William MacDonald (Christian author)

William MacDonald was President of Emmaus Bible College, teacher, Plymouth Brethren

Plymouth Brethren

The Plymouth Brethren is a conservative, Evangelical Christian movement, whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1820s. Although the group is notable for not taking any official "church name" to itself, and not having an official clergy or liturgy, the title "The Brethren," is...

theologian and a prolific author of over 84 published books.

MacDonald refused to accept royalties for his books but established a fund for translating his work Believers Bible Commentary into foreign languages.

Early life and education

William (Bill) MacDonald was born on January 7, 1917 in Leominster, Massachusetts

Leominster, Massachusetts

Leominster is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the second-largest city in Worcester County, with a population of 40,759 at the 2010 census. Leominster is located north of Worcester and west of Boston. Both Route 2 and Route 12 pass through Leominster. Interstate 190,...

. When he was six years old, his family moved to Stornoway

Stornoway

Stornoway is a burgh on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.The town's population is around 9,000, making it the largest settlement in the Western Isles and the third largest town in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness and Fort William...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, later moving back to Massachusetts. He received a Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

degree from Tufts College

Tufts University

Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...

in 1938 and an MBA from Harvard Business School

Harvard Business School

Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...

in 1940.

Career

After graduation, he was employed as an investment analyst at the First National Bank of Boston (now known as BankBoston

BankBoston

BankBoston was a bank based in Boston, Massachusetts, which was created by the 1996 merger of Bank of Boston and BayBank. Bank of Boston had a venerable history dating back to 1784, but the merged BankBoston was short-lived, being acquired by Fleet Bank in 1999...

) until 1942. During 1942, MacDonald enlisted in the Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

, where he served until 1946. He then served on the faculty of Emmaus Bible School until 1965, becoming President in 1959. He contributed greatly to the Emmaus Correspondence School through his writings.

President of Emmaus Bible College (1959-1965)

While President of Emmaus Bible College, MacDonald made lasting contributions. Among his accomplishments are numbered:

Leading Emmaus Bible College to purchase of the 156 N. Oak Park facility
Leading the merging of the Toronto and Chicago schools in Oak Park
Leading the purchase of the Groveland building in 1960
Bringing the "Emmaus student enrollment above 100 in the resident school and above 60 in the evening school."

Post-Presidency Career

After 1965, he led a Bible teaching ministry in the USA, Europe and Asia until 1972. In 1973 he served on the faculty of the Discipleship Intern Training Program, based in San Leandro, California

San Leandro, California

San Leandro is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is considered a suburb of Oakland and San Francisco. The population was 84,950 as of 2010 census. The climate of the city is mild throughout the year.-Geography and water resources:...

, until 1996. After 1996, MacDonald moved back to the Bible teaching ministry, until his death on December 25, 2007.

Works

The Good News Bible Correspondence Course (The Moody Bible Institute, 1954)
Hebrews: From Shadow to Substance (The Moody Bible Institute, 1957)
Believer's Bible Commentary (1989)
True Discipleship (1975)
The Epistle to the Hebrews: From Ritual to Reality
1 Peter: Faith Tested, Future Triumphant; A Commentary
Ephesians: The Mystery of the Church; A Commentary

External links

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