Free Church Moderator and Free Presbyterian Students

The following are extracts from a letter sent to Rev. Angus Finlayson, Moderator of Free Church of Scotland Assembly, by Mr Calum MacInnes, Free Presbyterian divinity student.—Editor.

The inaccuracy is found in the last paragraph of your reply. You say, “Yet the Free Presbyterian Church sends students to study in the Church of Scotland.” I wish to point out the following facts for your information:—

1. Under the United Free Church of Scotland a petition was sent to the University Court asking that court to recognise all teachers in New College as University Lecturers in terms of Ordinance 10 (General) of the Universities (Scotland) Act 1889. This was approved by a Committee of the Senatus on 6th February, 1919. By the reunion on 2nd October, 1929, whereby the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church of Scotland were reunited to form one Church, the offices of the Dean of the Faculty of Divinity and Principal of New College were combined in order to secure one administrative head. Four new chairs were founded and the professors holding these chairs were to be recognised as members of the Senatus Academicus and professors in the University of Edinburgh. Under the regulations in the Agreement drawn up between the University Court and the General Assembly of the

Church of Scotland the professors were to be recognised as University professors, and, as such, were to conduct such classes and carry out such work in their respective subjects in the University as would be from time to time prescribed by the University Court.

Hence the professors in the ‘Church of Scotland’ in Edinburgh are University professors and the college is recognised as part of the University of Edinburgh. Where does your charge come in that Free Presbyterians are sent to study in the ‘Church of Scotland’?

1. Students in the Free Presbyterian Church who have attended classes in this part of the University have been attending classes listed in the programme of the Faculty of Arts, and have been receiving instruction from professors or teachers appointed for the instruction of these subjects in the Faculty of Arts. They have not been pursuing divinity courses in the Faculty of Divinity. Your statement may be read to mean that they do so. This can lead to unjust conclusions. It may be pointed out, at the same time, that Free Church students, who wish to obtain a B.D. degree in Edinburgh, do attend classes in the same college and necessarily in the Faculty of Divinity.