(April 17, 2025)—Richmond, VA Union Presbyterian Seminary, mourns the passing of the Rev. Dr. Brian Albert Gerrish, Distinguished Service Professor of Theology, who died peacefully in Mechanicsville, VA on Monday, April 14, at the age of 93. President Jacq Lapsley underscored, “How grateful we are to God for the impact that Professor Gerrish had on so many lives at Union and elsewhere, for his life, and for his witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Born in London. England, in 1931, Dr. Gerrish was a scholar of remarkable depth, a gifted teacher, and an honorably retired minister member of the Presbytery of Chicago in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He studied classics at Queens’ College, University of Cambridge (B.A., 1952; M.A., 1956), and prepared for ministry at Westminster College, Cambridge. As a Fulbright fellow, he came to the United States to continue his theological education, earning the S.T.M. summa cum laude at Union Theological Seminary in New York (1956) and the Ph.D. in philosophy of religion at Columbia University (1958).
Dr. Gerrish’s early ministry included service as assistant pastor at West End Presbyterian Church in New York City. His distinguished academic career began at McCormick Theological Seminary and continued at the University of Chicago, where he served for over three decades as John Nuveen Professor of Theology in the Divinity School. From 1965 to 1996, he was a formative influence on generations of students and scholars, also serving as coeditor of The Journal of Religion and a university preacher.
Upon his retirement from the University of Chicago in 1996, Dr. Gerrish joined Union Presbyterian Seminary as Distinguished Service Professor of Theology, where he continued to teach and mentor with deep wisdom and grace until 2002.
A noted authority in dogmatic theology and the history of Christian thought, Dr. Gerrish authored fifteen influential books, including Grace and Reason, The Old Protestantism and the New, A Prince of the Church, and Grace and Gratitude, as well as numerous essays and edited volumes. He was widely recognized for his scholarship, receiving fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and was honored with a Doctor of Divinity from the University of St. Andrews.
Dr. Gerrish was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and served as president of both the American Theological Society (Midwest Division) and the American Society of Church History. From 1984 to 1991, he contributed to the life of the church through his work on the Special Committee to Draft a Brief Statement of Faith for the PC (U.S.A.). In 1994 Gerrish delivered the Sprunt Lectures at Union Presbyterian Seminary on “Faith, Confession, and Jesus Christ.”
He is survived by his wife, Dr. Dawn DeVries, Professor Emerita of Systemic Theology at Union Presbyterian Seminary; his children Heather, Carolyn, and Paul; and many students and colleagues who carry forward his legacy of rigorous scholarship and faithful witness.
Details of a memorial service will be announced in due course.
Union Presbyterian Seminary gives thanks to God for the life and ministry of Brian Gerrish–scholar, teacher, minister, and friend.
“With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us for the
love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
– A Brief Statement of Faith, PC (U.S.A.) 1983
Brian’s memorial service will be on May 24 at 1 pm at Ginter Park Presbyterian Church, 3601 Seminary Avenue Richmond
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