A portrait of a man wearing a shirt, tie and jacket looks into the camera

UofG's Professor Scott Spurlock has been awarded an honorary degreeby the Faculty of Theology at Lund University.

Professor Spurlock along with Poet Bjørn Eidsvåg will receive their awards a ceremony in Lund on 29 May 2026.

He is Professor of Scottish and Early Modern Christianity at the School of Critical Studies, Glasgow University, since 2019. The focus of Professor Spurlock's research is on the Reformation in Scotland and subsequent church formations, and in particular how Reformed theology and Reformed denominations contributed to the early modern transatlantic world.

Professor Spurlock's research has resulted in numerous books, articles, and other publications, and his commitment to the subject of church history is extensive.

In addition to being a recognized researcher in his field, Professor Spurlock has over the past six years been the driving force in establishing a lasting collaboration between the religious studies community in Glasgow and the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies (CTR) in Lund. For example, a collaboration has been established on doctoral education in church history, with joint doctoral seminars in Glasgow and Lund as well as supervision across university boundaries. Spurlock has also taken the initiative for student and teacher exchanges as well as an upcoming research collaboration on the theme of religion and climate change.

Alexander Maurits, Dean of the Faculty of Theology at Lund said: "Awarding Scott Spurlock an honorary doctorate at the Faculty of Theology is a way for us to reward a skilled researcher and draw attention to a fruitful and long-term collaboration that is fruitful for the faculty's teachers and students." 

While Bjørn Eidsvåg is one of Norway's most beloved artists. Since his debut in 1976, he has released around twenty albums and won the prestigious Spellemann Prize four times. Musically, Eidsvåg moves in the borderland between song and rock, with an expression that unites the poetically thoughtful with the deeply existential.

In a Swedish context, Eidsvåg's name is primarily associated with The Mystery of Dough from 2009, a collaboration with Lisa Nilsson that continues to have a strong presence on streaming charts and inspires recurring reinterpretations.

Mr Eidsvåg has a unique ability to unite the religious and the secular, and to allow Christian symbolism and human experience to meet in a language that is experienced as authentic, universal and deeply touching.

"Through his music, Bjørn Eidsvåg has developed a common cultural space where traditional boundaries between faith and secularity are dissolved and replaced by a conversation that is both accessible and theologically meaningful," said Alexander Maurits, Dean of the Faculty of Theology. "This is an important deed that we want to draw attention to with an honorary doctorate."


First published: 16 December 2025

<< College of Arts & Humanities news