This is the first biography of a 19th century Presbyterian minister and theological Professor, James MacGregor (1829-1894). MacGregor was a minister in the Free Church of Scotland before being elected Professor of Systematic Theology at New College, Edinburgh. He served in that capacity from 1868 to 1881 before immigrating to New Zealand where he took a charge at Oamaru in the South Island (1882-1894). He was a staunch defender of orthodox evangelical views and in his later years wrote three great tomes in defence of Christian faith. He produced two of the best Christian books of their genre to come from the 19th century church: Christian Doctrine (1861) and The Sabbath Question (1866). This is the first biography of the subject and it contains a complete listing of all his writings.
The Scots accounted for around a quarter of all UK-born immigrants to New Zealand between 1861 and 1945, but have only been accorded scant attention in New Zealand histories, specialist immigration histories and Scottish Diaspora Studies. This is peculiar because the flow of Scots to New Zealand, although relatively unimportant to Scotland, constituted a sizable element to the country's much smaller population. Seen as adaptable, integrating relatively more quickly than other ethnic migrant groups in New Zealand, the Scots' presence was obscured by a fixation on the romanticised shortbread tin facade of Scottish identity overseas.Uncovering Scottish ethnicity from the verges of nostalgia, this study documents the notable imprint Scots left on New Zealand. It examines Scottish immigrant community life, culture and identity between 1850 and 1930.