Dr Jonny Torrance
Dr Jonny Torrance
- Chaplain and Lord Crewe Career Development Fellow
Profile
As the Chaplain, I provide pastoral support to the whole college (students, Fellows and Staff), as well as running the chapel and leading services. My door is always open if you want a chat and a hot drink.
I grew up in Edinburgh, and came to Oxford to study my first degree in History (at St Peter's). After graduating I worked for 5 years as a youth worker in Switzerland, before going to Cambridge in 2017 to study to become a priest. Getting back into the library made me realise what I had been missing, so I stayed on to do a PhD in Theology, whilst also serving a curacy. I then worked for a year as assistant chaplain at Jesus College (Cambridge), before coming to Lincoln in 2024.
- Research
My research interests are in Christian theology, with a particular focus on doctrine and its interaction with lived experience. For my doctorate, I worked on Martin Luther's understanding of sin, using dialogue with contemporary critical theory to develop Christian understandings of the pathological in the human condition. I am currently working on a project investigating the intersection of theology and comedy; looking for interdisciplinary points of contact for how we think well about Christian hope and the theology of grace.
- Select publications
'Paranoia and the law: Martin Luther and critical theory in hermeneutical dialogue', Scottish Journal of Theology, 2022, 104-116, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0036930622000242
'“Experience Alone Makes the Theologian”: A Constructive Retrieval of Luther’s Theology of Experience', The Global Anglican, 2021