David Steel (5 October 1910 – 11 November 2002) was a

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

minister.

Biography

From 1949 to 1957 he was minister of St Andrew's Church,

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

. For much of that time, the then British Colony of Kenya was in civil unrest due to the Mau Mau Uprising. Steel deplored the violence of the Mau Mau, but came to believe that the colonial government's response – which included detentions without trial and many executions – was disproportionate and immoral. In January 1955 he spoke out against government policy in a

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. ...

at St Andrew's Church. The local English-language newspaper criticised Steel's intervention in politics, in an editorial titled "Who will rid us of this turbulent priest?", thus implicitly drawing a parallel between Steel and

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...

. Steel also helped to secure the early release of a number of detainees.''Empire's Children: David Steel'', Channel 4 Television, 16 July 2007 Steel returned to Scotland in 1957, and spent the rest of his ministry there, serving as minister at

St. Michael's Parish Church, Linlithgow St. Michael's Parish Church is one of the largest burgh churches in the Church of Scotland. It is one of two parishes serving the West Lothian county town of Linlithgow, the other being St. Ninian's Craigmailen. St Michael is the town's patron s ...

. He was elected Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1974–75. He retired in 1976, and died in Edinburgh in 2002, aged 92.

Personal life

One of his sons, also

David Steel David Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood, (born 31 March 1938) is a British politician. Elected as Member of Parliament for Roxburgh, Selkirk, and Peebles, followed by Tweeddale, Ettrick, and Lauderdale, he served as the final leade ...

, now Lord Steel of Aikwood, is a British formerly

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...

politician and former party leader.

References

British people of the Mau Mau Uprising Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 1910 births 2002 deaths {{Christian-clergy-stub