158-571: The West Kirk (since 2015 called Helensburgh Parish Church ) is a Church of Scotland parish church on Colquhoun Square in Helensburgh , Argyll , Scotland. Designed by James Hay , in 1853, it is designated as a Category B listed building by Historic Environment Scotland . In 2011 the church united with St Columba Church to become St Andrew's Kirk. The St Columba Church building became The Tower arts centre. In 2015 St Andrew's Kirk united with Park Church to become Helensburgh Parish Church. In 2016
316-532: A Lord High Commissioner unless they choose to attend in person; the role is purely formal, and the monarch has no right to take part in deliberations. The church is committed to its 'distinctive call and duty to bring the ordinances of religion to the people in every parish of Scotland through a territorial ministry' (Article 3 of its Articles Declaratory ). The church played a leading role in providing universal education in Scotland (the first such provision in
474-535: A superintendent . This plan was complicated by the conversion of three bishops to Protestantism, who were allowed to remain in their posts. Few superintendents were appointed and temporary commissioners were nominated to fill the gaps. In 1576, when the General Assembly considered the structure of the Kirk, it recognised five offices: archbishops, bishops, superintendents, commissioners, and visitors. Beside these posts
632-600: A GA in May 2021, a draft plan might still be being considered by commissioners prior to being shared with all presbyteries for their consideration under the Church of Scotland's Barrier Act 1697 and being brought back to a future General Assembly. On 23 May 2022 the GA voted in favour of same-sex marriage with 274 for and 136 against. Clergy will be allowed to conduct the marriages but will not be forced to. Many church congregations and clergy affirm
790-509: A combination of kirk funds, contributions from local heritors or burgh councils and parents that could pay. They were inspected by kirk sessions, who checked for the quality of teaching and doctrinal purity. There were also large number of unregulated "adventure schools", which sometimes fulfilled a local need and sometimes took pupils away from the official schools. Outside of the established burgh schools, masters often combined their positions with other employment, particularly minor posts within
948-699: A distinct change from attitudes in certain quarters of the church in the early twentieth century and before, when opposition to Irish Roman Catholic immigration was vocal (see Catholicism in Scotland ). The Church of Scotland is a member of the World Council of Churches , the Conference of European Churches , the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe , and the World Communion of Reformed Churches . The Church of Scotland
1106-473: A laird's family, or kin group and social networks, who continued to attend the Catholic Church, Protestants began to develop a series of privy kirks (secret churches), whose members increasingly turned away from existing church structures. Their organisation was sufficient in 1555 for Knox to return to Scotland. He administered a Protestant communion and carried out a preaching tour of the privy kirks. He urged
1264-551: A medium. The anonymous The Maner of the Cyring of ane Play (before 1568) and Philotus (published in London in 1603), are isolated examples of surviving plays. The later is a vernacular Scots comedy of errors, probably designed for court performance for Mary, Queen of Scots or James VI. The same system of professional companies of players and theatres that developed in England in this period
1422-462: A network of ministers, a parish-based school system, university education and poor relief. This proposal for the use of church wealth was rejected. Instead, an Act of Council kept two-thirds of the Church's assets in the hands of its existing holders, while the remaining third was divided between the Crown and the reformist measures. The educational programme, was abandoned, ministers remained poorly paid, and
1580-608: A new grouping of congregations within the church was begun "to declare their clear commitment to historic Christian orthodoxy", known as the Fellowship of Confessing Churches . In May 2011, the GA of the Church of Scotland voted to appoint a theological commission with a view to fully investigating the matter, reporting to the General Assembly of 2013. Meanwhile, openly homosexual ministers ordained before 2009 would be allowed to keep their posts without fear of sanction. On 20 May 2013,
1738-635: A parliament, although it was not to touch the issue of religion. The Parliament of Scotland met in Edinburgh 1 August 1560. Fourteen earls, six bishops, nineteen lords, twenty-one abbots, twenty-two burgh commissioners and over a hundred lairds, claimed the right to sit. Ignoring the provisions of the Treaty of Edinburgh, on 17 August, Parliament approved a Reformed Confession of Faith (the Scots Confession ), and on 24 August it passed three Acts that abolished
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#17328515256741896-505: A privileged claim for possession of a particular territory". The Scottish Council of Jewish Communities sharply criticised the report, describing it as follows: "It reads like an Inquisition-era polemic against Jews and Judaism. It is biased, weak on sources, and contradictory. The picture it paints of both Judaism and Israel is barely even a caricature. The arrogance of telling the Jewish people how to interpret Jewish texts and Jewish theology
2054-515: A result, in 1536 the first provincial church council called since 1470 failed to achieve major reforms or a united front against heresy. After the execution of Patrick Hamilton , the Crown prosecuted some men and a small number of executions followed in the 1530s and 1540s, but there was no systematic persecution, as the king was not interested in wide-scale bloodletting. An increasing number of lairds and nobles began to favour reform, particularly in Angus ,
2212-515: A revised version. The result of the delay was that the document, known as the First Book of Discipline , was considered not by the full Parliament, but only by a thinly-attended convention of nobles and about 30 lairds in January 1561 and then only approved individually and not collectively. The Book proposed a programme of parish-based reformation that would use the resources of the old Church to pay for
2370-583: A series of provincial councils (in 1549, 1552, probably in 1556 and in 1559), modelled on the contemporaneous Council of Trent . These blamed the advance of the Protestant heresies on "the corruption of morals and the profane lewdness of life in churchmen of all ranks, together with crass ignorance of literature and of the liberal arts". In 1548, attempts were made to eliminate concubinage , clerical pluralism , clerical trading, and non-residence, and to prohibit unqualified people from holding church offices. Further,
2528-650: A target of missionary work. Their effectiveness was limited by rivalries between different orders at Rome. The initiative was taken by a small group of Scots connected with the Crichton family , who had supplied the bishops of Dunkeld . They joined the Jesuit order and returned to attempt conversions. Their focus was mainly on the court, which led them into involvement in a series of complex political plots and entanglements. The majority of surviving Scottish lay followers were largely ignored. The humanist concern with widening education
2686-615: A third of nobles and gentry were still Catholic in inclination. In most of Scotland, except for the Outer Hebrides , Catholicism became an underground faith in private households, connected by ties of kinship. This reliance on the household meant that women often became important as the upholders and transmitters of the faith, such as in the case of Lady Fernihurst in the Borders. They transformed their households into centres of religious activity and offered places of safety for priests. Because
2844-708: A year while under siege , before they were defeated with the help of French forces. The survivors, including chaplain John Knox , were condemned to be galley slaves, helping to create resentment of the French and martyrs for the Protestant cause. In 1547, the English under Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset renewed their invasion and defeated the Scots at Pinkie , occupied south-east Scotland with forts at Lauder , Haddington and an outpost at Dundee . This occupation (1547–1549) encouraged
3002-797: Is anti-abortion , stating that it should be allowed "only on grounds that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve serious risk to the life or grave injury to the health, whether physical or mental, of the pregnant woman." The Church of Scotland also opposes euthanasia : "The General Assembly has consistently stated that: 'the Christian recognises no right to dispose of his own life even although he may regard those who commit or may attempt to commit suicide with compassion and understanding rather than condemnation'. The church has frequently stressed its opposition to various attempts to introduce legislation to permit euthanasia, even under strictly controlled circumstances as incompatible with Christianity." The church
3160-754: Is nec tamen consumebatur ( Latin )—"Yet it was not consumed", an allusion to Exodus 3:2 and the Burning Bush . In 2023, the Church of Scotland published a report which detailed its connections to the Atlantic slave trade . It noted that from 1707 to the 1830s, Church of Scotland ministers and elders inherited wealth from familial relatives which were made on West Indian slave plantations and numerous church buildings (including Glasgow Cathedral ) contain memorials to and accepted donations from individuals who profited from slavery. The report also noted that enslaved Black people were used to build Church of Scotland churches in
3318-527: Is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland . It is one of the country's largest, having 259,200 members in 2023. While active membership in the church has declined significantly in recent decades (in 1982 it had nearly 920,000 members), the government Scottish Household Survey found that 20% of the Scottish population, or over one million people, identified
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#17328515256743476-596: Is a member of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and, through its Presbytery of England, is a member of Churches Together in England . The Church of Scotland continues to foster relationships with other Presbyterian denominations in Scotland even where agreement is difficult. In May 2016 the Church of Scotland ratified the Columba Agreement (approved by the Church of England's General Synod in February 2016), calling for
3634-459: Is associated with the Care Not Killing organisation in "Promoting more and better palliative care./ Ensuring that existing laws against euthanasia and assisted suicide are not weakened or repealed during the lifetime of the current Parliament./ Influencing the balance of public opinion further against any weakening of the law." Historically, the Church of Scotland supported the death penalty;
3792-684: Is breathtaking." The report was also criticised by the Anti-Defamation League and the Israeli envoy to the United Kingdom. In response to criticism, the church quickly replaced the original version with a modified one, stating that criticism of Israel's policies toward the Palestinians "should not be misunderstood as questioning the right of the State of Israel to exist". The Church of Scotland
3950-536: Is celebrated once a month. Theologically, the Church of Scotland is Reformed (ultimately in the Calvinist tradition) and is a member of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches . The Church of Scotland is a member of ACTS ( Action of Churches Together in Scotland ) and, through its Committee on Ecumenical Relations, works closely with other denominations in Scotland. The present inter-denominational co-operation marks
4108-651: Is chaired by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland . According to traditional Scottish historiography, the first Christians in Scotland were converted by Saint Ninian around 400 AD. Early Christian missionaries included Saint Columba , who founded a mission at Iona two centuries later. In 1192, the Papal bull Cum universi separated the Scottish church from the Archbishopric of York , creating an independent national church with no higher authority except
4266-516: Is conducted by the parish minister, participation and leadership by members who are not ministers in services is becoming more frequent, especially in the Highlands and the Borders. In common with other Reformed denominations, the church recognises two sacraments : Baptism and Holy Communion (the Lord's Supper ). The church baptises both believing adults and the children of Christian families. Communion in
4424-403: Is granted on those matters "which do not enter into the substance of the faith" (Art. 2 and 5). (The 19th century Scottish distinction was between ' evangelicals ' and ' moderates '.) There is no official document in which substantial matters and insubstantial ones are clearly demarcated. The Church of Scotland has no compulsory prayer book , although it does have a hymn book (the 4th edition
4582-494: Is normally no sung or responsive liturgy, but worship is the responsibility of the minister in each parish, and the style of worship can vary and be quite experimental. In recent years, a variety of modern song books have been widely used to appeal more to contemporary trends in music, and elements from alternative liturgies including those of the Iona Community are incorporated in some congregations. Although traditionally worship
4740-554: 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, as is demonstrated in the timeline above. The UK Parliament passed the Church of Scotland Act 1921 , finally recognising the complete independence of
4898-697: The Earl of Bothwell , who was implicated in Darnley's murder. Opposition to Bothwell led to the formation of a coalition of nobles, who styled themselves as the Confederate Lords. Michael Lynch describes the events of 1567 as "second Reformation crisis". Mary and Bothwell confronted the Lords at Carberry Hill on 15 June 1567, but their forces melted away. He fled and she was imprisoned in Lochleven Castle . Ten days after
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5056-704: The Lords of the Congregation gained control of government. Under their guidance, the Scottish Reformation Parliament passed legislation that established a Protestant creed , and rejected Papal supremacy , although these were only formally ratified by James VI and I in 1567. Directed by John Knox , the new Church of Scotland adopted a Presbyterian structure and largely Calvinist doctrine . The Reformation resulted in major changes in Scottish education, art and religious practice. The kirk itself became
5214-725: The Scottish Episcopal Church . Most of the remaining Covenanters disagreed with the Restoration Settlement on various political and theological grounds, most notably because the Settlement did not acknowledge the National Covenant and Solemn League and Covenant, also did not join the Church of Scotland, instead forming the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland in 1690. Controversy still surrounded
5372-711: The Scottish Parliament in 1997. Indeed, from 1999 to 2004 the Parliament met in the church's Assembly Hall in Edinburgh, while its own building was being constructed. The Church of Scotland supports the Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office in Edinburgh, an ecumenical partnership which is staffed and resourced by the Church. Since 1968, all ministries and offices in the church have been open to women and men on an equal basis. In 2004, Alison Elliot
5530-937: The missal used in St Nicholas church in Aberdeen . New cults of devotion related to Jesus and the Virgin Mary began to reach Scotland in the 15th century, including the Five Wounds , the Holy Blood , and the Holy Name of Jesus . New religious feasts arose, including celebrations of the Presentation , the Visitation , and Mary of the Snows . In the early 14th century, the Papacy managed to minimise
5688-477: The "special daughter of the see of Rome". It was run by special councils made up of all the Scottish bishops, with the bishop of St Andrews emerging as the most important figure. The administration of parishes was often given to local monastic institutions in a process known as appropriation . By the time of the Reformation in the mid-16th century 80% of Scottish parishes were appropriated, leaving few resources for
5846-605: The 'plainness' of the Scottish service, he, together with his Archbishop of Canterbury , William Laud , sought to introduce the kind of liturgical practice in use in England. The centrepiece of this new strategy was the Scottish Prayer Book of 1637 , a slightly modified version of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer . Although a panel of Scottish bishops devised this, Charles's insistence that it be drawn up secretly and adopted sight unseen led to widespread discontent. When
6004-723: The 1480s. In most Scottish burghs there was usually only one parish church, in contrast to English towns where churches and parishes tended to proliferate. As the doctrine of Purgatory gained importance in the late Middle Ages, the number of chapelries, priests, and masses for the dead prayed within them, designed to speed the passage of souls to Heaven, grew rapidly. The number of altars dedicated to saints, who could intercede in this process, also increased dramatically. St. Mary's in Dundee had perhaps 48 such altars and St Giles' in Edinburgh more than 50. The number of saints celebrated in Scotland also proliferated, with about 90 being added to
6162-641: The 17th century, with parishioners in Aberdeen reproved for parading and dancing in the street with bells at weddings and Yule in 1605, Robin Hood and May plays at Kelso in 1611 and Yuletide guising at Perth in 1634. The Kirk also allowed some plays, particularly in schools, when they served their own ends for education, as in the comedy about the Prodigal Son permitted at St. Andrews in 1574. More formal plays included those of James Wedderburn , who wrote anti-Catholic tragedies and comedies in Scots around 1540, before he
6320-411: The 2011 national census, 32% of Scots identified their religion as "Church of Scotland", more than any other faith group, but falling behind the total of those without religion for the first time. However, by 2013 only 18% of Scots self-identified as Church of Scotland. Though according to the 2014 Scottish Annual Household Survey, 27.8%, or 1.5 million adherents, identified the Church of Scotland as
6478-450: The Baptist's at Perth on 11 May on Christ cleansing the temple . The congregation responded by stripping the shrines, images and altars of the church and then sacked the local friaries and Carthusian house. The regent responded by sending troops to restore order and Glencairn led a force to defend the town's new Protestant status. A royal delegation, including Argyll and James Stuart persuaded
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6636-501: The Bible supports an essentially Jewish state of Israel. This raises an increasing number of difficulties and current Israeli policies regarding the Palestinians have sharpened this questioning", and that "promises about the Land of Israel were never intended to be taken literally". The church responded to criticism by saying that "The Church has never and is not now denying Israel's right to exist; on
6794-477: The Church and rejected its doctrine on the Eucharist . Despite evidence of the burning of heretics and some popular support for its anti-sacramental elements, it probably remained a small movement. From the 15th century, Renaissance humanism encouraged critical theological reflection and calls for ecclesiastical renewal in Scotland. As early as 1495 some Scots were in contact with Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536),
6952-407: The Church of Scotland as their religious identity in 2019. The Church of Scotland's governing system is presbyterian in its approach, therefore, no one individual or group within the church has more or less influence over church matters. There is no one person who acts as the head of faith, as the church believes that role is the "Lord God's". As a proper noun , the Kirk is an informal name for
7110-680: 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 2000). The motto of the Church of Scotland
7268-408: The Church of Scotland paid £1 million in damages to three siblings who had been abused at the Lord and Lady Polwarth children's home. The basis of faith for the Church of Scotland is the Word of God , which it views as being "contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament". Its principal subordinate standard is The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647), although here liberty of opinion
7426-445: The Church of Scotland today is open to Christians of whatever denomination, without precondition. If baptised as an infant, one is expected to make the public profession of faith as part of a confirmation ceremony. Communion services are usually taken fairly seriously in the church; traditionally, a congregation held only three or four per year, although practice now greatly varies between congregations. In some congregations, communion
7584-428: The Church of Scotland used in the media and by the church itself. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox in the Reformation of 1560 when it split from the Catholic Church and established itself as a church in the Reformed tradition. The church belongs to the Presbyterian tradition of Reformed Christianity (Calvinism), having no head of faith or leadership group and believing that God invited
7742-428: The Church was underfunded. The Scots Confession was produced by Knox and five colleagues in four days. Its structure parallels that of the Apostles' Creed , with 25 chapters based around themes of the Father, Son, Church and Consummation. It remained the standard of the Kirk until it was replaced by the Westminster Confession , negotiated with English Parliamentary allies during the English Civil War and adopted by
7900-426: The Church. In November 1638, the General Assembly in Glasgow, the first to meet for twenty years, not only declared the Prayer Book unlawful but went on to abolish the office of bishop itself. The Church of Scotland was then established on a Presbyterian basis. Charles' attempt to resist these developments led to the Bishops' Wars . In the ensuing civil wars , the Scots Covenanters at one point made common cause with
8058-434: The Continent were recruited to the new Scottish universities founded at St Andrews , Glasgow , and Aberdeen . These international contacts helped integrate Scotland into a wider European scholarly world and were one of the most important ways in which the new ideas of humanism entered Scottish intellectual life. By 1497 the humanist and historian Hector Boece , who was born in Dundee and studied at Paris, returned to become
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#17328515256748216-479: The English ambassador at Antwerp noted that Scottish merchants were taking William Tyndale 's New Testament to Edinburgh and St. Andrews. In 1528 the nobleman Patrick Hamilton , who had been influenced by Lutheran theology while at the universities of Wittenberg and Marburg , became the first Protestant martyr in Scotland. He was burned at the stake for heresy outside St Salvator's College at Saint Andrews . Hamilton's execution inspired more interest in
8374-405: The English parliamentarians—resulting in the Westminster Confession of Faith being agreed by both. This document remains the subordinate standard of the Church of Scotland but was replaced in England after the Restoration . Episcopacy was reintroduced to Scotland after the Restoration, which caused considerable discontent, especially in the country's southwest, where the Presbyterian tradition
8532-488: The GA voted in favour of a proposal that allowed liberal parishes to opt out of the church's policy on homosexuality. Since 2008, 25 out of 808 (3%) ministers had left over the issue. It was reported that seceding congregations had a combined annual income of £1 million. In 2015, the Church of Scotland's GA voted in favour of recommending that gay ministers be able to enter into same-sex marriages. and allowing pastors to enter in same-sex civil partnerships. On 21 May 2016,
8690-443: The GA voted in favour of the approval for gay and lesbian ministers to enter into same-sex marriages. In 2017, there was a report to be debated at the church's General Assembly in May that proposed "having a church committee research allowing nominated ministers and deacons to carry out the ceremonies, but...to retain the ability for 'contentious refusal' from those opposed to same-sex marriage." A Theological Forum report calling for
8848-406: The General Assembly created a Church and Nation Committee, which in 2005 became the Church and Society Council , and in 2019 merged with the World Mission Council to create the Faith Impact Forum. The Church of Scotland is a firm opponent of nuclear weaponry . Supporting devolution , it was one of the parties involved in the Scottish Constitutional Convention , which resulted in the setting up of
9006-494: The General Assembly once called for the "vigorous execution" of Thomas Aikenhead , who was found guilty of blasphemy in 1696. Nowadays, the church strongly disapproves of the death penalty: "The Church of Scotland affirms that capital punishment is always and wholly unacceptable and does not provide an answer even to the most heinous of crimes. It commits itself to working with other churches and agencies to advance this understanding, oppose death sentences and executions and promote
9164-455: The General Assembly voted in favour of permitting the church's clergy to conduct same-sex marriages. In May 2009, there was opposition to an attempt to install as minister an openly homosexual man who intended to live with his partner once appointed to his post. In a landmark decision on 23 May 2009 the General Assembly (GA) ratified by 326 to 267 the appointment of Scott Rennie , the church's first out, non-celibate gay minister. Rennie had won
9322-449: The Highlands there were shortages and very few spoke the Gaelic of the local population. The universities were unable supply sufficient trained ministers over a generation and many (over three-quarters in 1574) held the junior post of readers, rather than qualified ministers. The bulk of these were former Catholic clergy. The untidy system of thirteen medieval dioceses was to be replaced by ten more rational districts, each to be overseen by
9480-405: The King's Party fought a civil war on behalf of the regency against Mary's supporters. This ended, after English intervention, with the surrender of Edinburgh Castle in May 1573. In 1578, a Second Book of Discipline was adopted, which was much more clearly Presbyterian in outlook. In England, Mary became a focal point for Catholic conspirators and was eventually executed for treason in 1587 on
9638-493: The Kirk in 1647. The Confession was strongly Calvinist in tone. It emphasised the "inscrutable providence" of God, who had determined all things. It stressed the extreme depravity of mankind, who deserved eternal damnation and the mercy of God in selecting a portion of humanity for salvation through grace alone. It denied transubstantiation , but retained the real presence in the Eucharist . It largely avoided negative emotive condemnations of Catholicism, focusing on setting out
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#17328515256749796-498: The Kirk, such as clerk. At their best, the curriculum included catechism , Latin , French , Classical literature and sports. Scotland's universities underwent a series of reforms associated with Andrew Melville, who returned from Geneva to become principal of the University of Glasgow in 1574. A distinguished linguist, philosopher and poet, he had trained in Paris and studied law at Poitiers , before moving to Geneva and developing an interest in Protestant theology. Influenced by
9954-404: The Lords in July, and Mary moved her base to Dunbar . The arrival of French reinforcements of 1,800 men forced the Lords onto the defensive and they abandoned the capital. The Lords appealed for help from England and Mary from France. English agents managed the safe return of Earl of Arran , the eldest son and heir of Chatelherault, allowing him to accept the leadership of the Lords. In October
10112-400: The Mearns , Fife and within the University of St Andrews. Leading figures included Alexander Cunningham, 5th Earl of Glencairn and John Erskine of Dun . In 1541 Parliament passed legislation to protect the honour of the Mass, prayer to the Virgin Mary , images of the saints, and the authority of the pope. James V died in 1542, leaving the infant Mary, Queen of Scots as his heir, with
10270-403: The Netherlands-born leading figure in the northern humanist movement. They were also in contact with Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples (c. 1455 – 1536), a French humanist and scholar who like Erasmus argued strongly for reform of the Catholic Church by the elimination of corruption and abuses. Scottish scholars often studied on the Continent and at English universities. Humanist scholars trained on
10428-563: The Park Church building became the Buddhist Meditation Centre of Scotland. Since December 2015 the Parish Minister is the Reverend David T. Young BA, BD Min (Hons), MTh, RNR. 56°00′17″N 4°44′08″W / 56.0048°N 4.7355°W / 56.0048; -4.7355 This article about a church or other Christian place of worship in Scotland is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( CoS ; Scots : The Kirk o Scotland ; Scottish Gaelic : Eaglais na h-Alba )
10586-515: The Pope. The Church of Scotland, in its current form, traces its origins to the Scottish Reformation of 1560. At that point, many in the then church in Scotland broke with Rome in a process of Protestant reform led, among others, by John Knox . It reformed its doctrines and government, drawing on the principles of John Calvin , which Knox had been exposed to while living in Geneva , Switzerland. An assembly of some nobles, lairds , and burgesses, as well as several churchmen, claiming in defiance of
10744-430: The Prayer Book was finally introduced at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh in mid-1637, it caused an outbreak of rioting, which, starting with Jenny Geddes , spread across Scotland. In early 1638, the National Covenant was signed by large numbers of Scots, protesting the introduction of the Prayer Book and other liturgical innovations that had not first been tested and approved by free Parliaments and General Assemblies of
10902-408: The Queen to be a Scottish Parliament, abolished papal jurisdiction and approved the Scots Confession , but did not accept many of the principles laid out in Knox's First Book of Discipline , which argued, among other things, that all of the assets of the old church should pass to the new. The 1560 Reformation Settlement was not ratified by the crown, as Mary I , a Catholic, refused to do so, and
11060-464: The Reformation took over the existing structures and assets of the Church, any attempted recovery by the Catholic hierarchy was extremely difficult. After the collapse of Mary's cause in the civil wars in the 1570s, and any hope of a national restoration of the old faith, the hierarchy began to treat Scotland as a mission area. The leading order of the Counter-Reformation , the newly founded Jesuits , initially took relatively little interest in Scotland as
11218-465: The Scottish population. The Scottish Church Census of 2016 reported that just under 137,000 people worshipped on an average Sunday in a Church of Scotland, approximately 41% of the stated membership. However, according to the 2024 Assembly Trustees Report, only 61,580 were attending an average Sunday worship service in person during 2023. In 2016 the church faced a £5.7 million deficit amid costly upkeep of many older ecclesiastical buildings. In response
11376-622: The Union of that year met at Industrial Hall on Annandale Street in north Edinburgh. Some independent Scottish Presbyterian denominations still remain. These include the Free Church of Scotland —sometimes given the epithet The Wee Frees —(originally 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
11534-576: The University of Glasgow. Another major figure was Archibald Whitelaw, who taught at St. Andrews and Cologne, becoming a tutor to the young James III and royal secretary in 1462–1493. Robert Reid , Abbot of Kinloss and later Bishop of Orkney , was responsible in the 1520s and 1530s for bringing the Italian humanist Giovanni Ferrario to teach at Kinloss Abbey . Ferrario established an impressive library and wrote works of Scottish history and biography. Reid
11692-509: The West Highlands, where there had been a hereditary caste of monumental sculptors, the uncertainty and loss of patronage caused by the rejection of monuments in the Reformation meant that they moved into other branches of the Gaelic learned orders or took up other occupations. The lack of transfer of carving skills is noticeable in the decline in quality when gravestones were next commissioned from
11850-517: The West Indies, and the church distributed money made from slavery to Scottish parishes to fund philanthropic efforts that assisted Scotland's poor. It ended by recommending to the General Assembly that "a statement of acknowledgment and apology should be brought to a future General Assembly and a dedicated page about the Church’s connections to the slave trade should be created for its website." In 2019,
12008-419: The acts that Parliament had passed and the new kirk existed in a state of legal uncertainty. The Lords had intended Parliament to consider a Book of Reformation , which they had commissioned and was largely the work of Knox. They were unhappy with the document and established a committee of "six Johns", including Knox, John Winram , John Spottiswood , John Willock , John Douglas , and John Row , to produce
12166-418: The anti-Aristotelian Petrus Ramus , he placed an emphasis on simplified logic and elevated languages and sciences to the same status as philosophy, allowing accepted ideas in all areas to be challenged. He introduced new specialist teaching staff, replacing the system of "regenting", where one tutor took the students through the entire arts curriculum. Metaphysics were abandoned and Greek became compulsory in
12324-400: The approval of same-sex marriage, and an apology to homosexuals for past mistreatment was approved by the General Assembly on 25 May 2017. In 2018, the church's assembly voted in favour of drafting a new church law to allow same-sex marriages and to give ministers the option of performing same-sex marriages. The church was expected to vote on a final poll in 2021 but, after being considered at
12482-652: The border to lay siege to the French in Leith . Mary of Guise fell ill and died in June. With no sign of reinforcements, the French opened negotiations. Under the Treaty of Edinburgh (5 July 1560) both the French and English removed their troops from Scotland, leaving the Protestant Lords in control of the country. The Lords accepted Mary Queen of Scots and her husband, now Francis II of France , as monarchs and were given permission to hold
12640-437: The burgh to open its gates, but the heavy handed treatment by the regent's forces led to a breakdown in negotiations. Argyll and Stuart changed sides and the Lords of the Congregation now began raising their followers for an armed conflict. A series of local reformations followed, with Protestant minorities gaining control of various regions and burghs, often with the support of local lairds and using intimidation, while avoiding
12798-416: The cause of abolition of the death penalty worldwide." The Church of Scotland does not consider marriage to be a sacrament, and thus not binding forever, and has no moral objection to the remarriage of divorced persons. The minister who is asked to perform a ceremony for someone who has a prior spouse living may inquire for the purpose of ensuring that the problems which led to the divorce do not recur. At
12956-449: The church decided to 'prune to grow', reducing ministry provision plans from 1,234 to 1,000 funded posts (1,075 established FTE posts, of which 75 would be vacant at any one time) supported by a variety of voluntary and part-time ministries. At the same time the number of candidates accepted for full-time ministry has reduced from 24 (2005) to 8 (2009). Since 2014, the number of full-time candidates accepted into training each year has been in
13114-583: The church enjoys complete independence from the state in spiritual matters. When in Scotland, the British monarch simply attends church, as opposed to their role in the English Church as Supreme Governor . The monarch's accession oath includes a promise to "maintain and preserve the Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Government". They are formally represented at the annual General Assembly by
13272-473: The church in matters spiritual, and as a result of this, and passage of the Church of Scotland (Property and Endowments) Act 1925 ( 15 & 16 Geo. 5 . c. 33), the church 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. The 1929 assembly of church leaders to effect
13430-469: The church of their religion. In 2019, according to the Scottish Household Survey, 20% of Scots self-reported themselves as adherents of the Church of Scotland. The Church of Scotland Guild , the church's historical women's movement and open to men and women since 1997, is still the largest voluntary organisation in Scotland. According to the 2011 census, among respondents who identified with
13588-407: The church would not survive." The proposal reduced the number of ministry posts by 40%; to 660 of which 60 would be vacant at any one time, and was said to offer the church a chance to thrive. By December 2022 the Church had 270,300 members, a 4.7% decline from 2021, and representing an overall decline of 35% since 2012. This lack of those in training towards ministry has threatened the viability of
13746-510: The church's adherents to worship Jesus . The Church of Scotland celebrates two sacraments , Baptism and the Lord's Supper , as well as five other ordinances , such as Confirmation and Matrimony . The church adheres to the Bible and the Westminster Confession of Faith and is a member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches . The annual meeting of the church's general assembly
13904-718: The church's theological training colleges. During the 2019 General Assembly, the Ministries Council announced that they were looking to reduce the number of Academic Partners who train current ministry students from five, to either one or two. The five current academic partners are University of Glasgow , University of Edinburgh , University of Aberdeen , University of St Andrews and, most recently, Highland Theological College . Scottish Reformation Electors of Saxony Holy Roman Emperors Building Literature Theater Liturgies Hymnals Monuments Calendrical commemoration The Scottish Reformation
14062-524: The church, 96% were white Scots, 3% were other white people, and 1% were from other ethnic groups; this broadly reflects Scotland's demographic make-up. Although it is the national church, it is not a state church ; this and other regards makes it dissimilar to the Church of England (the established church in England). Under its constitution (recognised by the 1921 act of the British Parliament ),
14220-404: The clergy were enjoined to scriptural reflection, and bishops and parsons instructed to preach at least four times a year. Monks were to be sent to university, and theologians appointed for each monastery, college, and cathedral. But in 1552, it was acknowledged that little had been accomplished. Attendance at Mass was still sparse and "the inferior clergy of this realm and the prelates have not, for
14378-407: The confrontation at Carberry Hill, the General Assembly met in Edinburgh with the aim of rooting out "superstition and idolatry". The Reformation settlement of 1567 was much more firmly Calvinist than that of 1560. The Assembly set out a programme of reform that included the ratification of the legislation of 1560, better provision of the ministry, new resources and manpower for the parishes, a purge of
14536-576: The contrary, it is questioning the policies that continue to keep peace a dream in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. This report is against the injustices levelled against the Palestinian people and how land is shared. It is also a reflection of the use or misuse of scripture to claim divine right to land by any group" and says it must "refute claims that scripture offers any peoples
14694-464: The corruption and unpopularity of the late Medieval Scottish church. Since the late 20th century, research has indicated the ways in which it met the spiritual needs of different social groups. Historians have discerned a decline of monastic life in this period, with many religious houses maintaining smaller numbers of monks. Those remaining often abandoned communal living for a more individual and secular lifestyle. The rate of new monastic endowments from
14852-413: The corruption of church and state, and which is the only complete play to survive from before the Reformation. George Buchanan (1506–1582) was major influence on Continental theatre with plays such as Jepheths and Baptistes , which influenced Pierre Corneille and Jean Racine and through them the neo-classical tradition in French drama, but his impact in Scotland was limited by his choice of Latin as
15010-465: The creation of Catholic martyrs, to carry out a "cleansing" of friaries and churches, followed by the appointment of Protestant preachers. Such reformations occurred in conservative Aberdeen and the ecclesiastical capital of St. Andrews together with other eastern ports. In June, Mary of Guise responded by dispatching a French army to St. Andrews to restore control, but it was halted by superior numbers at Cupar Muir and forced to retreat. Edinburgh fell to
15168-609: The encouragement of Calvin, he had written his own Book of Common Order and it was this that was printed and approved by the General Assembly of 1562. Enlarged, it was reprinted with the Confession and the Psalms in metre in 1564 , and it remained the standard until replaced with the Westminster Directory in 1643. A Gaelic translation of the Book of Common Order was produced in 1563,
15326-599: The existing church helped keep the political nation unified. But the marriage of Mary Queen of Scots to the dauphin in 1558 heightened fears that Scotland would become a French province. Reformers were given hope by the accession, in England, of the Protestant Queen Elizabeth in 1558, which created a confessional frontier in Great Britain. The Church responded to some of the criticisms being made against it. John Hamilton , Archbishop of St Andrews , instigated
15484-406: The existing regime. On 1 January 1559 the anonymous Beggars' Summons was posted on the doors of friaries, threatening friars with eviction on the grounds that their property belonged to the genuine poor. This was calculated to appeal to the passions of the populace of towns who appeared to have particular complaints against friars. Knox returned to Scotland and preached at the church of St. John
15642-407: The first book printed in Gaelic, but there would be no Gaelic Bible until the 18th century. The First Book of Discipline envisaged the establishment of reformed ministers in each of approximately 1,080 parishes. By the end of 1561, 240 of these places had been filled. By 1567 there were about 850 clergy and by 1574 there were just over 1,000. These were mainly concentrated in the south and east. In
15800-465: The first principal at the new university of Aberdeen. The continued movement of scholars to other universities resulted in a school of Scottish nominalists at Paris by the early 16th century, the most important of whom was John Mair , generally described as a scholastic . His Latin History of Greater Britain (1521) was sympathetic to the humanist social agenda. In 1518 he returned to become Principal of
15958-529: The first year, followed by Aramaic , Syriac and Hebrew , launching a new fashion for ancient and biblical languages. Glasgow had probably been declining as a university before his arrival, but students now began to arrive in large numbers. He assisted in the reconstruction of Marischal College , Aberdeen , and to do for St Andrews what he had done for Glasgow, he was appointed Principal of St Mary's College, St Andrews , in 1580. The University of Edinburgh developed out of public lectures that were established in
16116-464: The full inclusion of transgender and other LGBTI people within the church through Affirmation Scotland . In April 2013, the church published a report entitled "The Inheritance of Abraham: A Report on the 'Promised' Land" which included a discussion of Israeli and Jewish claims to the Land of Israel . The report said "there has been a widespread assumption by many Christians as well as many Jewish people that
16274-408: The independence of the Kirk. By 1600 he had appointed three parliamentary bishops. By the end of his reign there were 11 bishops and diocesan episcopacy had been restored, although there was still strong support for Presbyterianism within the Kirk. Although officially illegal, Roman Catholicism survived in parts of Scotland. The hierarchy of the Church played a relatively small role and the initiative
16432-534: The king in key positions, including James IV 's (r. 1488–1513) illegitimate son Alexander Stewart , who was nominated as Archbishop of St. Andrews at the age of 11. This practice strengthened royal influence but it also made the Church vulnerable to criticisms of venality and nepotism . Relationships between the Scottish Crown and the Papacy were generally good, with James IV receiving tokens of papal favour. Traditional Protestant historiography tended to stress
16590-459: The late King James V, Lord James Stewart (later the Earl of Moray), and Lord John Erskine . In 1557 a "first bond" was signed by Argyll, Glencairn, Morton, Lorne, and Erskine, for mutual support against "Sathan and all wicked power that does intend tyranny and truble against the foresaid congregation." This group, which eventually became known as 'the Lords of the Congregation ', was a direct challenge to
16748-499: The lower ranks of the profession, leading to frequent complaints about their standards of education or abilities. Although there is little clear evidence that standards were declining, this was expressed as one of the major grievances of the Reformation. Heresy, in the form of Lollardry , began to reach Scotland from England and Bohemia in the early 15th century. Lollards were followers of John Wycliffe (c. 1330 –84) and later Jan Hus (c. 1369 –1415), who called for reform of
16906-477: The match, an action later known as the "rough wooing", which devastated south-east Scotland. In 1546, George Wishart , a preacher who had come under the influence of Swiss reformer Huldrych Zwingli , was arrested and burnt at the stake in St. Andrews on the orders of Cardinal Beaton. Wishart's supporters, who included a number of Fife lairds, assassinated Beaton soon after and seized St. Andrews Castle, which they held for
17064-421: The members to reject Nicodemism , by which they held Protestant convictions, but attended Catholic services. Despite being offered protection by the Earl of Argyll , he returned to Geneva in 1556. In the absence of a leading clerical figure, the leadership of the movement was taken by the few nobles who had embraced Protestantism and a new generation that included Argyll's son Lord Lorne , the illegitimate son of
17222-469: The modern world), largely due to its teaching that all should be able to read the Bible. However, it ceased operating its schools, which were transferred to the state, in the latter half of the 19th century. The Church of Scotland faces many current difficulties. Between 1966 and 2006, the number of members fell from over 1,230,000 to 504,000, reducing further to 446,000 in 2010 380,164 by 2014, 336,000 by 2017, and 325,695 by 2018, representing about 6% of
17380-544: The most part, attained such proficiency in the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures as to be able by their own efforts rightly to instruct the people in the Catholic faith and other things necessary to salvation or to convert the erring." Protestantism continued to expand in this period and became more distinct from those who wanted reform within the existing church. Originally organised as conventicles that consisted of members of
17538-656: The new Concordat, a Presbyterian party emerged headed by Andrew Melville , the author of the Second Book of Discipline . Melville and his supporters enjoyed some temporary successes—most notably in the Golden Act of 1592, which gave parliamentary approval to Presbyterian courts. James VI, however, believed that presbyterianism was incompatible with monarchy, declaring "No bishop, no king". By skillful manipulation of both church and state, steadily reintroduced parliamentary and then diocesan episcopacy ; this approximately mirrored
17696-437: The new faith in simple language. It saw the Kirk as a "catholik" community of, "the elect of all nations, realms, nations, tongues, Jews and Gentiles". In 1581, as part of a reaction to the perceived threat of Catholicism, the court signed a King's , or Negative Confession , probably commissioned by James VI, that much more harshly denounced Catholicism. The Reformation saw a complete transformation of religious observance. In
17854-415: The new ideas. The Archbishop of St Andrews was warned against any further such public executions as "the reek [smoke] of Maister Patrik Hammyltoun has infected as many as it blew upon". After entering his personal reign in 1528, James V avoided pursuing the major structural and theological changes to the church undertaken by his contemporary Henry VIII in England. In exchange for his loyalty to Rome, he
18012-582: The new kirk to local lairds, who were able to take on the dignity and authority of an elder . In the 1560s the majority of the population was probably still Catholic in persuasion, and the Kirk would find it difficult to penetrate the Highlands and Islands, but began a gradual process of conversion and consolidation that, compared with reformations elsewhere, was conducted with little persecution. The monasteries were not dissolved but allowed to die out with their monks, and before 1573 no holders of benefices were turned out, even for refusing to conform. The focus on
18170-483: The nobility also declined in the 15th century. In contrast, the burghs saw the flourishing of mendicant orders of friars in the later 15th century, who, unlike the older monastic orders, placed an emphasis on preaching and ministering to the population. The order of Observant Friars were organised as a Scottish province from 1467, and the older Franciscans and the Dominicans were recognised as separate provinces in
18328-510: The old faith in Scotland. Under these, all previous acts not in conformity with the Reformed Confession were annulled. The sacraments were reduced to two ( Baptism and Communion ) to be performed by reformed preachers alone. The celebration of the Mass was made punishable by a series of penalties (ultimately death) and Papal jurisdiction in Scotland was repudiated. The Queen declined to endorse
18486-468: The only person to partake legally in Catholic services and did not attempt to re-impose Catholicism on her subjects, thus angering the chief Catholic nobles. Her six-year personal reign was marred by a series of crises, largely caused by the intrigues and rivalries of the leading nobles. The murder of her secretary, David Riccio , was followed by that of her unpopular second husband Lord Darnley , father of her infant son, and her abduction by, and marriage to,
18644-575: The orders of her kinswoman Elizabeth I. James was Calvinist in doctrine, but strongly supported episcopacy and resisted the independence, or even right to interfere in government, of the Kirk, which became associated with the followers of Andrew Melville , known as the Melvillians. He used his powers to call the General Assembly where he wished, limiting the ability of more radical clergy to attend. He paid for moderate clergy to be present, negotiated with members, and manipulated its business in order to limit
18802-483: The overwhelming support of his prospective church members at Queen's Cross, Aberdeen, but his appointment was in some doubt until extensive debate and this vote by the commissioners to the assembly. The GA later agreed upon a moratorium on the appointment of further non-celibate gay people until after a special commission has reported on the matter. (See: LGBT clergy in Christianity .) As a result of these developments,
18960-491: The parish church as the centre of worship meant the abandonment of much of the complex religious provision of chapelries, monasteries and cathedrals, many of which were allowed to decay or, like the Cathedral at St Andrews, were mined for dressed stone to be used in local houses. When her husband Francis II died in 1560, Mary, now 19, elected to return to Scotland to take up the government. She gained an agreement that she would be
19118-498: The parish clergy. In 1472 St Andrews became the first archbishopric in the Scottish church, to be followed by Glasgow in 1492. The collapse of papal authority in the Papal Schism (1378–1418) allowed the Scottish Crown to gain effective control of major ecclesiastical appointments within the kingdom. This de facto authority over appointments was formally recognised by the Papacy in 1487. The Crown placed clients and relatives of
19276-407: The place of the many holy days and festivals of the Catholic Church and the occasional observance of the Mass, the single surviving holy day was Sunday and regular attendance and participation was required of the laity. Latin was abandoned in favour of the vernacular. Congregational psalm singing replaced the elaborate polyphony of trained choirs. An emphasis was put on the Bible and the sermon, which
19434-617: The power of the Holy Spirit remaking us like Jesus, we—with all Christians— worship God, enjoy His friendship and are available for Him to use in sharing and showing His love, justice, and peace locally and globally until Jesus returns ! In Jesus' name we gladly share with you God's message for all people—You matter to God! It was approved for use by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in May 1992. The national church has never shied from involvement in Scottish politics . In 1919,
19592-487: The problem of clerical pluralism , by which clerics held two or more livings , which elsewhere resulted in parish churches being without priests, or served by poorly-trained and paid vicars and clerks. The number of poor clerical livings and a general shortage of clergy in Scotland, particularly after the Black Death , meant that in the 15th century the problem intensified. As a result, parish clergy were largely drawn from
19750-465: The prohibition against reading the Bible in the vernacular . A planned marriage between Mary and Edward , the son of Henry VIII of England, which had been agreed under the Treaty of Greenwich (1543), led to a backlash in Scotland and a coup led by Cardinal Beaton . He repudiated the reforming policies, and all consideration of an English marriage for the Queen, angering the English. They invaded to enforce
19908-450: The prospect of a long minority. At the beginning of Mary's reign, the Scottish political nation was divided between a pro-French faction, led by Cardinal Beaton and by the Queen's mother, Mary of Guise , and a pro-English faction, headed by Mary's prospective heir James Hamilton, Earl of Arran . Initially Arran became Regent, backed by the small "evangelical party" at court, who favoured religious reform. The act of Parliament of 1543 removed
20066-503: The question of church government also remained unresolved. In 1572, the acts of 1560 were finally approved by the young James VI , but the Concordat of Leith also allowed the crown to appoint bishops with the church's approval. John Knox himself had no clear views on the office of bishop, preferring to see them renamed as 'superintendents' which is a translation of the Greek; but in response to
20224-455: The range of 13 to 16. At the 2016 General Assembly the Moderator pointed to issues such as: 25% of charges without a minister; all but two ministers over the age of 30; falling clergy numbers over the coming six years (anticipated that for each newly recruited minister there will be four retirements). By 2021 membership was continuing to decline year on year, leading to a new plan "without which
20382-459: The reforming cause. The English supplied books and distributed Bibles and Protestant literature in the Lowlands . Several earls pledged themselves 'to cause the word of God to be taught and preached'. To counter the English, the Scots secured French help, the price of which was the betrothal of the infant Queen to the French dauphin , the future Francis II . She departed for France in 1548, where she
20540-511: The regent was declared "suspended" and replaced by a "great council of the realm". Mary of Guise's forces continued to advance, once again threatening St. Andrews. The situation was transformed by the arrival of the English fleet in the Firth of Forth in January 1560, and the French retreated to the stronghold of Leith near Edinburgh. The English and the Lords agreed further support by the Treaty of Berwick in February 1560 and an English army crossed
20698-484: 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 appointment of ministers, following the Church Patronage (Scotland) Act 1711 , which gave landowners, or patrons, the right to appoint ministers to vacant pulpits, would lead to several splits. This began with the secession of 1733 and culminated in
20856-525: The start of the 17th century. According to N. Prior, the nature of the Scottish Reformation may have had wider effects, limiting the creation of a culture of public display and meaning that art was channelled into more austere forms of expression with an emphasis on private and domestic restraint. The loss of ecclesiastical patronage that resulted from the Reformation, meant that native craftsmen and artists turned to secular patrons. One result of this
21014-555: The structure of the Church of England , of which James had become Supreme Governor when he succeeded to the English throne in 1603 . By the time he died in 1625, the Church of Scotland had a full panel of bishops and archbishops. General Assemblies met only at times and places approved by the Crown. Charles I inherited a settlement in Scotland based on a balanced compromise between Calvinist doctrine and episcopal practice. Lacking his father's political judgment, he began to upset this by moving into more dangerous areas. Disapproving of
21172-639: The subject of national pride, and many Scots saw their country as a new Israel. Christianity spread in Scotland from the 6th century, with evangelisation by Irish-Scots missionaries and, to a lesser extent, those from Rome and England. The church in Scotland attained clear independence from England after the Papal Bull of Celestine III ( Cum universi , 1192), by which all Scottish bishoprics except Galloway became formally independent of York and Canterbury . The whole Ecclesia Scoticana , with individual Scottish bishoprics (except Whithorn/Galloway), became
21330-545: The teachers in the universities and schools, and a closer relationship with parliament. A parliament was called in December, which allowed the acts passed by the Reformation Parliament to be ratified. The subsequent religious settlement would be worked out over the 1570s against a background of civil war and unstable regencies. In July 1567, Mary was forced to abdicate in favour of her 13-month-old son James VI . James
21488-436: The time of the 2001 census , the number of respondents who gave their religion as Church of Scotland was 2,146,251 which amounted to 42.4% of the population of Scotland. In 2013, the Church of Scotland had around 995 active ministers , 1,118 congregations , and its official membership at 398,389 comprised about 7.5% of the population of Scotland. Official membership is down some 66.5% from its peak in 1957 of 1.32 million. In
21646-587: The town in the 1540s on law, Greek, Latin and philosophy, under the patronage of Mary of Guise . The "Tounis College" become the University of Edinburgh in 1582. The results of these changes were a revitalisation of all Scottish universities, which were now producing a quality of education the equal of that offered anywhere in Europe. Medieval Scotland probably had its own Mystery plays , often performed by craft guilds , like one described as ludi de ly haliblude and staged at Aberdeen in 1440 and 1445 and which
21804-632: The treasury and the Great Seal , and the French ambassador Henri Cleutin sometimes attended the Privy Council . At first Mary of Guise cultivated a policy of limited toleration of Protestants, hoping to gain their support for her pro-French policies and against England, which from 1553 was under the rule of the Catholic Mary Tudor , who married the future Philip II of Spain in 1554. Hopes for reform of
21962-471: The two churches to work more closely together on matters of common interest. In 2022, the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Bishops Conference of Scotland agreed a declaration of friendship between the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church. While the Bible is the basis of faith of the Church of Scotland, and the Westminster Confession of Faith is the subordinate standard, a request
22120-612: The way for the Castalian poets of James VI's adult reign. Scotland's ecclesiastical art paid a heavy toll as a result of Reformation iconoclasm , with the almost total loss of medieval stained glass and religious sculpture and paintings. The only significant surviving pre-Reformation stained glass in Scotland is a window of four roundels in the Magdalen Chapel of Cowgate , Edinburgh , completed in 1544. Wood carving can be seen at King's College, Aberdeen and Dunblane Cathedral . In
22278-546: The world and in ourselves. The Bible tells us the Good News that God still loves us and has shown His love uniquely in His Son , Jesus Christ. He lived among us and died on the cross to save us from our sin . But God raised Him from the dead ! In His love, this living Jesus invites us to turn from our sins and enter by faith into a restored relationship with God Who gives true life before and beyond death . Then, with
22436-460: Was a system of church courts of kirk sessions and presbyteries , which dealt with discipline and administration. Some local sessions had existed before 1560, moderators emerged in 1563, but the presbytery not until 1580. By the 1590s Scotland was organized into about 50 presbyteries with about 20 ministers in each. Above them stood a dozen or so synods and at the apex the general assembly. The system of kirk sessions gave considerable power within
22594-608: Was able to appoint his many illegitimate children and favourites to office in the Church, particularly David Beaton who became a Cardinal in 1538 and Archbishop of Saint Andrews in 1539. James increased crown revenues by heavily taxing the church, taking £72,000 in four years. The results of such appointments and taxation undermined both the status and finances of the Church. The Church was also divided by jurisdictional disputes between Gavin Dunbar , Archbishop of Glasgow and James Beaton , Archbishop of St. Andrews until his death in 1539. As
22752-649: Was absent in Scotland, but James VI signalled his interest in drama by arranging for a company of English players to erect a playhouse and perform in 1599. The Kirk also discouraged poetry that was not devotional in nature. Nevertheless, poets from this period included Richard Maitland of Lethington (1496–1586), who produced meditative and satirical verses; John Rolland (fl. 1530–1575), who wrote allegorical satires and courtier and minister Alexander Hume (c. 1556 –1609), whose corpus of work includes nature poetry and epistolary verse . Alexander Scott 's (?1520–82/3) use of short verse designed to be sung to music, opened
22910-441: Was chosen to be Moderator of the General Assembly, the first woman in the post and the first non-minister to be chosen since George Buchanan , four centuries before. In May 2007 Sheilagh M. Kesting became the first female minister to be Moderator. There are currently 218 serving female ministers, with 677 male ministers. The Church of Scotland allows its clergy to enter into same-sex marriages and civil partnerships. In May 2022,
23068-635: Was forced to flee into exile. These included the Beheading of Johne the Baptist and the Historie of Dyonisius the Tyraonne , which were performed at Dundee. David Lyndsay (c. 1486 –1555), diplomat and the head of the Lyon Court , was a prolific poet and dramatist. He produced an interlude at Linlithgow Palace for the king and queen thought to be a version of his play The Thrie Estaitis in 1540, which satirised
23226-482: Was left to lay leaders. Where nobles or local lairds offered protection it continued to thrive, as with Clanranald on South Uist , or in the north-east where the Earl of Huntly was the most important figure. In these areas Catholic sacraments and practices were maintained with relative openness. Members of the nobility were probably reluctant to pursue each other over matters of religion because of strong personal and social ties. An English report in 1600 suggested that
23384-456: Was often longer than an hour, although many parishes, which had no minister, would have had only a "readers service", of psalms, prayers and Bible readings. The Geneva Bible was widely adopted. Protestant preachers fleeing Marian persecutions in England had brought with them Edward VI 's second Book of Common Prayer (of 1552), which was commended by the Lords of the Congregation. Knox initially supported it, but before leaving Geneva, and with
23542-488: Was presented to a General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for a statement explaining the historic Christian faith in jargon -free non-theological language. "God's Invitation" was prepared to fulfil that request. The full statement reads: God made the world and all its creatures with men and women made in His image . By breaking His laws people have broken contact with God, and damaged His good world. This we see and sense in
23700-401: Was probably connected with the feast of Corpus Christi , but no texts are extant. Legislation was enacted against folk plays in 1555, and against liturgical plays ("clerk-plays or comedies based on the canonical scriptures") in 1575 by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Attempts to ban folk plays were more leniently applied and less successful that once assumed. They continued into
23858-473: Was published in 2005). Its Book of Common Order contains recommendations for public worship, which are usually followed fairly closely in the case of sacraments and ordinances. Preaching is the central focus of most services. Traditionally, Scots worship centred on the singing of metrical psalms and paraphrases, but for generations these have been supplemented with Christian music of all types. The typical Church of Scotland service lasts about an hour. There
24016-425: Was shared by the Protestant reformers, with a desire for a godly people replacing the aim of having educated citizens. The First Book of Discipline set out a plan for a school in every parish, but this proved financially impossible. In the burghs the old schools were maintained, with the song schools and a number of new foundations becoming reformed grammar schools or ordinary parish schools. Schools were supported by
24174-530: Was strongest. The modern situation largely dates from 1690, when after the Glorious Revolution , the majority of Scottish bishops were non-jurors ; that is, they believed they could not swear allegiance to William III of England and Mary II of England while James VII lived. To reduce their influence, the Scots Parliament guaranteed Presbyterian governance of the church by law, excluding what became
24332-513: Was the flourishing of Scottish Renaissance painted ceilings and walls, with large numbers of private houses of burgesses, lairds and lords gaining often highly detailed and coloured patterns and scenes, of which over 100 examples survive. These were undertaken by unnamed Scottish artists using continental pattern books that often led to the incorporation of humanist moral and philosophical symbolism, with elements that call on heraldry, piety, classical myths and allegory. The earliest surviving example
24490-629: Was the process whereby Scotland broke away from the Catholic Church , and established the Protestant Church of Scotland . It forms part of the wider European 16th-century Protestant Reformation . From the first half of the 16th century, Scottish scholars and religious leaders were influenced by the teachings of the Protestant reformer, Martin Luther . In 1560, a group of Scottish nobles known as
24648-513: Was to be brought up a Protestant and the government was to be run by a series of regents, beginning with Moray, until James began to assert his independence in 1581. Mary eventually escaped and attempted to regain the throne by force. After her defeat at the Battle of Langside in May 1568, by forces loyal to the King's Party, led by Moray, she took refuge in England, leaving her son in their hands. In Scotland,
24806-485: Was to be raised and educated. At this point, "the policy of Henry VIII had failed completely". French ascendancy was made absolute over the next decade. In 1554, Arran was given the title Duke du Châtellerault and removed from the regency in favour of Mary of Guise (the Queen Mother). During her regency (1554–1560), the Queen's mother ensured the predominance of France in Scottish affairs. She put Frenchmen in charge of
24964-444: Was to leave sufficient endowment in his will, for the foundation of Edinburgh University. James McGoldrick suggests that there was a circle of "Erasmian-type scholar-reformers" at the royal court in the first decade of the sixteenth century. From the 1520s the ideas of Martin Luther began to have influence in Scotland, with Lutheran literature circulating in the east-coast burghs. In 1525 Parliament banned their importation. In 1527,
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