Hob's SemBlog

Notes, comments, thoughts on my studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
so my friends/family/supporters/whoever can keep tabs on my progress, and nag me to keep on top of things.

Friday, March 11, 2005

Scottish Theology...

Scottish Theology in Relation to Church History by John Macleod

In his book Scottish Theology, John Macleod attempts to provide a non-technical and non-academic examination of Scottish Theology by tracing its development from the Reformation on. To accomplish this, he focuses on individuals and their actions in the progress of time.

This is both the strength and the weakness of the book. We were able to get a close look at the makers of the history, which removes some detachment from the subject. But by focusing so much on the trees, Macleod loses his readers in the forest. It's very difficult to see the flow of history and how the various figures worked together (or against each other) when 20 pages after discussing Churchman X, Macleod would mention in his look at Churchman Y, "Y corresponded with X as we mentioned before." That tells us nothing of the interaction, or why it matters. So, did he succeed in his goal? Somewhat. We are given several wonderful profiles, and it's certainly not a highly technical work, but I'm not sure it was entirely effective in his presentation--particularly in the early chapters.

Where Macleod seemed to be most successful as a historian was when he stepped back from the individuals and took a broader look at the action as he did in chapter five, "The Neonomians and the Marrow Controversy." Here he achieved the right balance in giving a personal touch to the history, yet not losing the overall picture. But the strongest part of the book as a whole is where he takes one step further back and mixes his history with his theology and analysis. The sections "The Faith of the Gospel on Fire" starting on page 95 and "The Authority of Scripture at Stake" starting on 313, are glowing examples of this. We get a great snapshot of the pulpit ministry in Scotland, as well as the communion sermons/seasons, catechesis, and more--as well as why these things mattered to the Scots and why we should look to them as models today.

Personally, the sections on the Marrow Controversy (which I’ve been wanting to study more) and the last two chapters covering the more recent history were the most valuable (until now there was a gap in my knowledge between the Marrow and William Still). And several of the individual profiles were helpful--particularly those sections that included lengthy quotations from the figures (like "Rabbi" Duncan and Rutherford). Mostly, it’s reassuring to see God working through the highs and lows of His church--stumbling and fallible, yet standing against the gates of Hell.

H. C. jotted this down on 1:48 PM. (( 1:48 PM
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