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Free Church of Scotland (1843-1900)
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The Free Church of Scotland is a Scottish denomination which was formed in 1843 by a large withdrawal from the established Church of Scotland in a division known as the Disruption. In 1900 the vast majority of the Free Church of Scotland united with the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland to form the United Free Church of Scotland (which re-united with the Church of Scotland in 1929).
However, a minority of the original Free Church of Scotland remained outside the union of 1900, claiming the title Free Church of Scotland for itself.
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The Free Church of Scotland is a Scottish denomination which was formed in 1843 by a large withdrawal from the established Church of Scotland in a division known as the Disruption. In 1900 the vast majority of the Free Church of Scotland united with the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland to form the United Free Church of Scotland (which re-united with the Church of Scotland in 1929).
However, a minority of the original Free Church of Scotland remained outside the union of 1900, claiming the title Free Church of Scotland for itself. It continues to this day as the 'Wee Free'. (See Free Church of Scotland (post 1900))
Origins
See Disruption of 1843 for a fuller account
The Free Church was formed by Evangelicals who broke from the Church of Scotland in 1843 in protest against what they regarded as the state's encroachment on the spiritual independence of the Church.
The nature of the Church
Finances
The first task of the new church was to provide income for her initial 500 ministers and places of worship for her people. As she aspired to be the national church of the Scottish people, she set herself the ambitious task of establishing a presence in every parish in Scotland (except in the Highlands, where FC ministers were initially in short supply.)
The church building programme produced 470 new buildings within a year and over 700 by 1847. Manses and over 700 schools soon followed. This program was made possible by extraordinary financial generosity, which came from the Evangelical awakening and the wealth of the emerging middle class.
The church created a Sustentation Fund, the brainchild of Thomas Chalmers, to which congregations contributed according to their means, and from which all ministers received an 'equal dividend'. This fund provided a modest income for 583 ministers in 1843/4, and by 1900 was able to provide an income for nearly 1200. This sharing and centralising of resources was previously unknown within the Church of Scotland, but later became the norm.
Theology
Great importance was attached to maintaining an educated ministry within the Free Church. Because the established Church of Scotland controlled the divinity faculties of the universities, the FC set up its own colleges. New College was opened in 1850 with five chairs. Christ's College and Trinity College followed later. The first generation of teachers were enthusiastic proponents of Westminster Calvinism. This position was soon abandoned, as theologians such as Dr A. B. Bruce, Marcus Dods and George Adam Smith began to teach a more liberal understanding of the faith. 'Believing criticism' of the Bible was a central approach taught by such as William Robertson Smith. Attempts were made between 1890 and 1895 to bring many of these professors to the bar of the Assembly on charges of heresy, but these charges failed, with only minor warnings being issued.
In 1892 the Free Church, following the example of the United Presbyterian Church and the Church of Scotland, passed a Declaratory Act relaxing the standard of subscription to the confession, with the result that a small number of congregations and even fewer ministers, mostly in the Highlands, severed their connection with the church and formed the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland.
Activity
The church was very active in foreign missions. Many of the staff from the established Church's India mission adhered to the FC. The church soon also established herself in Africa, under James Stewart and Robert Laws. She also involved herself in Jewish evangelism. Her focus on mission resulted in her producing one of the largest missionary organisations in the world.
Home mission was also given prominence. Thomas Chalmers led the way with a territorial mission in Edinburgh's West Port, which epitomised his idea of a 'godly commonwealth'. Free churchmen were at the forefront of the 1859 Revival as well as the Moody and Sankey's campaign of 1873-5. However, Chalmer's social ideas were never fully realised, as the gap between the church and the urban masses continued to increase.
Towards the end of the century, the use of instrumental music was sanctioned in Free Churches. An association was formed in 1891 to promote order and reverence in public services. In 1898 it published A New Directory for Public Worship which, while not providing set forms of prayer, offered directions. The Free Church took an interest in hymnology and church music, which led to the production of The Church Hymnary.
Unions and relationships with other Presbyterians
From its inception, the Free Church claimed it was the authentic Church of Scotland. Constitutionally, despite the disruption, she continued to support the establishment principle. However, this support quickly disappeared and many joined with the United Presbyterian Church in calling for the Disestablishment of the Church of Scotland.
In 1852 the Original Secession Church joined the Free Church; in 1876 the Reformed Presbyterian Church followed suit. However, a leadership-led attempt to unite with the United Presbyterians was not successful. These attempts began as early as 1863 when the Free Church began talks with the UPC with a view to a union. However, a report laid before the Assembly of 1864 showed that the two churches were not agreed as to the relationship between state and church. The Free Church maintained that national resources could be used in aid of the church, provided that the state abstain from all interference in its internal government, while the United Presbyterians held that, as the state had no authority in spiritual things, it was not within its jurisdiction to legislate as to what was true in religion, to prescribe a creed or form of worship for its subjects, or to endow the church from national resources. Any union would therefore have to leave this question open. At the time this difference was sufficient to preclude the union being pursued further.
In the following years the Free Church Assembly showed increasing willingness for union on these open terms. However, the 'establishment' minority prevented a successful conclusion during 1867-73. After their negotiations failed in 1873, the two churches agreed a 'Mutual Eligibility Act' enabling a congregation of one denomination to call a minister from the other.
During this period 'antidisestablishmentarianism' party continued to shrink and became increasingly alienated. This decline was hastened when some congregations left to form the Free Presbyterian Church in 1893.
Starting in 1895 union began to be officially discussed again. A joint committee made up of men from both denominations noted remarkable agreement on doctrinal standards, rules and methods. After a few concessions from both sides, a common constitution was agreed. The ever decreasing minority in the Free Church Assembly protested, and threatened to test its legality in the courts.
The respective Assemblies of the churches met for the last time on October 30, 1900. On the following day the union was completed, and the United Free Church of Scotland came into being.
However, a small minority of those who dissented remained outside the union. They claimed that they were the Free Church and that the majority had departed from the church when they formed the UFC. After a protracted legal battle, the House of Lords found in favour of the minority and awarded them the right to keep the name Free Church, though the majority was able to keep most of the financial resources. (see Free Church of Scotland (post 1900) for the history of the smaller body)
See also
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