Difference between revisions of "Church of Scotland"
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| − | The '''Church of Scotland''' (The "Kirk" in [[Scots]]) is the established church in [[Scotland]]. [[Reformed Churches|Reformed]] in | + | The '''Church of Scotland''' (The "Kirk" in [[Scots]]) is the established church in [[Scotland]]. It is Calvinistic ([[Reformed Churches|Reformed]]) in doctrine and [[Presbyterian]] in government and discipline. |
| + | ==History== | ||
| + | It was formed in the mid-16th century by [[John Knox]] (1514-1572) and the Protestant Lords of the Congregation. When Mary I became Queen in 1553 Knox fled to Switzerland, where he was strongly influenced by the Calvinist theology of [[John Calvin]] of Geneva; he sent many letters and pamphlets back to Scotland in returned in 1559. In 1560, the [[Scottish Parliament]] formally rejected Papal jurisdiction. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The Presbyterianism which replaced the Latin Roman Catholic services and episcopal system of government was then regularized by the adoption of the Scots Confession, Knox's Liturgy, and the First Book of Discipline (replaced by the Second Book of Discipline in 1581). These innovations were at once opposed by the Erastian Stuart monarchy, and this opposition was not resolved until the signing of the National Covenant of 1638 and the Solemn League and Covenant of 1643, by the latter of which the Scottish Church adopted the Westminster symbols as permanent standards of doctrine, worship, and government. These symbols were the Westminster Confession, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, the Directory for the Public Worship of God, the Form of Presbyterian Church Government, and the new version of the Metrical Psalms. Following the return of Charles II to the throne in Restoration of 1660 and the "killing time" of the Covenanters, Presbyterianism was guaranteed as the national form of religion by the Revolution Settlement of 1690 and the Act of Union that merged Scotland and England of 1707. | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | + | In the following turbulent 130 years, there was a great deal of conflict - at times armed - between various factions in the United Kingdom (formed from the union of the Scottish and English Royal Houses in 1603), and religion was often a defining factor in the shifting alliances that shaped the dynastic, political and cultural landscape of the time. (See [[English Civil War]]). Specifically, Presbyterianisms, [[Episcopalianism]] and [[Catholicism]] were vying for supremacy in this period. With the ascendancy of the Protestant House of Orange in the Glorious Revolution of 1690, the predominance of the Presbyterianism Kirk was assured.<ref>http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/organisation/orghistory.htm#national</ref> | |
| + | ==Schisms== | ||
| + | Through the next two centuries major schisms occurred within the Church over the questions of patronage and state control. The principal separation Churches were the First Secession Church of 1733, the Relief Church of 1761, and the Free Church of 1843, all Presbyterian. The last one hundred years, however, have witnessed the vital reunion of these several bodies, culminating in 1929 in the joining of the United Free Church and the State Church as the Church of Scotland. The Church of Scotland had about 960,000 adult members in 1980. | ||
==Church organization== | ==Church organization== | ||
| Line 10: | Line 14: | ||
==Role in education== | ==Role in education== | ||
| − | As a result of the zeal of early reformers to spread the | + | As a result of the zeal of early reformers to spread the Word of God, Scotland became in 1616 the first country in the world to pass a law requiring a school to be established in every parish. By 1800, this goal was achieved only in a few places. Reformers in the mid 19th century worked to create secondary schools, attended by a small minority, who studied English, writing and arithmetic. There is a myth in Scotland to the effect that it was first modern country to institute a system of universal [[public education]].<ref>R. Anderson, "In Search of the 'Lad of Parts': the Mythical History of Scottish Education." ''History Workshop Journal'' (1985) 19:82-104; Anderson, "Secondary Schools and Scottish Society in the Nineteenth Century," ''Past & Present'' (1985) [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0031-2746%28198511%290%3A109%3C176%3ASSASSI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-C 109:176-203]; </ref> |
| − | + | ||
==Liberal position on women== | ==Liberal position on women== | ||
There has been full equality between men and women in the Church of Scotland since 1968.<ref>http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/organisation/orgwomen.htm</ref> | There has been full equality between men and women in the Church of Scotland since 1968.<ref>http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/organisation/orgwomen.htm</ref> | ||
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(For more see [[Homosexuality and Scotland]]) | (For more see [[Homosexuality and Scotland]]) | ||
| + | ==Bibliography== | ||
| + | * Brown, Callum G. ''Religion and Society in Scotland since 1707.'' Edinburgh U. Press, 1997. 219 pp. | ||
| + | * Buchan, John. ''The Kirk in Scotland, 1560-1929'' (1985) | ||
| + | * Burleigh, J.H.S. ''A Church History of Scotland'' (1962), short and impartial | ||
| + | * Marshall, Rosalind K. ''John Knox.'' Edinburgh: Birlinn, 2000. 244 pp. | ||
| + | * Todd, Margo. ''The Culture of Protestantism in Early Modern Scotland.'' Yale U. Press, 2002. 450 pp. | ||
| + | * Wormald, Jenny. ''Court, Kirk and Community, Scotland 1470-1625'' (1981), in The New History of Scotland [http://www.amazon.com/Court-Kirk-Community-Scotland-History/dp/0748602763/ref=sr_1_6/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191469115&sr=8-6 excerpt and text search] | ||
| + | *''Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford University Press, 2004, [http://www.oxforddnb.com/ onlineedition]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
| Line 26: | Line 40: | ||
[[Category:Christian Denominations]] | [[Category:Christian Denominations]] | ||
[[Category:Scottish Culture]] | [[Category:Scottish Culture]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Protestantism]] | ||
Revision as of 12:33, November 23, 2008
The Church of Scotland (The "Kirk" in Scots) is the established church in Scotland. It is Calvinistic (Reformed) in doctrine and Presbyterian in government and discipline.
History
It was formed in the mid-16th century by John Knox (1514-1572) and the Protestant Lords of the Congregation. When Mary I became Queen in 1553 Knox fled to Switzerland, where he was strongly influenced by the Calvinist theology of John Calvin of Geneva; he sent many letters and pamphlets back to Scotland in returned in 1559. In 1560, the Scottish Parliament formally rejected Papal jurisdiction.
The Presbyterianism which replaced the Latin Roman Catholic services and episcopal system of government was then regularized by the adoption of the Scots Confession, Knox's Liturgy, and the First Book of Discipline (replaced by the Second Book of Discipline in 1581). These innovations were at once opposed by the Erastian Stuart monarchy, and this opposition was not resolved until the signing of the National Covenant of 1638 and the Solemn League and Covenant of 1643, by the latter of which the Scottish Church adopted the Westminster symbols as permanent standards of doctrine, worship, and government. These symbols were the Westminster Confession, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, the Directory for the Public Worship of God, the Form of Presbyterian Church Government, and the new version of the Metrical Psalms. Following the return of Charles II to the throne in Restoration of 1660 and the "killing time" of the Covenanters, Presbyterianism was guaranteed as the national form of religion by the Revolution Settlement of 1690 and the Act of Union that merged Scotland and England of 1707.
In the following turbulent 130 years, there was a great deal of conflict - at times armed - between various factions in the United Kingdom (formed from the union of the Scottish and English Royal Houses in 1603), and religion was often a defining factor in the shifting alliances that shaped the dynastic, political and cultural landscape of the time. (See English Civil War). Specifically, Presbyterianisms, Episcopalianism and Catholicism were vying for supremacy in this period. With the ascendancy of the Protestant House of Orange in the Glorious Revolution of 1690, the predominance of the Presbyterianism Kirk was assured.[1]
Schisms
Through the next two centuries major schisms occurred within the Church over the questions of patronage and state control. The principal separation Churches were the First Secession Church of 1733, the Relief Church of 1761, and the Free Church of 1843, all Presbyterian. The last one hundred years, however, have witnessed the vital reunion of these several bodies, culminating in 1929 in the joining of the United Free Church and the State Church as the Church of Scotland. The Church of Scotland had about 960,000 adult members in 1980.
Church organization
Rejecting a distinction between bishops and the clergy, and, indeed, downplaying the distinction between clergy and laity, each Church of Scotland congregation is governed by a Kirk Session consisting of body of elected elders, the minister considered to be but a special case of elder. The church as a whole takes decisions at the annual General Assembly, at which both elders and ministers are represented.[2]
Role in education
As a result of the zeal of early reformers to spread the Word of God, Scotland became in 1616 the first country in the world to pass a law requiring a school to be established in every parish. By 1800, this goal was achieved only in a few places. Reformers in the mid 19th century worked to create secondary schools, attended by a small minority, who studied English, writing and arithmetic. There is a myth in Scotland to the effect that it was first modern country to institute a system of universal public education.[3]
Liberal position on women
There has been full equality between men and women in the Church of Scotland since 1968.[4]
Homosexuality
The Church of Scotland is generally tolerant of homosexuality. A recent report concluded that: Many people are both gay and Christian; having a homosexual orientation is not a matter for censure; having a homosexual orientation does not preclude service to Christ in the church and the world. A homosexual orientation should not be a barrier to any role in church and state, and the Church should oppose all forms of discrimination on these grounds, both in environments where the Church carries authority and in society at large. [5]
(For more see Homosexuality and Scotland)
Bibliography
- Brown, Callum G. Religion and Society in Scotland since 1707. Edinburgh U. Press, 1997. 219 pp.
- Buchan, John. The Kirk in Scotland, 1560-1929 (1985)
- Burleigh, J.H.S. A Church History of Scotland (1962), short and impartial
- Marshall, Rosalind K. John Knox. Edinburgh: Birlinn, 2000. 244 pp.
- Todd, Margo. The Culture of Protestantism in Early Modern Scotland. Yale U. Press, 2002. 450 pp.
- Wormald, Jenny. Court, Kirk and Community, Scotland 1470-1625 (1981), in The New History of Scotland excerpt and text search
- Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004, onlineedition.
References
- ↑ http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/organisation/orghistory.htm#national
- ↑ http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/organisation/orgstructure.htm
- ↑ R. Anderson, "In Search of the 'Lad of Parts': the Mythical History of Scottish Education." History Workshop Journal (1985) 19:82-104; Anderson, "Secondary Schools and Scottish Society in the Nineteenth Century," Past & Present (1985) 109:176-203;
- ↑ http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/organisation/orgwomen.htm
- ↑ http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/generalassembly/downloads/gareports07manddchallengetounity.rtf