Voice of Nonconformity (ePub)

A study of William Robertson Nicoll, a non-conformist individual who had considerable influence in the late 19th Century. Originally a minister, he was considered a great leader and was also a theological conservative, and therefore committed to maintaining the orthodox stance of the Christian Churches, but at the same time, he encouraged many of the new ideas, which he felt would prove a useful and hopeful benefit for the Church. Due to health issues he was later forced to retire his position and focused on work as an editor and journalist, bringing with him the same sense of leadership for which he'd previously been known. The debate over his legacy continues and is addressed within this study using previously unstudied information on Nicoll's life. Within this study, the author looks at the life and influences of this remarkable man and seeks to demonstrate his interactions with some of the great literary figures of the nineteenth century while also taking into account the background setting in which WRN was working. Nonconformity in England was at the peak of its influence, but the seeds of decline were beginning to show and the Scottish Free Church was undergoing considerable changes, all of which influenced WRN's life. This biography is widely accessible to anyone interested in the life and times of William Robertson Nicoll, as well as acting as a work of interest for scholars of late 19th Christianity and Nonconformity of this period.