The Continuation, Breadth, and Impact of Evangelicalism in the Church of Scotland, 1843-1900
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This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. The Continuation, Breadth, and Impact of Evangelicalism in the Church of Scotland, 1843-1900 Andrew Michael Jones A Thesis Submitted to The University of Edinburgh, New College In Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Edinburgh, United Kingdom 2018 ii Declaration This thesis has been composed by the candidate and is the candidate’s own work. Andrew M. Jones PhD Candidate iii Acknowledgements The research, composition, and completion of this thesis would have been impossible without the guidance and support of innumerable individuals, institutions, and communities. My primary supervisor, Professor Stewart J. Brown, provided expert historical knowledge, timely and lucid editorial insights, and warm encouragement from start to finish. My secondary supervisor, Dr. James Eglinton, enhanced my understanding of key cultural and theological ideas, offered wise counsel over endless cups of coffee, and reminded me to find joy and meaning in the Ph.D. process. The merits of the following work are due in large part to their advice and influence. The faults that remain are wholly my own. Non-supervisory members of the New College faculty and staff who helped me navigate the postgraduate experience in various ways include: Dr. Naomi Appleton, Dr. David Reimer, Professor Susan Hardman-Moore, Professor Jane Dawson, Dr. Sara Parvis, Professor Paul Foster, Dr. Linden Bicket, Professor David Fergusson, Dr. Kirsteen Murray, Jo Hendry, Robert McKay, Cao Mingyuan, Karoline McLean, Felicity Smail, and Kate Munro. I was also fortunate to receive helpful feedback on both individual chapters and the overarching project from a number of generous scholars, including Andrew Muirhead, Professor David Bebbington, Dr. Elizabeth Ritchie, Dr. David Currie, Professor Marjory Harper, Dr. Andrew Holmes, Dr. Timothy Larsen, and Ryan Mallon. My sources were made accessible by the wonderful and patient women and men of the University of Edinburgh Main Library, New College Library and Special Collections, the University of St. Andrews Main Library and Special Collections, and the National Library of Scotland Main Reading Room and Special Collections. During the six-month period between returning to the States and submitting the thesis, I was aided in a number of different ways by the following: Dr. Guy Richard and Dr. Jonathan Stuckert of Reformed Theological Seminary, Atlanta; Mary Martha Riviere and Erica Durham of the John Bulow Campbell Library at Columbia Theological Seminary; and the Atlanta-Fulton County and Cobb County Public Library Systems. Margaret Rose Knox began this journey with me as a new friend, writing letters across an ocean. She finishes alongside me as Margaret Rose Jones, my best friend and beloved wife. I owe her an unpayable debt of gratitude for her patience, bravery, mercy, and support throughout the entire process. During the third year of the Ph.D., Margaret Rose and I were joined by our son, Knox Martin Jones. I thank Knox for the privilege of being his father, the joy of wandering Edinburgh with a wee native, and the necessity of speeding up the completion of this thesis in order to get on with things. iv From a young age, my loving parents – Chip and B.J. Jones – nurtured and encouraged my study of Scottish History. I would not be where I am today without them. My father- and mother-in-law, Dr. John and Eleanor Knox, have also been an unstinting and generous source of support. The time spent in Edinburgh by both sets of parents in order to help during the first months of Knox’s life was an incredible gift. Our time spent in Edinburgh was exponentially enriched by our friends, especially: Angus and Elizabeth Andrew, Matt and Georgie Hulks, Andy and Sophie Johnston, Pher and Siobhan Nicolson, Adam Curtis, Derek and Catriona Lamont, Neil and Dayspring MacLeod, Ewan McGillivray, Matthew and Jenny Hoskin, Alden and Louise McCray, Jenni Galloway, Samuel MacPherson, Michael Stone, Susi Steier, Graham and Kirsty Thompson, David Morris, William Lytle, and Ash Cunningham My New College colleagues who made long days seem short include: Russell Newton, Will Kelly, Andrew Kelley, Zach Cole, Sydney Tooth, Sarah Lane Ritchie, Sarah Agnew, Teresa McCaskill, Tom Breimaier, Cory Brock, Simeon Burke, Ryan Tafilowski, Ryan Collman, Matthew Hoskin, Elizabeth Corsar, Laura Mair, Bruce Pass, Elijah Hixson, Anja Pogacnik, Lizzie LeCompte, David Robinson, Andrew Kloes, Jo Thor, and Evan Graber. Over the last four years, I also drew imaginative and creative inspiration from a range of musicians, artists, and poets, including: Phoebe Anna Traquair, King Creosote, Dawes, Jason Isbell, T.S. Eliot, W.H. Auden, and George MacKay Brown. Andrew Michael Jones 10 March 2018 v For my father, Oliver King Jones III Who first brought me to Scotland as a thirteen-year-old, encouraged my love of learning, and persistently models character, grace, and generosity. vi Table of Contents Title Page……………………………………………………………………………..i Declaration………………………………………………………...............................ii Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………….iii Table of Contents………………………………………………………………….....vi Abstract…………………………………………………………………………….viii Abbreviations………………………………………………………………………....x Introduction…………………………………………………………………………1 1. Research Context and Literature Review………………………………...4 2. Methodology and Chapter Synopses……………………………………22 Chapter One: The Continuation of Evangelicalism in the Church of Scotland: The Middle Party of the Disruption and William Muir of St. Stephen’s, Edinburgh…………………………………………………………………………..27 1. Context: The Ten Years’ Conflict………………………………………………………………….28 2. The Middle Party: Actions and Composition…………………………...30 3. Middle Party Influence and the Continuation of Evangelicalism in the Church of Scotland After 1843, Pt. I……………………………………36 4. Middle Party Influence and the Continuation of Evangelicalism in the Church of Scotland After 1843, Pt. II…………………………………...39 5. Biographical Case Study: William Muir of St. Stephen’s, Edinburgh….52 6. Early Life and Induction to St. Stephen’s……………………………….53 7. Early Ministry at St. Stephen’s and the Ten Years’ Conflict: 1835- 1842……………………………………………………………………..56 8. The Middle Party and the Disruption, 1842-1843………………………63 9. After the Storm: Local and National Ministry, 1843-1863……………..66 10. Final Years, Retirement, and Death……………………………………..73 11. Conclusion……………………………………………………………....77 Chapter Two: Evangelicalism, Recovery, and Revival: Church of Scotland Missions at Home and Abroad, 1843-1860……………………………………….79 1. Context: The Missionary Schemes of the Church of Scotland………….80 2. Education………………………………………………………………..82 3. Foreign Missions………………………………………………………..90 4. Home Missions………………………………………………………...100 5. Jewish Missions………………………………………………………..106 6. Colonial Missions……………………………………………………...112 7. The Endowment Scheme………………………………………………121 8. Conclusion……………………………………………………………..126 vii Chapter Three: The Romantic Evangelicalism of Norman MacLeod...……....129 1. Biographical Overview………………………………………………...129 2. Culture and Place: Romanticism and the Highlands…………………..135 3. Belief and Practice: The Theology of Norman MacLeod……………..148 4. Romantic Evangelicalism……………………………………………...165 5. Conclusion……………………………………………………………..175 Chapter Four: In and Beyond the Kirk: Victorian Evangelicalism and Norman MacLeod’s Good Words, 1860-1872……………………………………………..177 1. Good Words: Background and Context………………………………..178 2. The First Years: 1860-1863……………………………………………182 3. The Good Words Controversies of 1863………………………………196 4. Calmer Waters: 1864-1867…………………………………………….203 5. “Trust in God and Do the Right”: 1868-1872…………………………213 6. Conclusion……………………………………………………………..221 Chapter Five: Alive and Working: A.H. Charteris and Evangelicalism in the Late Victorian Church of Scotland……………………………….......................225 1. A Life of Mission……………………………………............................226 2. The Professor’s Mind: Philosophy, Theology, and Biblical Criticism...233 3. Charteris, Revival, and the Church of Scotland……………...……......250 4. Charteris and the Life and Work Committee, 1869-1894………..........258 5. Conclusion…………………………………………..............................275 Chapter Six: Life and Work Magazine, 1879-1900…………………..................279 1. “A Suggestion of Great Importance”: A Survey of Life and Work……280 2. Theology and the Bible in Life and Work………………………….......287 3. Awakening and Consecration: Revivalism and Holiness in the Church of Scotland..................................................................................................295 4. Christian Work: Missionary and Social Activism…………………......307 5. Disestablishment, Missions, and the Self-consciousness of Recovery…………….............................................................................317