Biography
Johnston McKay grew up as the son of a minister in Hillhead, part of Glasgow's vibrant West End. He was educated first at Glasgow University (History & Politics) and then Cambridge (Divinity). In addition to his calling to the Church of Scotland (first stop St Giles, Edinburgh) he somehow picked up a love of cricket and an unusual (for a Glaswegian) interest in the Boat Race.
Subsequent posts at Bellahouston Steven Parish Church in Govan (and the two free season tickets to Ibrox park that this brought) failed miserably to remove a soft spot for Hibernian Football Club (although things might have been different if his son had ever found out about the season tickets!).
The football played near his next church, Paisley Abbey, had more chance of inducing sleep than any change of allegiance and so Hibs remained through his spell there.
When he left the BBC in 2002 he served as part time minister at Barony St John’s Church in Ardrossan. He went there for six months and stayed for six years. When he eventually left Barony St John’s he was asked to become part time locum and Interim Moderator at Kilwinning Old Parish Church, which is currently looking for a minister.
In 2007 he was awarded a PhD by the University of Edinburgh for his thesis on “The Kingdom of God and the Presbyterian Churches’ Social Theology and Action c1830-c1914. He has since been made a Visiting Fellow at New College in the University of Edinburgh and been appointed Chalmers Lecturer 2010-2112 in the Universities of Edinburgh and St Andrews.
For his sins, he currently lives in Fairlie with his wife Evelyn and daughter Cally. He has two sons, Kevin and Robert who have long since given him peace and skipped the nest!