About Erik Routley

Erik Reginald Routley was an English Congregational churchman, theologian and musician and arguably the most significant hymnologist of the 20th century. His nearly 40 books on theological thought and music of the Christian church are renowned.

Routley at­tend­ed Mag­da­len Col­lege, Ox­ford (BA 1936) and stu­died at Mans­field Col­lege (where he was tu­tor and lec­tur­er in church his­to­ry in 1948).

After or­di­na­tion, he be­came pas­tor of the Dart­ford Con­gre­ga­tion­al Church, and re­ceived his Ba­che­lor of Di­vi­ni­ty the next year, and his doc­tor­ate from Ox­ford in 1952. In 1970, he was elect­ed pre­si­dent of the Con­gre­ga­tion­al Church of Eng­land and Wales.

Routley moved to Prince­ton, New Jer­sey, in 1975, and be­came a vi­sit­ing pro­fess­or and di­rect­or of mu­sic at Prince­ton The­o­lo­gic­al Se­mi­na­ry, and Pro­fess­or of Church Mu­sic at West­min­ster Choir Col­lege.