The student Theological Society at Edinburgh Theological Seminary (ETS) is marking the 175th birthday of the institution with a special public lecture by Professor Donald MacLeod on ‘Free Church Principles: the Disruption and Today’.
On 1st November 1843, the new college of the Free Church of Scotland commenced its first academic session at 80 George Street in Edinburgh. The institution had been swiftly set up following the Disruption on the 18th of May when a large proportion of the ministers, elders and members of the Church of Scotland left in protest at the State’s interference in the spiritual affairs of the Church. The College’s first Principal and Professor of Divinity was Dr Thomas Chalmers, who was also the first Moderator of the Free Church’s General Assembly.
On 1st November 2018, the 175th anniversary of that opening day, Professor Donald MacLeod, Principal Emeritus, will deliver his lecture reflecting on the principles that lay behind the Disruption and their relevance for the Church today. The lecture will take place in the historic Presbytery Hall at the Free Church offices on the Mound and members of the public are welcome to attend on a first come, first served basis.
Professor Donald MacLeod is one of Scotland’s foremost theologians. His many books, essays and articles have enjoyed a wide readership over many decades and in 2008 his contribution to the church was recognised by Westminster Theological Seminary who conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. Professor MacLeod was appointed Professor of Systematic Theology at the Free Church College in 1979 and was made Principal in 1999. He retired in 2010 but continues to teach the senior Systematic Theology class at ETS.
The free event will take place at 2:30 PM on Thursday 1st November in Presbytery Hall, Free Church Offices, 15 North Bank Street.
