Sinclair Buchanan Ferguson (born 21 February 1948) is a Scottish

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

known in

Reformed Christian Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Calv ...

circles for his teaching, writing, and editorial work. He has been Chancellor's Professor of Systematic Theology at

Reformed Theological Seminary Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) is a theological seminary in the Reformed theological tradition with campuses in multiple locations in the United States. Founded by conservatives in the Southern Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Church in ...

since 2017, commuting from

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

, where he is an assistant minister at St. Peter's

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 ...

, Dundee.

Career

Ferguson studied at the

University of Aberdeen , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

for all of his university education, earning first a master of arts, then a bachelor of divinity, before gaining his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

During his days as a student, he worshiped at Gilcomston South Church, under the ministry of William Still. Ferguson was ordained as a minister in the

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 Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

in 1971, becoming the minister of St. John's, Baltasound, the most northerly parish in Scotland, on the island of

Unst Unst (; sco, Unst; nrn, Ønst) is one of the North Isles of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. It is the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and is the third-largest island in Shetland after Mainland and Yell. It has an area of . Unst ...

, Shetland. He was the pastor there for 10 years. After his service on Unst, he was offered a teaching position as a part-time Professor of

Systematic Theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topi ...

Westminster Theological Seminary Westminster Theological Seminary is a Protestant theological seminary in the Reformed theological tradition in Glenside, Pennsylvania. It was founded by members of the faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary in 1929 after Princeton chose to ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He then moved back to his native Scotland in 1997, filling the pulpit at St George's-Tron Church,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

, succeeding the 20-year ministry of Eric Alexander. In the mid-2000s, he then transferred back to the US to the

Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARPC), as it exists today, is the historical descendant of the Synod of the South, a Synod of the Associate Reformed Church. The original Associate Reformed Church resulted from a merger of the Associate ...

, serving as the senior pastor of historic First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, South Carolina. From 25 August 2013, he has served as a preacher and elder at St. Peter's Free Church, Dundee. In 2022, a ''

Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the ...

'' was published in his honor. ''Theology for Ministry: How Doctrine Affects Pastoral Life and Practice'' includes contributions from

Joel Beeke Joel Robert Beeke (born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, December 9, 1952) is an American Reformed pastor and theologian. He is a minister of the Heritage Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and President of Puritan Reformed Theological Semin ...

, Ligon Duncan, W. Robert Godfrey, Michael Horton, Douglas Kelly,

Robert Letham Robert Letham is Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at the Union School of Theology (formerly called Wales Evangelical School of Theology). He is also Adjunct Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. L ...

Philip Ryken Philip Graham Ryken (born 1966) is an American theologian, Presbyterian minister, and academic administrator. He is the eighth and current president of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. Early life and education Ryken was born on September 29 ...

, and

Chad Van Dixhoorn Chad B. Van Dixhoorn (born 1971), a Canadian-born theologian and historian, is the editor of the five-volume ''The Minutes and Papers of the Westminster Assembly: 1643-1652'' published by Oxford University Press in 2012. In 2013 he was elected a F ...

Other Roles

Ferguson has served as an editor with the

Banner of Truth Trust The Banner of Truth Trust is an Evangelical and Reformed non-profit"The Story o ...

. He was also a professor of systematic theology at Redeemer Seminary in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

. He has held the Charles Krahe Chair for

. He also previously served as a council member of the

Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals is an organization of Christianity, Christian individuals that believes evangelicals have largely forgotten the foundations of the Christian Gospel and is dedicated to calling on the Protestant churches, esp ...

. He serves as a Teaching Fellow for

Ligonier Ministries Ligonier Ministries (also known as simply Ligonier) is an international Christian discipleship organization headquartered in the greater Orlando, Florida area. Ligonier was founded in 1971 by R. C. Sproul in the Ligonier Valley, Pennsylvania, o ...

Works

Ferguson speaks at numerous conferences worldwide. Books he has written, edited, or contributed to include: * ''Know Your Christian Life'' (1981) * ''Kingdom Life in a Fallen World'' ''- Living Out the Sermon on the Mount'' (1986) * ''John Owen on the Christian Life'' (1987) * ''New Dictionary of Theology (Master Reference Collection)'' (1988) , editor with

David Wright David Allen Wright (born December 20, 1982) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played his entire 14-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the New York Mets. He was drafted by the Mets in 2001 MLB draft and made ...

and

J. I. Packer James Innell Packer (22 July 192617 July 2020) was an English-born Canadian evangelical theologian, cleric and writer in the low-church Anglican and Calvinist traditions. He was considered one of the most influential evangelicals in North Amer ...

* ''Daniel (Mastering the Old Testament, Vol 19)'' (1988) * ''Grow in Grace'' (1989) * ''Children of the Living God'' (1989) * ''A Heart for God'' (1996) * ''The Christian Life'' (1996) * ''Discovering God's Will'' (1996) * ''Sermon on the Mount'' (1996) * ''The Pundit's Folly'' (1996) * ''Big Book of Questions and Answers'' (1997) * ''The Holy Spirit'' (1997) * ''Let's Study Philippians'' (1998) * ''Reformed Confessions Harmonized'' (1999) , editor with

* ''Let's Study Mark'' (1999) * ''The Big Book of Questions & Answers about Jesus'' (2000) * ''The Grace of Repentance (Today's Issues)'' (2000) * ''The Preacher's Commentary - Vol. 21 - Daniel'' (2002) * ''John Owen: The Man and His Theology'' (2003) , contributor about

John Owen John Owen may refer to: Sports *John Owen (footballer) (1849–1921), English footballer and educator * John Owen (athlete) (1861–1924), American sprinter *Johnny Owen (1956–1980), Welsh boxer *John Owen (cricketer) (born 1971), English cricke ...

* ''Let's Study Ephesians'' (2005) * ''Faithful God - An exposition of the book of Ruth'' (2005) * ''In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel Centered Life'' (2007) *''By Grace Alone: How the Grace of God Amazes me'' (2010) *''The Grace of Repentance (Redesign) (Today's Issues)'' (2011) *''The Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction'' (2013) *''Name above All Names'' (2013) with

Alistair Begg Alistair Begg (born May 22, 1952) is the senior pastor of Cleveland's Parkside Church (located in Bainbridge Township, Geauga County, Ohio), a position he has held since 1983. He is the voice behind the Truth For Life Christian radio preaching ...

*''Deserted by God'' (2013) *''The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism, & Gospel Assurance--Why the Marrow Controversy Still Matters'' (2016)

References

External links

*The Tron Church, Glasgow, formerly St George's-Tron Church *Redeemer Seminary
Alliance of Confessing EvangelicalsFirst Presbyterian Church - Columbia, SCSt. Peter's Free Church, DundeeLectures on the Westminster Standards
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Sinclair 1948 births Living people Scottish Calvinist and Reformed theologians Westminster Theological Seminary faculty Alumni of the University of Aberdeen 20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland 21st-century Ministers of the Free Church of Scotland 20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians 21st-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians Scottish evangelicals Bible commentators 21st-centur