Niall Ferguson is a British academic with ties to Oxford and Harvard Universities. In 2004, Time magazine listed him among the most influential people in the world. He is yet another example of someone who thinks deeply about faith and finds himself on a journey.
Ferguson’s Scottish parents were non-religious. “I grew up in a household of science-minded religious skeptics,” he said. “I didn’t go to church and felt quite sure of the wisdom of that when I was young. However, in two phases, I lost my faith in atheism.” His career as an academic historian was the genesis of these phases.
His academic publications reflect on civilization, morality, and why the world is the way it is. He came to realize that “no society had been successfully organized on the basis of atheism.” That was his first phase. He could see how shared Christian values gave rise to a civilization that respects human dignity and rights. Something transcendently true must ground such values. He decries the loss of those foundational values and the crumbling of civilization.
During that phase, “I would attend church in a spirit of skepticism and detachment,” he said. Nevertheless, it was an important part of his journey. Then came the second phase. He realized that “no individual can in fact be fully formed or ethically secure without religious faith.” Now, that’s not common Christian parlance, but it points to important worldview questions. What does it mean to be fully human? How do we live in a moral universe?
Ferguson’s journey led to the gospel of Jesus Christ. “I have embraced Christianity,” he said. He was baptized in 2024. “It was the culmination of a quite protracted process,” he said. Now his motivation is different. “I attend church in a spirit of faith. Also, I’m a learner. I learn about Christianity every week. I try to understand it better.” A basic understanding is this: to be fully human requires a relationship with God; to live in a moral universe requires forgiveness from God.
Ferguson’s two phases explain why he embraced a new faith. His post-conversion journey continues as a learning project. This is as it should be. You begin your life of faith by believing that Jesus is God the Son whose death and resurrection secure your eternal life. You continue the journey in cooperation with God. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:29).
Faith is a journey, isn’t it? It’s a journey of revelation and discovery with an eternal destination. Who are you journeying with? Hear the lesson from Professor Ferguson and go with God.