Thomas Noble

Thomas Noble, Research Professor of Theology, is a native Scot and can, on occasion, be persuaded to speak a bit in the Scots brogue.

Dr. Noble holds degrees from both the University of Glasgow and the University of Edinburgh. His MA (honours) from the University of Glasgow was in Modern History and Politics, and he taught high school history before turning to theological studies. He taught theology at Nazarene Theological College, Manchester (UK), for 20 years, serving also for 12 years as Academic Dean, before joining the NTS faculty.

Having studied with T.F. Torrance (who studied with Karl Barth), his approach to theology is strongly influenced by the classical tradition of the Eastern Fathers and the Reformers. He grounds theology in God’s revelation in Jesus Christ and is strongly biblical and historical in his development of a Trinitarian systematic theology. He has special interest in Athanasius, the Cappadocians, Augustine, Luther, Calvin and Wesley. His teaching style depends on the size and subject of the class. He is a fascinating (and lightning fast) lecturer, but he also uses a seminar format for advanced classes.

Dr. Noble is an accomplished pianist and organist and has taught courses in hymnology. He was secretary of the Tyndale Fellowship for Biblical and Theological Research associated with Intervarsity and based in Tyndale House, Cambridge, and has written a history of that organization. He currently chairs its Christian Doctrine study group. He has also written a history of the Church of the Nazarene in the British Isles and is working on a biography of Dr. David Hynd, an eminent Nazarene missionary in Swaziland. The Church of the Nazarene has commissioned him to write a new Systematic Theology for the denomination. To assist in that project, NTS has adjusted his faculty assignment to intensive classes in the US campuses, and he is now resident more often in Manchester. His book Holy Trinity Holy People: The Theology of Christian Perfecting, has become an important work in the theology of Christian holiness.

Dr. Noble and his wife, Elaine, have four daughters, twins Catherine and Janet, along with Margaret and Elspeth, and nine grandchildren. Their family is scattered from California to Scotland, England and Kenya.