John Dickie (theologian)

John Dickie (20 May 1875–24 June 1942) was a New Zealand presbyterian theologian and professor. He was born in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland on 20 May 1875. He was considered to have one of the greatest minds of his time, as he was ingeniously intelligent and provided much of the foundation for theological understanding in New Zealand. His written texts were renowned at their time for their somewhat controversial theories, as theology had much stricter boundaries in the 19th and early 20th century in conservative New Zealand society. Dickie's Organisms of Christian Truth was a set text in Scotland in the 1950s and its content is still regarded as a major theological advancement even today.

After growing up in the Buchan District of North East Scotland, Dickie attended university in Aberdeen in 1891, where he graduated from Aberdeen University with MA (honours) in classics. He taught at public schools for two years after graduating, before beginning theological studies at Edinburgh University, a decision that was influenced by Professor Flint. He won many scholarships and prizes every year during his studying, and worked as an assistant to many parishes throughout England.

In 1909, Dickie accepted the position as the Chair of Systematic Theology and New Testament in New Zealand, and he moved to Dunedin with his wife Barbara Trotter.^[1]

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