---
title: 'Happy Birthday to James Renwick Willson!'
type: post
author: 'R. Andrew Myers, Zach Dotson'
date: 2018-04-09
url: https://confessional.org/blog/2018-happy-birthday-to-james-renwick-willson
---

# Happy Birthday to James Renwick Willson!

[James Renwick Willson](/authors/james-renwick-willson), Reformed Presbyterian minister, was born near Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh, on **April 9, 1780**. He studied for the ministry under Alexander McLeod, whom he later succeeded to the pastorate at Coldenham-Newburgh Reformed Presbyterian Church. The current pastoral intern at Coldenham-Newburgh RPC is our very own Zach Dotson, who has ably written a biographical sketch of J.R. Willson [here](https://purelypresbyterian.com/2017/10/02/profound-passionate-and-presbyterian-a-biographical-sketch-of-james-renwick-willson-d-d/).

Willson’s fascinating life includes the fact that he edited *The Evangelical Witness* for many years; he was, perhaps, the first to translate (a portion of) Francis Turretin’s *Institutes of Elenctic Theology* into English; and he was burned in effigy for his sermon on *Prince Messiah*, which was also publicly burned in a bonfire.

He died on September 29, 1853, and is buried at the Coldenham-Newburgh RPC. His son, [James McLeod Willson](/authors/james-mcleod-willson), another distinguished minister and author, wrote a biographical sketch of his father. [J.R. Willson](/authors/james-renwick-willson) is remembered today as a faithful American Covenanter pastor, who dedicated his life to serving the King of kings, and Lord of lords, in both church and state.