Rate My Professor Murray Rae

Professor Murray Rae serves as Professor of Systematic Theology and Head of the Theology Programme at the University of Otago. Initially trained as an architect, he earned a BArch from the University of Auckland and practiced in Auckland before feeling called to ministry. He then studied theology and philosophy at the University of Otago, obtaining a BA and BD. Rae completed his PhD at King's College, London, focusing on the incarnation in the thought of Søren Kierkegaard. His career trajectory includes two years teaching at Knox Theological Hall in Dunedin, three years as chaplain at the University of Auckland, and seven years teaching theology at King's College London. He returned to the University of Otago in 2005 as a lecturer in theology and ethics, progressing to his current roles. Rae also holds the position of Kaiāwhina Māori, providing support to Māori students within the Theology Programme.

Rae's research interests include the work of Søren Kierkegaard, theology and architecture, Christian pacifism, biblical hermeneutics, Christian doctrine, and the development of Christian faith amongst Māori. His ongoing research explores theology and architecture, theological themes in Kierkegaard, the resurrection of Christ, and theological interpretation of Scripture. Notable publications encompass Resurrection and Renewal: Jesus and the Transformation of Creation (Baker Academic, 2024), Architecture and Theology: The Art of Place (Baylor University Press, 2017)—which received the $10,000 Ashton Wylie Mind Body Spirit Literary Award in 2018—Christian Theology: The Basics (Routledge, 2015), Kierkegaard and Theology (Bloomsbury, 2010), History and Hermeneutics (T&T Clark, 2005), Kierkegaard's Vision of the Incarnation: By Faith Transformed (Oxford University Press, 1997), and co-edited Mana Māori and Christianity (Huia Publishers, 2012). He coordinates courses such as CHTH236 Māori Theology and Religion and contributes chapters to handbooks like T&T Clark Handbook of Theology and the Arts (2025) and T&T Clark Handbook of the Doctrine of Creation (2024). Rae's work bridges architecture, ethics, and doctrine, influencing theological discourse on place, incarnation, and indigenous Christianity.