Professor William Storrar
Honorary Professor
Background
I am currently Director of the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton NJ, an independent nonprofit corporation with an international visiting scholar program for interdisciplinary research. A minister of the Church of Scotland, I taught practical theology at three Scottish universities, following parish ministry and before moving to the USA. My focal interest is in professional practice, especially the reflective practice of collaboration, whether in ordained ministry in the church, interdisciplinary research in the academy, or public life in civil society.
Current project grants
2020-2023 – $234,000 grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation for a three-year research project, The Spiritual Loop Project: Assessing the Pastoral Potential of Machine Intelligence for Spiritual Progress.
Past project grants
2015-2018 – $1.7 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation for a three-year Astrobiology Outreach Project to support the public impact of CTI’s research program on astrobiology, including symposia in cooperation with the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study, South Africa.
2015-2017 – $1.1 million grant from the NASA Astrobiology Program for a two-year Inquiry on the Societal Implications of Astrobiology.
2012-2015 – $3.5 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation for CTI’s three-year research program on New Approaches in Theological Inquiry: 2012-2013, Inquiry on Evolution and Human Nature, 2013-2014, Inquiry on Religious Experience and Moral Identity, 2014-2015, Inquiry on Law and Religious Freedom in cooperation with the Law and Public Affairs Program (LAPA) in the School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University.
Books
William F. Storrar, Frederick Simmons, Edwin Turner, eds., Life as a Planetary Phenomenon: essays in the astrobiological humanities, forthcoming.
Joanna and William Storrar, eds., Last Doctor out of Biafra: the war zone journal of Dr Ann Jackson (Haddington: Handsel Press, 2019)
William F. Storrar et al., eds., Yours the Power: faith-based organizing in the USA (Leiden: Brill, 2013)
William F. Storrar, Peter Casarella, Paul Metzger, eds., A World for All? global civil society in political theory and trinitarian theology (Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 2011)
William F. Storrar, Andrew Morton, eds., Public Theology for the 21st Century (London: T&T Clark, 2004) William F. Storrar, Peter Donald, eds., God in Society: doing social theology in Scotland today (Edinburgh: St Andrew Press, 2003)
William F. Storrar, Iain R. Torrance, eds., Human Genetics: a Christian perspective (Edinburgh: Church of Scotland Board of Social Responsibility & Saint Andrew Press, 1995)
William F. Storrar, Scottish Identity: a Christian vision (Edinburgh: Handsel Press, 1990)
Chapters in Edited Volumes
'As Open as Possible: Presbyterian modernity in Scotland’s long nineteenth century’, The History of Scottish Theology, Volume II, David Fergusson and Mark Elliot, eds. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019), pp. 359-375.
'Mainstream Minority: the public identity of the Church of Scotland,' in Schools of Faith: Essays on Theology, Ethics and Education in Honour of Iain R. Torrance, David Fergusson and Bruce McCormick, eds. (London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2019), pp. 181-192.
'Bending it Like Atherton: doing public theology in an age of public anger,' in Theology for Changing Times: Essays in Honour of John Atherton, Chris Baker and Elaine Graham, eds. (London; SCM Press, 2018), pp. 124-142.
'Between Urgency and Understanding: practical priorities in theological education,' in Confronting Religious Violence: a counternarrative, Richard Burridge and Jonathan Sacks, eds. (Waco TX: Baylor University Press, 2018), pp. 205-217.
‘Temples of the Spirit: reforming the Reformed congregation in Europe,’ in Clive Pearson, ed., Imagining a Way: Exploring Reformed Practical Theology and Ethics (Louisville KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2017) pp. 261-274.
‘Scotland’s Meridian: a memoir of Neil MacCormick in the Scottish public sphere,’ in Neal Walker, ed., MacCormick’s Scotland, Edinburgh Studies in Law, Vol. 10 ((Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2012) pp. 220-227.
‘Political Theory, Ethics, and Global Civil Society: Introduction,’ in Storrar, Casarella and Metzger, A World for All? (Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 2011) pp. 3-16.
‘From Injury to Invitation: the evangelical conditions for dialogue in post-modern Europe,’ in Martin Reppenhagen, ed., Kirche zwischen postmoderner Kultur und Evangelium (Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 2010) pp.132-149.
‘Vernieuwing van Europees burgerschap: een trans-Atlantisch gesprek’ [Renewing European Citizenship: a trans-Atlantic conversation], in Paul van Tongeren, ed., Publieke gerechtigheid: over geloof en ethiek in politiek en maatschappij (Budel: Damon, 2009), pp. 145-153.
‘The Resources and People of the Local Church: Theological Strand’, in Helen Cameron, Philip Richter, Douglas Davies and Frances Ward, eds., Studying Local Churches: a handbook (London: SCM Press, 2005), pp.174-187.
‘Locating Public Theology: practical theology as the Christian humanist discipline of moral cartography’, in Elaine Graham, Anna Rowlands, eds., Pathways to the Public Square: practical theology in an age of pluralism, Papers of the International Academy of Practical Theology Conference, 2003 (Münster: Lit Verlag, 2005, International Practical Theology series, Vol. 1) pp.175-189.
‘Where the Local and the Global Meet: Duncan Forrester’s glocal public theology and Scottish political context’, in Storrar and Morton, Public Theology for the 21st Century, 2004, pp.405-430.
‘Democracy and Mission: the new context for doing social theology’, in Storrar and Donald, God in Society, 2003, pp.10-34.
‘The New Scotland: taking our place in the world’, in Jim Crowther et al. eds., Renewing Democracy in Scotland (Leicester: NIACE, 2003; essays by University of Edinburgh scholars).
‘The Other Scottish Christ: preaching as crucifixion in the Scottish novel’, in Paul Ballard, Pamela Couture, eds., Creativity, Imagination and Criticism: the expressive dimension in practical theology, Papers of the International Academy of Practical Theology Conference, 1999 (Cardiff: Cardiff Academic Press, 2001), pp.221-233.
‘A Tale of Two Paradigms: mission in Scotland 1946 – 2000’, in D. Searle, ed., Death or Glory: the church’s mission in Scotland’s changing society (Edinburgh: Mentor / Rutherford House, 2001), pp.54- 71.
‘Three Portraits of Scottish Calvinism’, in R. D. Kernohan, ed., The Realm of Reform: Presbyterianism and Calvinism in a changing Scotland (Edinburgh: Handsel Press, 1999), pp.17-30.
‘From Braveheart to faint-heart: worship and culture in postmodern Scotland,’ in Bryan D. Spinks, Iain R. Torrance, eds., To Glorify God: essays on modern Reformed liturgy (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1999), pp.69-84.
‘The Government of Scotland’, in Lindsay Paterson, ed., A Diverse Assembly: the debate on a Scottish Parliament, (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1998), pp.183-188.
‘Civic Calvinism: source of Scottish Reformed vitality’, in Donald Luidens, Corwin Smidt, Hijme Stoffels, eds., Reformed Vitality: continuity and change in the face of modernity (Lanham, MD: University of America Press, 1998), pp.185-205.
‘The Unprivileged and Oppressed’, in Cyril S. Rodd, ed., New Occasions Teach New Duties: Christian ethics for today, with foreword by Baroness Warnock (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1995), pp.187-201.
‘Marrying Wisdom and Witness: a new foundation for practical theology’, in Alan Main, ed., But Where Shall Wisdom Be Found? (Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press, 1995), pp.72-80, 113.
‘Schottland’, in Andreas Rossler, ed., Protestantische Kirchen in Europa (Stuttgart: Quell, 1993), pp.137- 142.
Journal Articles
‘Lucky Thinker: An Interview with Tom Nairn’, with Scott Hames, Scottish Affairs, Volume 25, No. 4, October 2016, pp. 436-450.
‘Towards the Common Good. A Church and Society Perspective on The Church: Towards a Common Vision’, One in Christ: an ecumenical journal, Vol. 49, No. 2, 2015, pp. 182-191.
‘The Referendum: a question of the commonweal,’ Theology in Scotland (St Mary’s College, University of St Andrews), Volume 21: 2, Autumn 2014.
Editor, special issue, ‘Faith-based Organizing in the USA’, International Journal of Public Theology (Leiden, Brill), Vol. 6, No. 4, 2012; editorial, pp. 377-381.
‘The Naming of Parts: Doing Public Theology in a Global Era,’ in Etienne de Villiers, ed., special issue, ‘Responsible South African Public Theology in a Global Era’, International Journal of Public Theology (Leiden: Brill), Vol. 5, No. 1, 2011, pp. 23-43.
‘The Oscillating Public Sphere: A Response from the US to Linda Hogan’s Review Article [on Public Theology for the 21st century, 2004], International Journal of Public Theology (Leiden: Brill), Vol. 3, No. 2, 2009, pp. 245-50.
‘2007: A Kairos Moment for Public Theology’, International Journal of Public Theology (Leiden: Brill), Vol. 1, No. 1, 2007, pp. 5-17.
‘Scottish Civil Society and Devolution: the new case for Ronald Preston’s defence of middle axioms’, Studies in Christian Ethics, Vol. 17, No 2 (London: T&T Clark, 2004), pp. 37-46.
‘Neighbourhood Saints: ministry and the renewal of public life’, Theology in Scotland, Vol. IX No 1, Spring 2002, pp.5-23 (Inaugural lecture, Professor of Christian Ethics and Practical Theology, School of Divinity, New College, University of Edinburgh, October 2001).
‘Understanding the Silent Disruption: a response to David McCrone’, in The Future of the Kirk, Theology in Scotland, Occasional Paper No. 2, March 1997, on ‘pp.21-36.