George Norman MacLeod Collins (1901-1989) was a Scottish minister styled an "elder statesman of the

Free Church of Scotland Free Church of Scotland may refer to: * Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900), seceded in 1843 from the Church of Scotland. The majority merged in 1900 into the United Free Church of Scotland; historical * Free Church of Scotland (since 1900), rema ...

. He twice served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland (1949 and 1971). He was also Principal of the Free Church College. He was also a prolific author, specialising in biographies.

Life

He was born in London in 1901 but raised in

Elphin Elphin may refer to: Places Canada * Elphin, Ontario, a hamlet in North Sherbrooke, Lanark County Ireland * Elphin, County Roscommon, Ireland * Diocese of Elphin, a diocese in Ireland * Roman Catholic Diocese of Elphin Scotland * Elphin, Highl ...

in the Scottish Highlands, where he was indoctrinated into the ideologies of the Free Church of Scotland. He originally trained as a journalist and then decided to join the ministry to serve the Free Church of Scotland. He was ordained in 1928 and originally served in the Free Church in

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...

. In 1938 he moved to

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. Here he served as minister of St Columbas Free Church and also began as a Professor of Theology at the Free Church College (1963-1983). Using his journalist skills he was editor of two church newspapers; The Instructor (1937 to 1958) and the Monthly Record (1958 to 1973). In 1952 he was joint founder (with Rev Murdoch MacRae) of the British Evangelical Council.Preserving a Reformed Heritage by John W Keddie He died on 20 October 1989 and is buried with his wife in the Grange Cemetery in southern Edinburgh. The grave lies against the south wall of the modern west extension.

Family

He was married to Louisa Murray Anderson (d.1987). They had no children.

Publications

*''Donald Maclean'' (1944) *''Principal John MacLeod'' (1951) *''Zechariah'' (1954) *''Samuel Rutherford, Saint and Statesman'' (1961) *''By-Paths of Scottish Church History'' (1965) *''The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology'' *''The Encyclopedia of Christianity'' *''Federal Theology'' *''The Heritage of Our Fathers'' (1974) *''Big MacRae'' (1977) *''Men of Burning Heart'' (1983) *''The Diary of James Morrison'' (1984) *''The Days and Years of My Pilgrimage'' (1991)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, George Norman MacLeod 1901 births 1989 deaths 20th-century Ministers of the Free Church of Scotland Scottish Calvinist and Reformed theologians 20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians 20th-century Scottish writers