Bruce Lindley McCormack (born 1952) is an American theologian and scholar of the theology of

Karl Barth Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Reformed theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the Romans'', his involvement in the Confessing Church, including his authorship (except for a single phrase) of the Barmen Decl ...

. He is currently Chair in Modern Theology at

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

Biography

McCormack earned a bachelor degree in economic/business administration and religion from

Point Loma Nazarene University Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) is a Private college, private Christianity, Christian Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college with its main campus in Point Loma, San Diego, Point Loma in San Diego, California, Unit ...

in 1976, and began his journey of theological education in the

Covenant Theological Seminary Covenant Theological Seminary, informally called Covenant Seminary, is the denominational seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Located in Creve Coeur, Missouri, it trains people to work as leaders in church positions and elsewh ...

(

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

) in the late 1970s. In 1978, he transferred his studies to his original denominational seminary,

Nazarene Theological Seminary Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) is a Nazarene seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. The seminary was established by the Eleventh General Assembly in June 1944 and started its first school year in 1945 with 61 students. It moved to its current lo ...

and earned his M.Div. degree there in 1980. He recalled being moved from a

Wesleyan-Arminian Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles W ...

perspective to a

Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...

one in

after he was disappointed by

John Wesley John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...

's doctrine of

prevenient grace Prevenient grace (or preceding grace or enabling grace) is a Christian theological concept that refers to the grace of God in a person's life which precedes and prepares to conversion. The concept was first developed by Augustine of Hippo (354 ...

. He received his Ph.D. from

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a Private university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...

in 1989. McCormack was Lecturer in Reformed Theology in the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

from 1987-1991. He later returned to his alma mater,

and took the role of Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of Systematic Theology from 1991-1998, and became the Weyerhaeuser Professor of Systematic Theology starting from 1998 onwards. From 2009–2022, McCormack was the Charles Hodge Professor of Systematic Theology. Since 2023, he has been Chair of Modern Theology at the University of Aberdeen. In 1980, he married Mary Schmidt McCormack who served as the director of women's ministries in

Stone Hill Church of Princeton Stone Hill Church of Princeton is a gospel-centered, nondenominational church in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The church was founded in 1956 as Westerly Road Church at the intersection of Westerly and Wilson Roads. In 2013, it construc ...

Honors

McCormack was awarded the international Karl Barth Prize by the Board of the Evangelical Church of the Union in Germany in 1998, for his publication ''Karl Barth's Critically Realistic Dialectical Theology'' (1995). This signaled a paradigm shift in the reading of Barth. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena in Germany in 2004. McCormack delivered the 2008 T.F. Torrance Lectures ("The Humility of the Eternal Son: A Reformed Version of Kenotic Christology") in the

University of St. Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, following the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, t ...

, the 2011

Croall Lectures The Croall Lectures are a lecture series in Christian theology given in Edinburgh, and founded in 1876. The Lectures were endowed by John Croall of Southfield, who died in 1871. Lecturers *1876 John Tulloch *1878–79 John Caird (theologian), Jo ...

("Abandoned by God: The Death of Christ in Systematic, Historical, and Exegetical Perspective") in the

, and the 2011 Kenneth Kantzer Lectures ("The God Who Graciously Elects: Seven Lectures on the Doctrine of God") in the

Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) is the divinity school of Trinity International University, an evangelical Christian university headquartered in Bannockburn, Illinois. The divinity school was founded in 1897. In April 2025, Trinit ...

Works

Books

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Articles and chapters

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References

1952 births Living people 20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians 21st-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians Academics of the University of Aberdeen American Calvinist and Reformed theologians Princeton Theological Seminary faculty {{calvinism-stub