Adam Lord Gifford
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Late-Victorian Public Lectures
Natural Theology
Philosophy
Religion
Science and Religion
Scotland
Scottish history
Theology
Transcendence
Victorian Scotland
Product details
- ISBN 9781399560603
- Dimensions: 156 x 234mm
- Publication Date: 31 Mar 2026
- Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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The prestigious Gifford Lectures were established in 1887 by Adam Lord Gifford (1820–1887), a senator of the College of Justice in Scotland. The purpose of Lord Gifford’s bequest to the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews, and Aberdeen was to sponsor lectures to 'promote and diffuse the study of Natural Theology in the widest sense of the term–in other words, the knowledge of God'. After 135 years of lectures, this book presents a reflection and reevaluation.
What were the circumstances leading to the foundation of Gifford’s lectures? What were the aims of the lectures, and to what extent have the lectures delivered fulfilled these aims? And what might be the best approaches in the twenty-first century to honour that intent? This book examines the history of the Giffords in an effort to imagine its future trajectories.
Christopher R. Brewer (1980-2025) was Principal Advisor at Templeton Religion Trust and Editor-in-Chief of giffordlectures.org. Dr Brewer earned his Ph.D. in Divinity from the University of St Andrews with a thesis on natural theology and the arts. He is author of Understanding Natural Theology (Zondervan Academic 2026) and editor or co-editor of seven volumes, including Christian Theology and the Transformation of Natural Religion: From Incarnation to Sacramentality—Essays in Honour of David Brown.
