VANCOUVER, BC. March 20, 2022. The Vancouver School of Theology is pleased to announce the appointment of The Reverend Canon Dr. Rob James as Associate Professor of Anglican Formation and Studies, effective July 1st, 2022.
The Rev. Dr. James will succeed The Very Reverend Dr. Peter Elliott, Interim Director of Anglican Formation, and The Reverend Elizabeth Ruder-Celiz, Associate Anglican Formation Director. These appointments have been in service since January 1, 2022, following the retirement of The Reverend Grant Rodgers, effective December 31, 2021 after 7 years of faithful service. VST is grateful for the outstanding leadership Peter, Elizabeth and Grant provided to the school.
About The Reverend Canon Dr. Rob James
Rob comes to VST from Wells Cathedral in Somerset, in the southwest of the UK, where he has been the Canon Chancellor since 2019. Before going to Wells, Rob was the Vicar of a three-parish benefice in the Diocese of Gloucester. He was ordained Deacon in 2005 and Priest in 2006. As well as his Church of England career he spent some time working for the UK government on security matters, whilst undertaking unpaid duties for the Church. Alongside his work for Church and State, he has usually been involved in teaching theology to undergraduates and to those training for ordination.
Rob holds six degrees from five universities, including a PhD from the University of London on the use of Scripture in Anglicanism. Unusually for a priest, he also holds an MLitt in Terrorism Studies from St. Andrews. He has broad academic interests, having published on biblical interpretation
in Anglicanism, biblical interpretation in African Christianity, Islamist terrorism and, most recently, New Testament studies. His book The Spiral Gospel: Intratextuality in the Gospel of Luke is to be published soon by James Clarke Publishers. He is currently working on another article on the Gospel of Luke and on an article on religious authority in the work of William Prynne, a seventeenth century Puritan.
Rob says that he has always enjoyed his experiences of the Canadian Church when he has visited the country for holidays or for work, and that he is looking forward to getting to know it better. He is also looking forward to learning from Indigenous Anglicans and from other indigenous people more widely. Rob has been an admirer of VST for some years and hopes to contribute as best he can to the thoughtful, engaged and generous theological explorations of the school.
Rob is married to Jean, a High School Mathematics teacher by profession, with a keen interest in conservation volunteering and youth and children’s work. They are both looking forward to living in Canada.
We are excited about this new appointment, and grateful to the broad VST community for their participation in the search. Dr. James is a welcome addition to the faculty of VST and his professional and pastoral experience will be a source of great strength for the formation of Anglican students for ministry. This is a splendid and strong appointment. Richard Topping, President & Vice-Chancellor
