David Andrew Robertson (born May 1962) is a Scottish

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister and religious commentator. Robertson was the minister of St Peter's Free Church in Dundee, Scotland, from 1992 until 2019. He served as Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland between 2015-2016. Robertson is also a blogger, podcaster, and writer. He gained public attention following his critique of ''The God Delusion'' by Richard Dawkins and has since become a commentator on religious, social, and political affairs in Scotland, with an annual readership of over one million.

Education

Robertson graduated from both the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

with a degree in History, and from Free Church College (now

Edinburgh Theological Seminary Edinburgh Theological Seminary, formerly known as the Free Church College, is a theological seminary in Edinburgh connected to the Free Church of Scotland. It traces its origins back to the foundation of New College, Edinburgh at the time of t ...

) with a degree in Theology, in 1983.

Career

Robertson had originally planned a career in politics, intending to stand for the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Fo ...

(SDP) in his home seat of Ross, Cromarty and Skye in the 1983 General Election. However, a failed bid to become Senior President of Edinburgh University Students Association precipitated a change in direction, and in 1986 he became the youngest minister in the Free Church of Scotland (aged 24), while his contemporary

Charles Kennedy Charles Peter Kennedy (25 November 1959 – 1 June 2015) was a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1999 to 2006, and was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ross, Skye and Lochaber from 1983 ...

went on to win the same seat he had hoped to contest; becoming the youngest Member of Parliament (aged 23) in the process. Robertson’s first full-time ministry charge was in Brora Free Church from 1983. He became the minister of St Peter’s Free Church, Dundee, (the historic church of Robert Murray McCheyne), in October 1992, where he worked closely with Scottish theologian Sinclair Ferguson. He was the Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland between 2015-2016, replacing Rev David Miller. Robertson co-founded Solas (Centre for Public Christianity) in June 2010 with the former SNP leader, Gordon Wilson, who was a member of St Peter's Free Church in his final years. Robertson remained the director of Solas until 2018. Robertson's ministry became increasingly engaged with secular audiences until he entered apologetics ministry full-time in 2019. Before moving to Australia in 2019, he was also a chaplain at the

University of Dundee , mottoeng = "My soul doth magnify the Lord" , established = 1967 – gained independent university status by Royal Charter1897 – Constituent college of the University of St Andrews1881 – University College , ...

and former club chaplain of

Dundee F.C. Dundee Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland, founded in 1893. The team are nicknamed "The Dark Blues" or "The Dee". The club plays its home matches at Dens Park. The club was formed after a merg ...

Writings and broadcasting

Robertson's writings have been featured in ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its pare ...

'' and ''

Christian Today ''Christian Today'' is a non-denominational Christian news company with its international headquarters in London, England.Christian Today > Contact Us/ref> History The website was established in 2000 to report on news in the global church a ...

'', and he has appeared several times on

Moody Radio Moody Radio is one of the largest Christian radio networks in the United States. Located in downtown Chicago, Moody Radio has 71 owned and operated stations

. He sits on the editorial advisory board for Scottish Christian Broadcast. Robertson hosts a weekly podcast on current affairs called ''Quantum of Solas'', which began during his role with Solas Centre for Public Christianity. He featured in another podcast series, ''Unbelievable?'', debating several prominent atheists. He was also the editor of ''The Record'', the Free Church’s main magazine for several years. Robertson has a blog, ''The Wee Flea'', the name of which alludes both to Richard Dawkins' description of Robertson,

John Lennox John Carson Lennox (born 7 November 1943) is a Northern Irish mathematician, bioethicist and Christian apologist. He has written many books on religion, ethics, the relationship between science and faith (like his books, ''Has Science Buried Go ...

, and

Alister McGrath Alister Edgar McGrath (; born 1953) is a Northern Irish theologian, Anglican priest, intellectual historian, scientist, Christian apologist, and public intellectual. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion i ...

as "fleas living off a dog's back", and to the Scottish colloquialism " Wee Frees" - referring to the Free Church of Scotland. In 2017, Robertson's blog was viewed 900,000 times from 190 countries and by April 2021 it had a total of over 6 million hits.

Awards

In 2014, 2015, and 2016, Robertson was voted one of the 100 most influential Christians in the UK by online voters on "Archbishop Cranmer's Top 100 List". Robertson's blog won Runner Up in "Blogger of the Year" category in 2014, and featured as a Finalist in the "Most Inspiring Leadership Blog" category in 2015, both of the Premier Digital Christian New Media Awards.

Selected publications

*''A.S.K. : Real World Questions / Real World Answers'' (2019) , for teenagers. *''Quench'' : ''Cafe Culture Evangelism (2014)'' *
Engaging with Atheists : Understanding their world; sharing good news
' (2014) *''Magnificent Obsession : Why Jesus Is Great'' (2013) . *''Awakening : the life and ministry of Robert Murray McCheyne'' (2010) , a contemporary account of Robert Murray McCheyne's life *''The Dawkins letters : challenging atheist myths'' (2007) , a response to Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion

Debates

Through his roles in Solas Centre for Public Christianity, and the 'Unbelievable?' podcast, Robertson has debated several public figures on a range of social and theological issues: * BBC Scotland - ''Debate Night''; The panel included: depute leader of the SNP at

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

Kirsty Blackman Kirsty Ann Blackman (; born 20 March 1986) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Aberdeen North since 2015. Blackman was re-elected in 2017 and 2019 and currently serves as the SNP Spokes ...

; the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

MP for

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

, Stephen Kerr; the Scottish Labour MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Alex Rowley; President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Dame Anne Glover. Topics debated: Brexit, Trump, and the NHS. 2 June 2019 *

Peter Tatchell Peter Gary Tatchell (born 25 January 1952) is a British human rights campaigner, originally from Australia, best known for his work with LGBT social movements. Tatchell was selected as the Labour Party's parliamentary candidate for Bermondsey ...

(

Peter Tatchell Foundation Peter Gary Tatchell (born 25 January 1952) is a British human rights campaigner, originally from Australia, best known for his work with LGBT social movements. Tatchell was selected as the Labour Party's parliamentary candidate for Bermondsey ...

) ''The Future of Marriage Debate''; 11 December 2013 * Scott S McKenna (

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 ...

) on atonement; ''A public conversation''; chaired by Rt Rev Dr Angus Morrison (Moderator of the Church of Scotland) *

Matt Dillahunty Matthew Wade Dillahunty (born March 31, 1969) is an American atheist activist and former president of the Atheist Community of Austin, a position he held from 2006 to 2013. Between 2005 and late 2022, Dillahunty was host of the televised webcast ...

(American public speaker, internet personality, atheist); ''Why I Am Not An Atheist''; and Why I Am Not A Christian''' *

Patrick Harvie Patrick Harvie (born 18 March 1973) is a Scottish politician who has served as Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants' Rights since 2021. He has served as one of two co-leaders of the Scottish Greens since 2008, and is on ...

MSP (

Scottish Green Party The Scottish Greens (also known as the Scottish Green Party; gd, Pàrtaidh Uaine na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Green Pairtie) are a green political party in Scotland. The party has seven MSPs in the Scottish Parliament as of May 2021. As of the 20 ...

) & William Rennie MSP (

Scottish Liberal Democrats The Scottish Liberal Democrats ( gd, Pàrtaidh Libearal Deamocratach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Leeberal Democrats) is a liberal, federalist political party in Scotland, a part of the United Kingdom Liberal Democrats. The party currently holds 4 o ...

) versus David Robertson & Peter D Williams; ''Same Sex Marriage?'' *

Michael Shermer Michael Brant Shermer (born September 8, 1954) is an American science writer, historian of science, executive director of The Skeptics Society, and founding publisher of ''Skeptic'' magazine, a publication focused on investigating pseudoscientifi ...

(

Skeptics Society The Skeptics Society is a nonprofit, member-supported organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs. The Skeptics Society was co-founded by Michael S ...

); ''Is Christianity Good For Us'' * Gary McLelland (

Humanist Society Scotland Humanist Society Scotland is a Scottish registered charity that promotes humanist views and offers humanist wedding, funeral, and baby-naming ceremonies. It is a member of the European Humanist Federation and Humanists International. In the ...

); ''Is Belief in God a Delusion?''; ''Is Belief in God Reasonable'' *

Michael Nugent Michael Nugent (born 1 June 1961) is an Irish writer and activist. He has written, co-written or contributed to seven books and the comedy musical play '' I, Keano''. He has campaigned on many political issues, often with his late wife Anne Ho ...

( Atheist Ireland); ''Is Christianity Holding Us Back?'' * Peter Cave (

British Humanist Association Humanists UK, known from 1967 until May 2017 as the British Humanist Association (BHA), is a charitable organisation which promotes secular humanism and aims to represent "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious b ...

); ''Better With or Without God'' * Alistair Mcbay (

National Secular Society The National Secular Society (NSS) is a British campaigning organisation that promotes secularism and the separation of church and state. It holds that no one should gain advantage or disadvantage because of their religion or lack of it. It was ...

); ''Is Faith in God a Delusion?'' * Andrew Copson FRSA, MCMI, MCIPR (Chief Executive,

; President,

International Humanist and Ethical Union Humanists International (known as the International Humanist and Ethical Union, or IHEU, from 1952–2019) is an international non-governmental organisation championing secularism and human rights, motivated by secular humanist values. Foun ...

); ''Are We Better Off Without God'' * Adrian Hyyrylainen-Trett ( Liberal Democrats); ''The Gay Marriage Debate'' * Peter D Williams (Executive Officer, Right To Life); ''Catholic vs Protestant - Is the Catholic Church the One True Church?'' * Robertson regularly debated at

Abertay University , mottoeng = "Blessed is the one who finds wisdom." , established = 1994 – granted University Status 1888 – Dundee Institute of Technology , type = Public , chancellor = Alice Brown , principal = Liz Bacon , head_label = Chair of C ...

held by its Division of Sociology.

References

External links

David Robertson's Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, David 1962 births Living people 21st-century Presbyterians Scottish evangelicals 20th-century Presbyterians 20th-century Ministers of the Free Church of Scotland 21st-century Ministers of the Free Church of Scotland