From the Marrow Men to the Moderates: Scottish Theology 1700–1800

by Donald MacLeod

One of Scotland’s most popular theologians traces the theological debates and disagreements of the eighteenth century
The eighteenth century saw many changes within the Scottish church. The Kirk was divided by the Patronage Act of 1712 into Moderates (men favoured by the landed gentry) and Evangelicals (men favoured by the people). The Marrow Controversy highlighted theological strife within the Church. Ebenezer Erskine’s Protest against patronage led to the first major rift in the Church of Scotland with the Secession of 1733.    Through all these, Donald Macleod is our reliable guide. Drawing attention to the major characters of the period and gives a faithful account of the theological discussions, including the social, economic, ethnic, and personal factors involved. He also subjects these discussions to theological evaluation. A fascinating look at a crucial period for anyone with an interest in theological history.

Genres: Church History, History

352 pages, Hardcover

Published November 14, 2023

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Donald Macleod does an excellent job talking through the Marrow Controversy. Another find book on Scottish Theology and what lead to the liberal movement inside the Scottish church.

[G. Mark James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine and easy read of this time period in the church in Scotland. Macleod begins with Thomas Boston then segues into the Marrow Controversy before talking about James Fraser of Brea & Hypothetical Universalism. The final chapters are devoted to the rise of the Moderate movement within the Scottish Church and important figures within that movement. The book is written dispassionately and rarely does the author interject his own opinions.
Highlights for me were an understandable presentation of the issues surrounding Hypothetical Universalism, a clear presentation of the Marrow controversy, and the pitfalls of the Moderate movement to appeal to the cultured and elite.

3 things cause me to give this book 4 instead of 5 stars:
1. There is no concluding chapter. I felt this was missing as the book ends abruptly. A conclusion could have helped pull everything together that had previously been surveyed.
2. I wanted more modern application. There is a little here and there but I wanted more. One important aspect of studying church history is to draw application to today. Whether done in a concluding chapter or sprinkled throughout the book I would have liked to have seen more application for the church today.
3. An appendix or glossary/timeline would have been helpful for events and persons mentioned but no more context provided. Given the nature of church state relations in Scotland, political figures and events are mentioned but the reader doesn’t necessarily have a clue as to what the event was about or why the figure was important. An appendix or glossary with respect to this would have been helpful.

[Ethan McCarter · Rating 4 out of 5]

In all honesty, I enjoyed this volume even more than the previous one. The work does end on a more bleak note as all students of Scottish church history know what comes in the 1800s with the Great Disruption, the growth of liberalism, and arriving at the current sad state that the Scottish church scene is in. The chapters on Boston and the Marrow Men in particular were well-written, and the theology that MacLeod opened up was well presented and thorough. I also found the section on the Moderates and Hugh Blair intriguing, though you can certainly see the theological downgrade in their preaching and their views on pastoral ministry. MacLeod did well with this volume though it does require a fair amount of focus to work through several chapters. I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in this era of Scottish church history and the theology that underpinned each of them.

[Zach Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is wonderful, written with the same engaging blend of theology, history, and application as the prior volume. However, this volume suffers from the same problem as volume two of David Calhoun’s Princeton Seminary. The content is great, but the historical happenings are discouraging. The rapid rate of progress from Macleod’s first volume is replaced by the sombre reality of declension.

[Colin Fast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Donald Macleod’s final hurrah, an outstanding overview of 18th c. Scottish theology.