Alister Edgar McGrathFRSA (/məˈɡræθ/; born 1953) is an Irish theologian,Anglican priest,^[9][10]intellectual historian, scientist,^[11]Christian apologist, andpublic intellectual. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion in the Faculty of Theology and Religion, and is a fellow ofHarris Manchester College at theUniversity of Oxford,^[12][13] and isProfessor of Divinity atGresham College.^[14] He was previously professor of theology, ministry, and education atKing's College London and head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture,^[15] professor of historical theology at theUniversity of Oxford, and was principal ofWycliffe Hall, Oxford, until 2005.

The Reverend Alister McGrath FRSA
Born	Alister Edgar McGrath (1953-01-23)23 January 1953 (age 72) Belfast, Ireland
Spouse	Joanna Collicutt
Ecclesiastical career
Religion	Christianity (Anglican)
Church	Church of England
Ordained	1980 (deacon) 1981 (priest)
Academic background
Alma mater	Wadham College, Oxford Linacre College, Oxford Merton College, Oxford
Doctoral advisor	George Radda
Influences	Thomas Aquinas[1] Karl Barth[1] Roy Bhaskar[2][3] C. S. Lewis[4] Thomas F. Torrance[1]
Academic work
Discipline	Theology
School or tradition	Theological critical realism
Institutions	Wycliffe Hall, Oxford King's College, London Harris Manchester College, Oxford
Doctoral students	Michael Horton[5] Frank A. James III[6] Andrew Ter Ern Loke[7]
Main interests	Theistic evolution natural theology relationship between religion and science
Influenced	Nicky Gumbel[8]
Website	alistermcgrath.weebly.com

Aside from being a faculty member at Oxford, McGrath has also taught atCambridge University and is a teaching fellow atRegent College. McGrath holds three doctorates from theUniversity of Oxford: a doctoral degree inmolecular biophysics, aDoctor of Divinity degree in theology, and aDoctor of Letters degree inintellectual history.

McGrath is noted for his work inhistorical theology,systematic theology, and therelationship between science and religion, as well as his writings onapologetics.^[16] He is also known for his opposition toNew Atheism andantireligion and his advocacy oftheological critical realism.^{[17][18][19][20][21]} Among his best-known books areThe Twilight of Atheism,The Dawkins Delusion?,Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, andA Scientific Theology.^[22] He is also the author of a number of popular textbooks on theology.^[23]

McGrath was born on 23 January 1953 inBelfast, Ireland, and grew up inDownpatrick,County Down, where he attendedDown High School. In September 1966 he became a pupil at theMethodist College Belfast, where his studies focused onmathematics,physics andchemistry. He went up toWadham College, Oxford, in 1971 and gained first-class honours in chemistry in 1975. He began research in molecular biophysics in the Oxford University Department of Biochemistry under the supervision ofGeorge Radda^[24] and was elected to an E.P.A. Cephalosporin Research Studentship atLinacre College, Oxford, for the academic year 1975–1976, and to a Domus Senior Scholarship atMerton College, Oxford, for the period 1976–1978. During these three years, he carried out scientific research while studying for the Oxford University Final Honour School of Theology. He was awarded an OxfordDoctor of Philosophy degree for his research in molecularbiophysics (December 1977), and gained first-class honours in theology in June 1978.^[25]

Reflecting on his time as an undergraduate at Wadham, McGrath has written, "I was discovering that Christianity was far more intellectually robust than I had ever imagined. I had some major rethinking to do, and by the end of November [1971], my decision was made: I turned my back on one faith and embraced another."^[26]

McGrath then left Oxford to work at theUniversity of Cambridge, where he also studied forordination in theChurch of England. In September 1980, he was ordaineddeacon and began ministry as acurate at St Leonard's Parish Church,Wollaton,Nottingham, in the English East Midlands. He was ordained priest atSouthwell Minster in September 1981. In 1983, he was appointed lecturer in Christiandoctrine and ethics atWycliffe Hall, Oxford, and a member of the Oxford University Faculty of Theology. He was awarded aBD by Oxford in 1983, for research in historical theology.^[27] He spent the fall semester of 1990 as the Ezra Squire Tipple Visiting Professor of Historical Theology at the Divinity School ofDrew University,Madison, New Jersey.^[25]

McGrath was elected university research lecturer in theology at Oxford University in 1993 and also served as research professor of theology atRegent College, Vancouver, from 1993 to 1999. In 1995, he was elected principal of Wycliffe Hall and in 1999, was awarded a personal chair in theology by the University of Oxford with the title professor of historical theology. He was awarded the Oxford degree ofDD in 2001 for his research in historical andsystematic theology,^[25] and was a founding member of theInternational Society for Science and Religion.^[28] On 1 September 2008 McGrath took up the chair of theology, ministry and education in the Department of Education and Professional Studies at King's College London. In 2009, he delivered theGifford Lectures onA Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology at theUniversity of Aberdeen.^[29] In 2010 McGrath was included in "The 20 Most Brilliant Christian Professors" list.^[30] In 2013 he was awarded his third doctorate from Oxford University, aDLitt, Division of Humanities, for research into science and religion, and natural theology. He is married to Joanna Collicutt McGrath and they have two adult children.^[31]

In 2014, McGrath was appointed the 32ndProfessor of Divinity atGresham College, a position dating back to 1597.^[14] In this position he delivered a series of free public lectures onScience, Faith, and God: The Big Questions,^[32] in which he aimed to present "a coherent exploration of how Christian theology can engage with concerns and debates within modern culture, focusing on one of its leading elements – the natural sciences."^[33]

A formeratheist,^[34][35] McGrath accepts and promotesevolution.^[36][37] In 2004 McGrath suggested inThe Twilight of Atheism that atheism was in decline. He has been highly critical ofRichard Dawkins, calling him "embarrassingly ignorant of Christian theology". His book,The Dawkins Delusion? – a response to Dawkins'sThe God Delusion – was published bySPCK in February 2007, and the two had public debate on the topic, "Does religious belief damage the health of a society, or is it necessary to provide the moral and ethical foundations of a healthy society?"^[38]

McGrath has also debated withDaniel Dennett, at the Greer-Heard Point-Counterpoint Forum in New Orleans in February 2007, as well asChristopher Hitchens atGeorgetown University.^[39][40] In March 2007, McGrath debated withPeter Atkins at theUniversity of Edinburgh on the topic 'Darwin and Humanity: Should We Rid the Mind of God?' In November that year, he debated withSusan Blackmore on theexistence of God. McGrath has debated withDavid Helfand at theVeritas Forum on whether belief in God is a delusion.^[41] In 2011, he debated withStephen Law on the topic 'Why Won't God Go Away?'^[42] He was interviewed byRichard Dawkins about his bookDawkins' God and faith in general for the television documentaryThe Root of All Evil? McGrath's interview was not included in the final cut, but the unedited footage is available online.^[43]

The author of more than 50 books,^[44] among McGrath's more notable works are:

• Understanding the Trinity, Grand Rapids: Academie Books, 1988,ISBN 0-310-29680-3
• Understanding Doctrine, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992,ISBN 0-310-47951-7
• Bridge-Building, Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 1992,ISBN 0-85110-969-1
• Intellectuals Don't Need God & Other Modern Myths, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1993,ISBN 0-310-59091-4
• The Renewal of Anglicanism, Harrisburg: Morehouse, 1993,ISBN 0-8192-1603-8
• A Life of John Calvin (1993)ISBN 0-631-18947-5
• A Passion for Truth: The Intellectual Coherence of Evangelicalism (1996)ISBN 0-8308-1866-9
• Iustitia Dei, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998,ISBN 0-521-62426-6
• Science and Religion: An Introduction (1998)ISBN 0-631-20842-9
• Historical Theology: An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought (1998)ISBN 0-631-20844-5
• I Believe: Exploring the Apostles' Creed (1998)ISBN 0-8308-1946-0
• T. F. Torrance: An Intellectual Biography (1999)ISBN 0-567-08683-6
• The Journey: A Pilgrim in the Lands of the Spirit (2000)ISBN 978-0-385-49588-2
• Christian Theology: An Introduction (2001)ISBN 0-631-22528-5 (often used as a seminary textbook)
• The Christian Theology Reader (2001)ISBN 0-631-20637-X (containing primary sources referred to in hisChristian Theology)
• In the Beginning : The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture (2001)ISBN 0-385-72216-8
• Glimpsing the Face of God: The Search for Meaning in the Universe (2001)ISBN 0-8028-3980-0
• The Reenchantment of Nature: The Denial of Religion and the Ecological Crisis (2002)ISBN 978-0-385-50059-3
• Knowing Christ (2002)ISBN 0-385-50316-4
• A Scientific Theology v. 3 (2003)ISBN 0-567-08349-7
• A Brief History of Heaven (2003)ISBN 0-631-23354-7
• The Intellectual Origins of the European Reformation (2003)ISBN 0-631-22939-6
• The Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World (2004)ISBN 0-385-50061-0
• Christianity's Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution from the Sixteenth to the Twenty-First Century (2007)ISBN 978-0-06-082213-2
• The Dawkins Delusion? Atheist Fundamentalism and the denial of the divine (2007)ISBN 0-281-05927-6 (A critical response toDawkins' bookThe God Delusion)
• The Open Secret: A New Vision for Natural Theology (2008)ISBN 978-1-4051-2691-5
• A Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology (2009)ISBN 0-664-23310-4
• Heresy: A History of Defending the Truth (2009)ISBN 978-0-06-082214-9
• Mere Theology: Christian Faith and the Discipleship of the Mind (2010)ISBN 0-281-06209-9
• Chosen Ones (Series: The Aedyn Chronicles Volume: 1) (2010)ISBN 0-310-71812-0
• Surprised by Meaning: Science, Faith, and How We Make Sense of Things (2011)ISBN 0-664-236-928
• Why God Won't Go Away: Engaging with the New Atheism (2011)ISBN 0-281-06387-7
• Flight of the Outcasts (Series: The Aedyn Chronicles Volume: 2) (2011)ISBN 0-310-71813-9
• Darkness Shall Fall (Series: The Aedyn Chronicles Volume: 3) (2011)ISBN 978-0-310-71814-7
• Reformation Thought: An Introduction (2012)ISBN 0-470-67281-1
• Darwinism and the Divine: Evolutionary Thought and Natural Theology (Oxford: Blackwell-Wiley, 2011). The 2009 Hulsean Lectures at the University of Cambridge
• Mere apologetics: how to help seekers and skeptics find faith (Baker Books, 2012)ISBN 978-0-8010-1416-1
• The Intellectual World of C. S. Lewis (2013)ISBN 978-0-470-67279-2
• C. S. Lewis- A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet (2013)
• Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life ([2004] 2015), 2nd ed., Wiley.ISBN 1-4051-2538-1ISBN 0-281-05927-6ISBN 978-1-4051-2538-3, pbk. (A critique of scientistRichard Dawkins' attitude towards religion)
• The Big Question: Why We Can't Stop Talking About Science, Faith, and God (2015), St. Martin's Press,ISBN 978-1-250-07792-9
• Enriching Our Vision of Reality: Theology and Natural Sciences in Dialogue (2016), Templeton Press,ISBN 978-1-599-47534-9
• The Landscape of Faith: An Explorer's Guide to Christian Creeds (2018), SPCK,ISBN 978-0-281-07625-3
• Mere Discipleship: Growing in Wisdom and Hope (2018), Baker Books,ISBN 978-0-801-09422-4
• Narrative Apologetics: Sharing the Relevance, Joy, and Wonder of the Christian Faith (2019), Baker Books,ISBN 978-0-801-07577-3
• Richard Dawkins, C.S. Lewis and the Meaning of Life (2019), SPCK,ISBN 978-0-281-08019-9
• A Theory of Everything (That Matters): A Brief Guide to Einstein, Relativity, and His Surprising Thoughts on God (2019), Tyndale,ISBN 978-1-4964-3807-2
• J.I. Packer: His Life and Thought (2020), InterVarsity Press,ISBN 978-0-8308-4177-6
• A Cloud of Witnesses: 10 Great Christian Thinkers (2005), Wipf and Stock Publishers,ISBN 978-1-5975-2304-2

• Chung, S. W. (ed.).Alister E. McGrath and Evangelical Theology: A Dynamic Engagement. Carlisle: Paternoster, 2003.ISBN 978-0-8010-2639-3
• Keating, James F. "The Natural Sciences as anAncilla Theologiae Nova: Alister E. McGrath'sA Scientific Theology."The Thomist69 (2005): 127–52.
• Myers, Benjamin. "Alister McGrath's Scientific Theology."Reformed Theological Review64 (2005): 15–34.
• Shipway, Brad. "The Theological Application of Bhaskar's Stratified Reality: The Scientific Theology of A. E. McGrath."Journal of Critical Realism3 (2004): 191–203.

• Official website 
• Alister McGrath homepage
• Open Forum with Alister McGrath – 'Is God a Delusion? Atheism and the Meaning of Life'
• Alister McGrath on The Hour (CBC television)
• Richard Dawkins Interviews Alister McGrath Video
• Alister McGrath lecture:God and the Good: Einstein and Religion. Filmed at The University of Sheffield
• Prokhorov Centre interview with McGrath
• Alister McGrath talks to Nigel Bovey of The War Cry:Part 1;Part 2
• Christopher Hitchens debates (with) Alister McGrath^[usurped]
• Alister McGrath debates with Peter Atkins at Edinburgh UniversityArchived 15 September 2008 at theWayback Machine
• Sue Blackmore at Bristol University on the motion thatAlister McGrath debates "belief in God is a dangerous delusion". 13 November 2007.Archived 6 June 2009 at theWayback Machine
• Full texts of McGrath's 2009 Gifford Lectures on natural theology