Donald Macleod retired as professor of systematic theology at the Free Church of Scotland College in Edinburgh in 2011. He was born on the Isle of Lewis, off the north-west coast of Scotland, in November 1940. Macleod was educated at the University of Glasgow (Master of Arts, 1961) and the Free Church College, Edinburgh (1961-1964). He was ordained on 5 November 1964 to his first charge, Kilmallie Free Church, where he served for six years.

In 1970, Donald Macleod was called to Partick Highland Free Church, a bi-lingual congregation in Glasgow, Scotland, where he preached five times a week, including two services conducted in Scottish Gaelic.

The Free Church General Assembly appointed him to the chair of Systematic Theology at the Free Church College in 1978. In 1999 he was chosen as principal of the College by the General Assembly, and in that role he spearheaded the College''s relationship with the University of Glasgow (where he is a visiting Professor) leading to the validation of the College''s degree of Bachelor of Theology.

In 2008, Donald Macleod was honoured with a Doctorate of Divinity by Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He retired from the post of principal of the Free Church College in May 2010.

Donald Macleod is well known as a previous editor of The Monthly Record of the Free Church and as a former columnist in the West Highland Free Press and The Observer newspaper.

Professor Macleod’s main theological interest centres on the link between theology and preaching. Over five decades he has sought to emphasise the primacy of the intellect in religious experience and the primacy of doctrine in preaching. In recent years Donald Macleod has focused on the theme of objective piacular atonement through the cross; and he continues to explore such topics as divine impassibility and Calvinistic libertarianism.