Factionalism in the kirk (PhD thesis)

[Reformed Covenanter]

Kyle David Holfelder's University of Edinburgh PhD thesis, 'Factionalism in the kirk during the Cromwellian invasion and occupation of Scotland 1650 to 1660' is available at the attached link.

 

[Jeri Tanner]

Interested to see this. Have you read it and found it sound?

Also who is this guy?

 

[Reformed Covenanter]

Interested to see this. Have you read it and found it sound?

Also who is this guy?

I found out about it owing to a reference in Alexander D. Campbell's The Life and Works of Robert Baillie, which I am currently reading. I have neither read the thesis nor know anything about its author. Given that it is a history thesis, the author is unlikely to offer specific value judgments on who was right.

One thing I will say from reading Dr Campbell's excellent biography of Baillie is that while I can conclude that the Laudian Prelatists were wrong for wanting to centralise authority in the bishop, and the Independents were wrong in relation to the power of synods, everyone else was partly wrong about somethings and partly correct about others. Thus, it helps you to understand why good men fell down on different sides of the Protestor-Resolutioner dispute. Also, the chapter on Presbyterian church government, which demonstrates that the lines between presbyterial, episcopal, and congregational polities were often more porous than we think, is worth the price of the book alone.

I realise my reply is a bit of an ramble, but that explains why I am interested in the thesis.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

I've read a good bit of it; it will take the bloom off the rose colored glasses that popular church history has of the period since there was never really a true history of the period. I did not know that while the Resolutioners had a problem in that the majority were conformists along with their willingness to accept an oath breaking Charles II, the Protesters had a Cromwellian sectarian-separatist problem in that not only was there a minority that had gone over to the separatist/independent views, but many were and did turn out willing to work with Cromwell. Both flaws (accepting Charles II, working with Cromwell) are counter the intent of the Solemn League and Covenant.

 

[Jeri Tanner]

Party pooper!

Chris, what wrong perceptions do you think are held by people with the bloom still on their rose-colored glasses? And also, what practical changes occurred for you after the bloom was taken off yours? For instance, did your views change on establishmentarianism?

 

[NaphtaliPress]

I noted the main issue; I guess another thing is the extreme parallelism Protesters drew between Scotland and Israel in OT examples in that the Protesters believed they needed to keep purging the army down to the pure along the lines of Gideon (the example cited) which was a factor in losing the country to Cromwell. The thesis is not about establishment per se. This was not some golden age for it certainly. The only reason we got the second reformation was that in God's providence He made it possible for a minority committed to reformation to control the country for a short time and that got the church the Westminster Standards which has endured for the benefit of the church.

Party pooper!

Chris, what wrong perceptions do you think are held by people with the bloom still on their rose-colored glasses? And also, what practical changes occurred for you after the bloom was taken off yours? For instance, did your views change on establishmentarianism?

 

[CathH]

Thanks Daniel for linking to this thesis - it looks really interesting. The biography of Baillie is currently about third in the queue on my to-read pile!