Herbert Henry Farmer

Norris-Hulse Professor of Divinity, Cambridge

(1) Revelation and Religion (2) Reconciliation and Religion

In his first series of lectures, Farmer offers a theological interpretation of the universal phenomenon of human religious experiences and interprets world religions through the life and work of Jesus. While maintaining the authority of Christianity, he treats other world religions with care. In his second series, Farmer explores the nature of justification in the law of God. He concludes that all moral choices must come under the authority of love and the selfless example of Christ.

Biography

Herbert Henry Farmer was born on 27 November 1892 in Highbury, London. A Presbyterian minister and philosopher of religion, Farmer left a legacy for those in service of the Church. Graduating from Westminster College, Cambridge, he became Pastor at Stafford in 1919, later moving to New Barnet until 1931. He then joined the staff at Hartford Seminary Foundation, returning to England as Barbour Chair of Systematic Theology at Westminster College in 1935. After three years as Stanton Lecturer, he was a natural choice for the Norris-Hulse Professor of Divinity in 1949.

Awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity from the University of Glasgow in 1936, Farmer was a warm and affection man, rooted in the traditions of the Presbyterian Church of England and convener of its assembly’s committee on doctrine. Important works include The Experience of God (1929), The World and God: A Study of Prayer Providence and Miracle in Christian Experience (1935), The Healing Cross (1938), The Servant of the Word (1941), Towards a Belief in God (1942), God and Men (1948), and The Word of Reconciliation (1966).

Published/Archival Resources

Published as Revelation and Religion.