The news of the passing of Principal Emeritus John L. Mackay on 25 October came as a shock to the Free Church of Scotland and beyond, and was met with a profound sense of loss.
John L. Mackay was born in Glasgow on 4 June 1948. After graduation from Oxford, John was offered a position as an economist with the government. Between 1973 and 1976 he lectured in Economics and Statistics at the University of Dundee. During those years he came to terms with a sense of the Lord’s calling into ministry; so, in 1976 he began study at the then Free Church College. Concurrently, he undertook a Bachelor of Divinity degree with the University of London, graduating in 1979 with First-class Honours. He had taught himself both Hebrew and Russian as a young man!
In February 1980, John was ordained and inducted as minister of Rosskeen Free Church. There his pulpit and pastoral ministry was fruitful, faithful and proactive, with a lively engagement in youth work and the initiation of services in Milnafua.
Within months of his arrival in Rosskeen he had met and married Mary Lamont, a Christian schoolteacher who herself had been seeking God’s guidance over her future. Their marriage was to be a truly happy one.
In 1983 he was appointed Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at the Free Church College, a position which he held for the next 30 years. Scripture passages which, for many, had been hitherto obscure were opened up; and the entire Old Testament brought together under the Covenant framework and located within God’s overall plan of salvation in Jesus.
Tethered to real ministry
John’s lectures always took account of the complexities of the pastorate. Each lecture, no matter how intellectually stimulating, was tethered in the real world of real ministry, often interspersed with anecdotes, many of them personal, revealing something of the warmth and mischievous humour which characterised him.
In 1993, Professor Mackay’s knowledge of church practice and his administrative skills were recognised by the General Assembly in his appointment as Principal Clerk, a role which he undertook for the next seven rather difficult years.
John loved sung praise and was extensively involved in the translation and production of Sing Psalms.
In 2010 he was appointed as Principal of the Free Church College, a position he held until his retirement in 2013. The fact that, in the midst of such a heavy workload, he was able to write a proliferation of Old Testament commentaries is testimony to his vast ability. His commentaries, which have been widely received, bear the two important qualities of rigorous scholarship and accessibility to the ordinary Bible student.
His prayers continued to be full of praise to God to whom he was thankful for all the blessings he had enjoyed. He passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his loving family.
