'Brethren or Sectaries? Richard Baxter on the Congregationalists', The Congregational Lecture, Doctor Williams's Library, London (2012) (original) (raw)

Voluntary saints : English Congregationalism and the voluntary principle, 1825-1962

1982

This thesis is a study of the theory' and practice of the voluntary principle in :English Congregationalism between 1825 and 1862. The voluntary pri..llciple came to be se~1} in this period as of the essense of Congregationalism ~lld its Congregationalist ad.~erents sought to achieve :l.ts consist~llt practice in every aspect of denominational life. Chapter 1 describes the breakdo~~ of the old 'catholic' consensus L~ British evangelicalism. 13-.1 the mid-1820s the cooperation born of revival was be;ng sorely tested on a number of fronts. Politics was certainly important, but there was also grovdng denominational self-interest. T.bis was particularly the case in home and foreign missions and Congregationalists, perhaps the most 'catholic' of bodies, were under press1lre from within and without to pursue a more partisan policy. Ol:.t 01' these practical concerns emerged, as chapta' 2 points out, a more clearly articulated theory 01' voluntary churchmanship. Of course voluntarism had been a principle of Congregational Indepe..'"lc1ancy since the 17th century, but some adjustment 1-taS needed to the new circumst~llces of the 19th century. Congregationalist and other DissentiI'.g apologists honed and refined the pri..llciple ~lld gave it a sha..~ness and comprehensiveness ith~dnever had before. Even such a 'catholic' Noncon:for~~st as u~~n Angel James saw the need to instruct :bis congregation in its Dissenting principles. He and many others provided the theoretical r:;'Gl:C3 for the practical exercise of the voluntary principle. With chapters 3 and. 4 I tu.."""Il to th.e internal consolidation of the Congregational commll.llity. The Congregational Union (chapter 3) provided an agency for deno~ational activity and a focal point for an otherw"ise hj.ghly decentr;>]'; zed community. L'"l our period the union was only moderately successful in realizing its objectives, but it pro-nded a forum for discussion eyen i f it showed the li''l'.itations of Congregational volunt.arism. By the late 1850s the union ..-as seriously tp.reatened by its too many commitments, local indifference and internal strife. Perhaps more successful was the Dissenting and denomina.tional press (ch-apter 4) in consolidat;ng the COID..lJlUluty. \ Congregationalists were active in bot!!. the ,.n.der assenting press as well as their own denominationa.l press. The voluntary pri.."l.ciple was seen to be of great importance in the areas of errucation and chapel buildL~g. It was in both these areas that Congregationalism was most seriously challenged by the Est.ablishment and it was here that the voluntary principle was most evidently curtailed. The education battle (chapter 5) was a valiant one, but it was doomed from the start. The Congregationalist system simply could not susta:L"1 a viable alternative to the state-supported syste."lt. Chapel building (Chapter 6) was more successful, but its success was itself a recognition of the liw~ted resources of the Congregational co~~unity and therefore of the voluntary prjnciple.

Representations of Congregational identity in Edwardian Hampshire

Church history, and the history of faith and religion, continues to fascinate local historians, but the meanings which church members attached to their own church – its identity, and their identification with it – are fruitful areas for further research. These themes are illustrated with a case-study of Congregationalism in Edwardian Hampshire. The study starts with a summary of the state of Congregationalism in the period, with its strong sense of ‘belonging’, and then shows how Congregationalists at the time had a clear sense of history and heritage, stemming from the emergence of the denomination in the aftermath of the 1662 purges of the Church of England. The paper outlines the importance of 1912, the 250th anniversary of the Church, in these perceptions. The next section discusses the theological aspects of identity, with an explanation of the principles of Congregationalism that set it apart from other denominations, and showing how contemporaries in their preaching and public statements emphasised those special identities. From this, the discussion addresses that ‘sense of belonging’, drawing attention to the social networks and the use of events and activities to emphasise identity. The importance of class is noted, because there was much comment a century ago about the alleged middle-class bias of the denomination, and there is consideration of the educational backgrounds of the pastors in the Church, who were notably better educated and more intellectual than those of other nonconformist denominations. Article published in The Local Historian vol 41(2), 2011

Faith and good works: congregationalism in Edwardian Hampshire 1901-1914

2015

Congregationalists were a major presence in the ecclesiastical landscape of Edwardian Hampshire. With a number of churches in the major urban centres of Southampton, Portsmouth and Bournemouth, and places of worship in most market towns and many villages they were much in evidence and their activities received extensive coverage in the local press. Their leaders, both clerical and lay, were often prominent figures in the local community as they sought to give expression to their Evangelical convictions tempered with a strong social conscience. From what they had to say about Congregational leadership, identity, doctrine and relations with the wider world and indeed their relative silence on the issue of gender relations, something of the essence of Edwardian Congregationalism emerges. In their discourses various tensions were to the fore, including those between faith and good works; the spiritual and secular impulses at the heart of the institutional principle; and the conflicting ...

Congregational Studies: Taking Stock

This chapter charts the development of congregational studies - analyses of local Christian congregations - in the UK from the 1950s onwards. It draws comparisons with similar studies in the USA, and offers insights into how the evolution of dominant approaches and perspectives has been shaped by changes in the wider cultural climate.

‘Blending the Sacred with the Secular’: Congregationalism in Edwardian Basingstoke 1901-1914

London Street Congregational Church in Basingstoke can be said to have epitomised market town Congregationalism at the turn of the twentieth century. This was characterised by a outward looking stance driven not only by evangelistic endeavour but also by the desire to integrate fully with the cultural, social, economic and political life of the community at large. In other words, there was no longer a rigid boundary between the sacred and the secular.

A Sketch of the Elements and Ordinances of Nearly Two Dozen Proto-Brethren Assemblies from 1818-1820

Brethren and the Church, 2020

Decades before the initial gathering of John Nelson Darby, John Gifford Bellett, Anthony Norris Groves, Edward Cronin, John Parnell, and the others who assembled with them to break bread in Dublin (c. 1827-28), leading to what would later come to be known as the Plymouth Brethren, independent communities of believers convened in cities across the U.K. and in some northeastern cities of the U.S. and Canada with the intent of replicating those ecclesiastical practices common to the early church. Letters from nearly two dozen proto-brethren assemblies dating between 1818 to 1820 serve to document the elements and ordinances of these primitivist minded groups and offer us a rare window into the values and interests of these ‘conventicles,’ during a unique time in history. This paper will compare and contrast the views of these assemblies as reflected through correspondence exchanged between them, having been collected and afterward printed in New York in 1820, a reprint of which was published in 1889 under a different name: “Letters Concerning Their Principles and Order from Assemblies of Believers in 1818-1820”.

“A Splendid Prospect”?: Congregationalism in Edwardian Southampton 1901-1914

Many historians regard the years leading up to the First World War as a pivotal moment for Congregationalists. For Southampton’s Congregational Churches, the Edwardian period was one in which they faced a number of challenges but through their worship, witness and good works they were able, in the main, to surmount them. However, whether the prospect was ‘splendid’, as some maintained, was open to question.