Why a knighted historian declined the priesthood to remain truthful

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 20 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Diarmaid MacCulloch is one of the world's foremost experts on the history of Christianity. Yet, his own path through the Church of England was defined by a deliberate choice: he chose personal honesty over ecclesiastical advancement, creating a unique position as a "candid friend" of a faith he deeply understands.

Born in 1951 to an Anglican priest, MacCulloch was raised in the presence of the Bible and held dogmatic positions on Christian belief. He pursued rigorous academic training at Cambridge, where he studied history and served as an organ scholar, eventually earning a PhD on Tudor history under the supervision of Geoffrey Elton in 1977. His expertise eventually led him to become a Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford, where he authored definitive works on the Reformation and the first three thousand years of Christian history.

His personal trajectory took a pivotal turn in 1987. Although he was ordained as a deacon in the Church of England, he declined the move to the priesthood following a 1987 motion by Tony Higton regarding the sexuality of clergy. MacCulloch stated that as a gay man, it was "impossible to proceed" within the Anglican setup because he was determined to be truthful about his identity. He described this period of parting ways with the Church as a "miserable experience," driven by the fact that the institution "couldn't cope" with his honesty.

Today, MacCulloch occupies a space of high-level scholarship and public engagement. He has been knighted for his services to scholarship, yet he notably requests not to be addressed as "Sir" in formal contexts, following protocol that dictates such titles for clergy are only used if granted before ordination. His work continues to explore the intersection of faith and identity, including a 2015 series on how Christianity shaped Western attitudes toward sex and gender, and a 2024 history of sex and Christianity.

His career is marked by significant accolades, including the 2004 National Book Critics Circle Award and the Wolfson History Prize for his work on the Reformation. By balancing deep archival research with public-facing documentaries and lectures, MacCulloch provides a nuanced perspective on how religious history informs modern identity, moving from a position of internal orthodoxy to one of external, scholarly advocacy.

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