From Questions to Calling: Ruth’s Journey 

Ruth Sutcliffe has been appointed an Honorary Research Fellow of Christ College. We asked Ruth a few questions to find out a little bit about her.

Growing up in a Christadelphian community, over time Ruth’s questions around theology and exclusivity began to unsettle her. Those questions eventually led her on a remarkable journey—from veterinary science to Bible college, from writing a book on the Trinity to becoming a PhD graduate, and now to teaching theology across the globe. Through years of exploration, study, and faith, Ruth’s story is a testament to how God gently works to refine convictions and open doors to serve His kingdom in surprising ways.

It wasn’t until after Ruth had been working in her field of veterinary science for a number of years that she decided to start seeking answers to her theological questions. 

“I’m a bit of a nerd,” Ruth laughs, “and so for me, the logical thing to do to answer those questions was to go and do a theology degree, you know?”

Ruth originally hails from Melbourne, and the closest theological college to her home at that point was PTC—so that’s where she went. The first person Ruth encountered there was Greg Goswell.

Ruth says, “I told him all about what I was after. He said, ‘Great, there’s a class starting today, why don’t you join and see what you think?’ So I joined a church history class, and that really began my love of church history.”

That church history class was the start of a whole new trajectory for Ruth’s life. She absolutely loved learning about God’s Word more deeply, particularly the historical connection with theology—and that hunger for knowledge has never left her. If anything, it’s grown.

After spending a year traveling around the top end of Australia with her husband and kids, Ruth and her family didn’t return to Melbourne. Instead, they chose to settle in Townsville. It was then that she completed her MDiv through a combination of distance learning and intensives across five different colleges, including Christ College, and it was also during this time that she met John McClean. 

John was pivotal in Ruth’s journey to writing and publishing her first book, ‘The Trinity Hurdle.’ She wrote it specifically with Christadelphians in mind, given that she understands why they believe what they do. 

“There were misunderstandings on both sides, and I firmly believe that you can’t critique a position unless you really understand it,” Ruth explains. “So I wrote a book, and John was very helpful in giving me advice on that and helping me craft that.”

Meanwhile, although Ruth was still teaching veterinary science at James Cook University, she had been given opportunities to teach theology at a local church—and she absolutely loved it. So in 2016, Ruth began her PhD in a part-time capacity. 

“Initially, my idea was to look at how the early fathers used persecution passages in the New Testament and thought theologically about persecution,” Ruth shares. “Initially I was looking at the very earliest Christian writings, but found that I couldn’t really put a picture together from them. It was when I looked at the third century theologians that that came together.”

Ruth has been busy the past few years. Just last week, she celebrated the launch of her book, which is essentially the publication of her PhD research. It’s titled ‘Blessed Victors: Theology of the Persecution in the Third Century Church.’ While undertaking the project over a period of six years part-time, she has continued teaching in veterinary science at James Cook University—and she’s also been teaching theology.

A few years ago Ruth was introduced to Theologians Without Borders. She has been able to teach theology to Masters level students in Bible colleges across the world, both online and in-person, in locations ranging from India to Cambodia to Ethiopia—and the opportunities keep coming.

“There’s a huge need for that,” Ruth explains. “And although it’s all volunteer work, it’s really what I think God wants me to do. I’m actually going to retire from the university at the end of this year and just really focus on doing that and more academic writing.”

Ruth has recently been appointed an Honorary Research Fellow of Christ College, a title she is grateful for. In addition to John and Greg’s support and wisdom over the years, she is also deeply thankful for the ongoing support of the library staff. Given she has been working on her PhD in Townsville, without access to any theological libraries, she has found the Christ College library staff to be invaluable.

“People sort of smile and say, well, you know, the library—why is that the biggest deal for you? But it makes a huge difference, and I could not have done it without their support,” Ruth shares.

While she can’t speak specifically to living on campus or studying full-time at Christ College, Ruth has felt highly supported by the college over many years and in many ways, and she highly commends it. In her words, “It’s a great place to call your home.”