The Scottish Episcopal Church in the nineteenth century was dominated by
High Churchmen. But by around 1820 Evangelical clergy began to take up
posts within its fold, particularly in the major Scottish cities,
holiday centers, and in places where wealthy patrons could supply funds
necessary to sustain a church. The Evangelical newcomers reached a
numerical peak from 1842 to 1854 when they accounted for around one in
seven of all Episcopal clergy in Scotland. They provided some of the
most active and vibrant ministries in the country, notable for their
work among the poor and in Sabbatarian, temperance, and missionary
endeavors. At the same time their private lives were marked by an
attractiveness that belied some contemporary critics of Evangelicalism.
However, many Evangelicals did not find the Scottish Episcopal Church to
be their natural home. Disputes with High Churchmen arose in the 1820s
concerning particularly the doctrine of conversion and were to continue
for the rest of the century. When D. T. K. Drummond was censured in 1842
by Bishop C. H. Terrot of Edinburgh for holding evangelistic meetings in
the city, he and a large part of his congregation left the Scottish
Episcopal Church and founded St. Thomas's Church, loyal to the Church of
England. When, subsequently, Drummond found that he had serious
doctrinal scruples concerning the Scottish Communion office, the
official liturgy of the Scottish Episcopal Church, others joined his
English Episcopal movement which was represented by ninety-one clergy
serving twenty-four churches up to 1900. After years of agitation the
Scottish Episcopal Church altered its canon law in 1890 to accommodate
Evangelical concerns. Some English Episcopalians accepted the compromise
but for some others the terms were still not satisfactorily watertight
and as a matter of conscience they chose to remain apart. ""This
well-researched book brings to light a hitherto under-researched group,
the Evangelical Episcopalians, and gives them due place in the religious
history of nineteenth-century Scotland."" --Helen Dingwall, University
of Stirling ""Largely unknown and untold, this is a key piece of
Scottish Episcopal Church history. Evangelicals are a significant part
of the Church, and their story is told clearly, thoroughly, and
movingly--a testimony to both writer and supervisor. As you meet these
remarkable characters, you'll see their energy, qualities, and caliber
as leaders and members of Evangelical Episcopal Churches in the past. As
they planted churches and debated communion, we find many of the
challenges they faced are still with us. They have much to say about
expressing contemporary biblical concerns in a mixed and compromised
church."" --Mike Parker, General Secretary of the Evangelical Alliance
in Scotland and formerly Rector of St. Thomas's Episcopal Church,
Edinburgh ""This fascinating and meticulously researched book rescues
Evangelical Episcopalians from undeserved obscurity, and illuminates
important wider themes in religious history. Meldrum deftly handles both
the theology and the social history of her subject."" --John R. Rolfe,
The Open University ""The Scottish Episcopal Church has exercised a
profound influence on the course of Scotland's religious history. In
this thoroughly researched study, Dr. Meldrum explores the neglected
Evangelical tradition within nineteenth-century Scottish
Episcopalianism, bringing to life the personalities and controversies,
piety, and social outreach of this vibrant religious movement.""
--Stewart J. Brown, University of Edinburgh School of Divinity Patricia
Meldrum was educated at the Henrietta Barnett School, London, and went
on to obtain an honors BSc from London University. Her dissertation,
completed at the University of Stirling, forms the substance of this
book.
