2008, University of Oxford; Canon of Christ Church, Oxford, since 2007". Who's Who 2020. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2019. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U245063. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. Biggar, Nigel (2014). "Review of Honey from the Lion: Christianity and the Ethics of Nationalism, by Doug Gay". Scottish Journal of Theology. 67 (3): 365. doi:10.1017/S0036930614000167. ISSN 1475-3065.
  6. "Nigel John Biggar". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  7. "Professor Nigel Biggar – Christ Church, Oxford University". University of Oxford.
  8. "Professor Nigel Biggar – Faculty of Theology and Religion". University of Oxford.
  9. Kennedy, Dominic (28 December 2017). "Academics accused of 'stirring up mob' against Nigel Biggar in free speech row". The Times. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  10. Biggar, Nigel (30 November 2017). "Don't Feel Guilty About Our Colonial History". The Times. (subscription required)
  11. Lodhia, Devarshi (12 April 2018). "Cambridge Lecturer Condemns Daily Mail over 'Racist and Sexist Hatchet Job'". Varsity. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  12. McDougall, James (3 January 2018). "The History of Empire Isn't About Pride – or Guilt". The Guardian.
  13. Adams, Richard. "Oxford University accused of backing apologists of British colonialism". The FGuardian. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  14. Bennett, Rosemary (27 December 2017). "Colonialism not all bad, says equality campaigner Trevor Phillips". Retrieved 13 April 2019. (subscription required)
Academic offices
Preceded by
Oliver O'Donovan		 Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology
2007–present		 Incumbent
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