Declaritory Act Flashcards
FC and UP negotiations
1) 10 years of Negations FC and UP 1863-1873.
1) Amyraldianism
2) Double reference theory: Atonement. Idea that it had a universal reference as well as a particular reference.
3) Sabbath war to run trains on Sunday
4) UP’s decar act of 1879. It re-constructed theo of confession
5) Influence of critical movement. Rise of natural sciences. Darwinism etc
6) DL Moody and evangelical movement.
Reasons for discussions to join in 1890s…
After Dec Act passed in 1892, discussion to join with UP church started again. Union happened in 1900 to form UP church.
2 reasons to start joining discussion now:
1) Dec Act deals with Doc issues
2) Anti-unionists were sort of leaderless. Main opposition gone. Angus Galbraith is most vocal but doesn’t carry many with him.
Arguments against union
Arguments against Union
1) Lack of grassroots support (at least in highlands); so it’ll cause trouble.
2) Free church identity
3) Memory of James Begg and testimony of Free Church. That is, establishment principle.
Confessional Vows Issue - Changing
Questions for ministers’ vows for WCF had to be revised, so they could be adhered to on both sides.
Before: doctrines were immovable.
New vows very subjective.
- This is the largest doctrinal issue in the debate. It emasculated confession.
- Relationship to confession has now changed – this is intolerable for minsters.
- Upshot: union is going to happen in 1900. In the North, many people don’t go in; many ministers do go in.
1900, Union happens
Why 27 Protest in 1900?
27 protest. They continue as Free Church of Scotland
- When the 27 come to Assembly hall the doors are locked. They continue their business on the street outside the Assembly hall. Then move to Queen Street hall.
- In the highland 70/130 congregations, 40,000 people remain in FC of Scotland.
Who owns the property of the FC?
- Minority decided to take it to Court. Trustees had no right to buildings as they ceased to be Free Church of Scotland.
- The argument was that ownership of property is a legal matter and it can only be decided by Court.
- Court of Session dismisses claim
- stage 3 – they take it to the House of Lords. First heard in 1903, Trust was to be found in the docs of Disruption.
Those appealing had breached the Trust in 3 areas.
1) Entering into Union abandoned Estab principle
2) passing Dec Act they had departed from Doc of WCF
3) Passing Dec Act and altering questions and formula, by union of 1900, they fundamentally altered churches relationship to Creed and didn’t carry out purposes of Trust
Therefore, by adopting Union Act, they’d left the FCofS thus forefitting interest in her property etc.
The Judgment was given by Lords in favour of FC and 27 ministers. This judgment was earthshattering. Highest Court just handed massive amount of property into hands of a tiny minority of ministers.
- 1905 – Act of Parliament, placed funds in hands of committee to give it out.
- FC now becomes well organised. In addition, many congregations wanted to stay, so they were awarded their building.
Within 4 years 105 congregation. Massively stressful.
- Some congregations it was a stramash!
Declaratory Act 1892, background
One of the most controversial Acts in FC history.
Lands at the heart of confessional subscription.
(First Declaratory Act in 1846. It raised issue of Establishment Principle and the extent church was prepared to push it. It was an explanatory statement of what confessional subscription meant and doesn’t mean. It said we would persecute people of different persuation. It’s a caveat to the meaning of the confession.)
- Back in time: first few years of FC were harmony and growth. But cracks soon appeared and controversy suffered. Theo education was an early controversy. Then editorship of the Witness magazine was a controversy. In 1847, Candlish said it wasn’t good. We need another one and a managing committee should be set up. And Miller took this personally.
Other differences James Gibson wanted mnisters to stop working with Evang. Allience.
William Cunningham starts having desire for closer links between FC and UP church. (FC Establisgment / UP – volunterish.) in 1863.
- This is opposed by Dr Begg. 1866, Begg starts magazine to say no we must preserve Establish princh.
- By 1870, Union had a 30% opposition. Plans were shelved. However they went onto arrange mutual eligibility.
- 1876: After more union negotitions, the Reformed Presbyterian Church – Camerions. Negotitions to join and SOME unite in 1876.
Declaratory Act background, part 2
- By now Candlish had died, and Robert Rainy was influential leader.
- Other issues to deal with: societal issues / naturalism/ Darwinism / emotionalism / Romanticism / is humanity developing (seems more enlightenment) questions of is the church out of date.
- Questions about do we need to shed orthodoxy. Drummond came to a radical conclusion – ‘the new evangelism’ What they meant was a departure from churches commitment to WCF. They said we needed to revisit confidence in fundamental pillars of orthodoxy.
- Most notable figures: Marcus Dodds / George Adam Smith / Bruce / James Denny. Far from monolithic. But folks came together to ‘engage with culture.’ But it came to question biblical assumptions.
- It rested on the conviction if Xnty was liberated from traditional values and accompaniments. New enthusiasm for relevance.
- Work in 4 areas:
1) New view of bible. Saw that with Robertson Smith. The traditional view was that this view wasn’t accepted as a given.
2) New apologetic method. Relevance was all. Abandon old method which appeals to sceptic’s acceptance.
3) New epistemology. Adoption of contextual. Influence of Robert Rainy. Truth was relative and contingent.
4) New understanding of historical Jesus
Declar Act, part 3
So, WCF comes into view.
Questions rise as to how relevant subscription to confession is. Does the fact it was written in different generation does it dismiss it? And what does our subscription mean?
- Add to that, that after the disruption, there was a Declaratory Act which said that bit about the Civil Magestrate – we said we don’t want to persecute people of other perspective.
- 1879, UP church gave a declar act which gave liberty of conscience to doctrines that didn’t “enter the substance of faith”
- FC start to think we could take this on board.
- Began as a talking point and mood.
- 1887 is first formal mention. Overtures are sent by Synod of Glenelg and Presb of Lochcarron. But it’s thrown out.
- 1888, there are now two sides. 2 different overtures:
1) define the church and her relation to WCF, as it was hindering students!
2) Fresh light had been thrown on meaning of divine word and it was right that standards and living faith of church be in harmony.
But they weren’t supported.
- 1888, distinction between confession and ‘living faith’ of church.
- The overtures that wanted to keep the confession came from north of highland line.
- Highlands and Islands made up a significant portion of church. They were largely ignored.
- James L Macleod – 2nd Disruption, he argues that one of main factors was racism. Propogated by Robert Knox. Argued highlanders – Celts – were inferior to lowlanders – Saxons.
- Reasons for keeping WCF (Weren’t very good ones.):
1) Argued it would cause disunity
2) It shall rent and ruin church
3) Said it would lead to breaching of vows.
- 1889, Committee formed to look into issues: It was claimed the Westminster Divines committed two mistakes
1) Anti-confessionalism: They put more in than they should have. Overly prescriptive on secondary matters. Test of office went beyond what Scriptures warranted. E.g., why should there be a possible on the salvation of infants. They argued this meant there were not elect infants. They said bible is not clear on this, so should be liberty of conscience. - Ecclesiastical symbol should be reductionist. Too much head, not enough heart” No warmth, light, and vigour.
- Reversed the order on how divine truth came to us. Different completion to the bible. Argued modern church less focused on logic.
- Divines said that truth was by ‘good and necessary consequence.’ The divines used a systematic approach. Free theselves from confessionalism.
2) Look how old it was. They said it was so different to the world/era we live in. God reveals new things to his church in providence. They cited civil magistrate as a teaching to be accepted.
4 other issues:
* 1) Sovereignty of God vs the love of God. Walter Smith suggests that sov. Of God overshadowed love of God. Prest/elec/limited at/ were not given much discussions in new evangelicals; see DL Moody. Thought it was so cold.
* 2) confession vs living faith of the church.
* 3) What other churches are doing: UP dropping conf.
* 4) alleged that men were prevented cos of terms of subscription.
Declaratory Act, part 4
Summary:
* 1) Methodology of confession
* 2) Desire for change
* 3) other churches outside
* 4) new ministers
- 1890 – committee report back.
1) Because they thought they couldn’t change it, they decided to issue a declaratory act with major caveats.
2) report was important cos it set out the way a Declar Act would be set out. - 1891 – Report submitted to GA
Recommendation that church would issue a declaratory act
Would have 6 articles - 1) Love
- 2) free offer
- 3) nature of man
- 4) liberty on things that don’t enter the substance of ‘reformed’ faith
Church should not be slavish to the confession.
‘living faith’ everyone lived this.
Robert Howie – said there should be a new convictions of faith.
Subordinate to scripture.
3) he reminded the people they have liberty. Wants a union with UF church and this will help it. Tripping over himself to bring union. - 1892
Act is adopted. Rainy wins by 346 – 195. So it’s passed into legislation.
Small minority fought it but massive majority won.
This produced massive anger
And schism happened: 1893 – FP church formed. 20,000 people left. But only 2 ministers.
FP has NEVER changed!
o Summary:
Robert Rainy strongly wants union with UP’s.
Doctrine: Declar Acts paved way for union - Ecclesiastical issue: UP was voluntarist (no estab princ); FC was Estab
