The Scottish Episcopal Institute offers an Annual Lecture to engage the wide variety of Christain theological deliberation in Scotland to support the SEI’s vision to form and develop people as godly, competent and confident ministers by profound theological thinkind, speculation and reflection. The SEI Lecture Series was inaugated in 2016 as the SEI entered into the Common Awards scheme. Partnering with the Church of England and Durham University via Common Awards marked a significant moment for the SEI in terms of its participation in formation for authorised ministry with the wider Anglican Communion represented by the Church of England and the Church in Wales, as well as with other denominations, and with a world-class Department of Theology and Religion with Durham.
The tenth Annual Scottish Episcopal Institute Lecture was given by Dr Dafydd Mills Daniel, Lecturer in Divinity, School of Divinity, St Andrews University, on Thursday 30 October 2025.
Dr Daniel, under the title ‘Scottish Theology and Scot-land’, lectured around the fact that the majority of private land in Scotland is owned by just a few hundred wealthy individuals and international corporations. It was in response to the concentrated ownership of Scot-land that the Scottish Land Commission was established in 2017. Dr Daniel argued that it is possible to trace the language used in recent Scottish Land Commission policy documents to two competing theological discourses within the Scottish Enlightenment, namely, a competition between two opposing parties within the Church of Scotland: ‘Moderates’ and ‘Orthodox’.
The ninth Annual Scottish Episcopal Institute Lecture was given by The Rev Prof Annalu Waller OBE, Professor of Human Communication Technologies (University of Dundee) on Thursday 24 October 2024.
Prof Waller’s title ‘Wholeness and Holiness!’ discussed the nature of disability and faith and what this means to her. She talked about her life and why she believes we should view disability and difference as integral to being human.
The eighth Annual Scottish Episcopal Institute Lecture was given by Professor Grant MacAskill (the Kirby Laing Chair of New Testament Exegesis, Kings College, University of Aberdeen) on Thursday 26 October 2023. Prof MacAskill’s title was: ‘Disabling Norms and Acentering Churches: Autism, Long Covid and the Return of the Old Normal’, and was followed by a question-and-answer session. The video of this lecture is available here.
The seventh Annual Lecture of the Scottish Episcopal Institute was given by the Revd Professor Sarah Coakley FBA on the topic: ‘Worship and Desire in the Anglican Tradition: Why this Matters in Contemporary Church and Culture’ on Thursday 20 October 2022, online. The video of this lecture is available here. The News article following the lecture can be read here.
The sixth Annual Lecture of the Scottish Episcopal Institute was given by the Revd Dr Michael Hull (SEI’s Director of Studies), ‘To Filioque or Not to Filioque: The Warrant of Holy Scripture‘ at the University of Glasgow. Thursday 28 October 2021. The video of this lecture is available here, the text of this lecture can be found in the SEI Journal, Vol 5.4 Winter 2021, pp 105-117 here.
The fifth Annual Lecture of the Scottish Episcopal Institute was given by Canon Dr Cathy Ross (CMS’s Pioneer Mission Leadership Team), ‘Mission and Formation in a Time of Lament and Hope: Reflections after Covid-19’, online (originally scheduled at the University of Edinburgh). Thursday 29 October 2020. The video of this lecture is available here, the text of this lecture can be found in the SEI Journal, Vol 4.4 Winter 2020, pp 87-100 here).
The fourth Annual Lecture of the Scottish Episcopal Institute was given by the Revd Canon Professor Paul Foster (University of Edinburgh), ‘Their Pattern and Their King: The Gospel of Matthew as a Model for Christian Formation’, at the University of Aberdeen. Thursday 17 October 2019. (The video of this lecture is available here, the text of this lecture can be found in the SEI Journal, Vol 3.4 Winter 2019, pp 131-100 43 here).
The third Annual Lecture of the Scottish Episcopal Institute was given by Canon Professor Elaine Graham (University of Chester), ‘Liberating the Laity: A Theology for a Learning Church’, at the University of St Andrews. Thursday 11 October 2018. (The video of this lecture is available on Facebook here, the text of this lecture can be found in the SEI Journal, Vol 3.1 Spring 2019, pp 3-18 here).
The second Annual Lecture of the Scottish Episcopal Institute was given by the Revd Canon Professor David Jasper (University of Glasgow), ‘The Role of the Arts in the Church of Tomorrow’, at the University of Glasgow. Thursday 26 October 2017. (The video of this lecture is available here, the text of this lecture can be found in the SEI Journal, Vol 1.4 Winter 2017, pp 3-19 here).
The first Annual Lecture of the Scottish Episcopal Institute was given by Professor Mike Higton (Durham University), ‘Teaching and Witness in the Life of the Church’ at the University of Edinburgh. Thursday 20 October 2016. (The video of this lecture is available here, the text of this lecture can be found in the SEI Journal, Vol 1.2 Summer 2017, pp 6-20 here).
