At the beginning of June 2025, we appointed a new full-time member of staff. Al has been an associate lecturer with us for the past year and we look forward to him joining the team more fully. We thought it would be a good idea to get to know Al a little better ahead of him formally starting the role at the beginning of September 2025!
In the coming year, Al will be teaching the Encountering the Old Testament in Term 1 and Old Testament Theological Exegesis in Term 2.
Alistair, can you tell us a little bit about your background and the events and experiences that have led you to this point in joining the SBC team?
Well, I come to SBC after 36 years of working in a variety of vocations. For 10 years I was a physical educationalist in secondary schools and further education. After that I became a missionary for another decade serving with Youth With A Mission (YWAM), which took me all over the world ministering in numerous continents and countries. From that I then moved into Baptist ministry and for the last 16 years have been an accredited Baptist minister serving in three different churches – Stirling BC, St Andrews BC, and Falkirk BC.
On a more personal note, I’ve been married to Lynsey for over 27 years and together we have 4 fantastic young adult & teenage children – one son and three daughters, so there is never a dull moment in our house, that’s for sure!
In simple terms can you tell us about your PhD and what continues to interest you in the field of theology?
During my decade in YWAM I was studying for my Master’s degree in theology and travelling to many different nations where the practice of animism, occult, witchcraft, etc. was very explicit. The juxtaposition of my studies and travelling experiences ignited my desire to better understand God amid all these dark, supernatural occurrences that I either witnessed or heard about from others who substantiated it. It slowly dawned on me that the usual Doctrine of God understanding in the west does not provide the right framework to explain occult & demonic phenomena. Therefore, I decided I wanted to do research into this and do systematic theology (spec. the doctrine of God) from within a context of spiritual warfare & divine conflict. That’s what my PhD and forthcoming book is about.
In terms of interest within the field of theology, I have a range of interests because my 20+ years of theological study has enabled me to do study and research on many different disciplines within the theological encyclopaedia, whether that be biblical studies, theological ethics, pastoral theology, systematics & doctrine, hermeneutics, and so on.
What are your interests and passions outside of church/college life?
Basically, I’m a frustrated musician and ageing athlete, and so any spare time that I have I use to pick up the guitar or bass, and exercise. In my teens and twenties I played three sports to a reasonably decent level – swimming, rugby and volleyball. Now in my fifties, I swim regularly and together with running & cycling I try to compete in the odd triathlon that isn’t held on a Sunday morning. I’m also a huge Christian metalhead and so love to listen to all sub-categories of metal and go to gigs when I can. Along with my wife Lynsey, I love movies, good crime dramas, and have a lifelong love for the comedy ‘Frasier.’ Finally, when the weather permits it, I love to ride my Triumph motorcycle all over the country!
Can you share what you are most looking forward to about joining the SBC community?
After 26 years of full-time Christian work in missions and church ministry, I’m really looking forward to joining the SBC community and working with the students in order to develop their thinking theologically and learn to apply good theology into ministry situations. I love the breadth of theological training at the college and so am counting it a privilege to be a part of the formation of the next generation of theological-reflective practitioners. I’m also very excited to be tasked with the responsibility of bringing a new post-graduate degree program to fruition, thus creating the opportunity for pastors and workers in full-time ministry to embark upon post-graduate study and attain a Master’s degree.
You can get in contact with Al via email: Alistair.Cuthbert@uws.ac.uk