Church of Scotland

The Church of Scotland (CofS sometimes known as the Kirk) is the national church of Scotland. It is a Presbyterian Church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation.

History

see further History of Scotland

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The Church of Scotland traces its roots back to the beginnings of Christianity in Scotland, but its identity is principally shaped by the Scottish Reformation of 1560. At that point, the church in Scotland broke with Rome and adopted Presbyterianism, in a process of Protestant reform led, among others, by John Knox. It reformed its doctrines and government on the Presbyterian principles of John Calvin which Knox had been exposed to while living in Switzerland. In 1560, the Scottish Parliament adopted the polity of the Church set out in the Scots Confession of 1560 and the First Book of Discipline. In 1582, with the Second Book of Discipline, full Presbyterianism became the form of church government. Over the next century or so, there was tension between supporters of Presbyterianism and Episcopacy, and bishops even were imposed on the Church at times. The 1638 National Covenant was signed by large numbers of Scots in protest at this, and was a factor in the strife between Kirk and King (the Bishops' Wars). In the ensuing civil wars, the Scots Covenanters at one point made common cause with the English parliamentarians - resulting in the Westminster Confession of Faith being agreed by both. Ironically, this document remains the subordinate standard of the Church of Scotland, but was replaced in England after the Restoration.

Related Topics:
Reformation - 1560 - John Knox - Presbyterian principles - John Calvin - Switzerland - Scots Confession of 1560 - 1638 - Bishops' Wars - Covenanters - Westminster Confession of Faith - Restoration

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The modern situation largely dates from 1690, when as part of the Glorious Revolution, the reformed, established, Presbyterian nature of the Kirk was guaranteed. However, controversy still surrounded the relationship between the Church of Scotland's independence and the civil law of Scotland. The interference of civil courts with Church decisions, particularly over the right to appoint ministers, led to a number of groups seceding. This began with the secession of 1733 and culminating in the Disruption of 1843, when a large portion of the Church broke away to form the Free Church of Scotland. The seceding groups tended to divide and reunite among themselves — leading to a proliferation of Presbyterian denominations in Scotland.

Related Topics:
1690 - Glorious Revolution - 1733 - Disruption of 1843 - Free Church of Scotland

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However, in the 1920s, the United Kingdom Parliament passed the Church of Scotland Act 1921, finally recognising the full independence of the Church in matters spiritual, and as a result of this the Kirk was able to unite with the United Free Church of Scotland in 1929. The United Free Church of Scotland was itself the product of the union of the former United Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the majority of the Free Church of Scotland in 1900.

Related Topics:
1920s - United Kingdom Parliament - Church of Scotland Act 1921 - United Presbyterian Church of Scotland

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Some independent Scottish Presbyterian denominations still remain. These include the Free Church of Scotland (formed of those congregations which refused to unite with the United Presbyterian Church in 1900), the United Free Church of Scotland (formed of congregations which refused to unite with the Church of Scotland in 1929), the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland (which broke from the Free Church of Scotland in 1893), the Associated Presbyterian Churches (which emerged as a result of a split in the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland in the 1980s) and the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) (which emerged from a split in the Free Church of Scotland in the 1990s).

Related Topics:
Free Church of Scotland - United Free Church of Scotland - Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland - Associated Presbyterian Churches

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