MacInnis, John Murdoch, 1871-1940

John Murdoch MacInnis; Presbyterian pastor and theologian; pastorates in Minnesota, California, Syracuse, N.Y., and Philadelphia, Pa.; teacher at The Bible Institute of Los Angeles (BIOLA); made dean in 1924. After publication of his book "Peter, the Fisherman Philosopher," based on a series of lectures he had given at Moody Bible institute in 1922, he was accused of Modernism and was forced to resign. Several members of the Board of Directors and of the BIOLA staff resigned in protest, and some students withdrew from the school. After MacInnis left, the new board destroyed the remaining copies and type forms of his book. The controversy aroused considerable attention in the religious and secular press, with leading Fundamentalists supporting or opposing MacInnis. After leaving BIOLA, MacInnis worked for the Board of Christian Education of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (PCUSA), the Synod of California, and the Presbytery of Los Angeles.