Evangelicalism in the Anglican Church in nineteenth-century Newfoundland

• Main Author: Russell, Heather Rose
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 2005
• Subjects: Spence; Finch; Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/11369/; https://research.library.mun.ca/11369/1/Russell_HeatherRose.pdf

Evangelicalism, a Protestant movement whose beginnings can be traced to eighteenth-century Great Britain, had also a vital presence in Newfoundland from 1819 to 1844. This thesis studies the three main Newfoundland-based Church of England Evangelicals, Aubrey George Spencer, Thomas Finch Hobday Bridge, and Robert Traill Spence Lowell. During this period, Newfoundland was not a diocese of its own, but part of the larger diocese of Nova Scotia until 1839 when Newfoundland and Bermuda became a separate diocese with Spencer as bishop. -- The distinguishing hallmarks of Evangelicals, in comparison to other religious groups, have been defined by David W. Bebbington. The thesis, therefore, seeks to use Bebbington' s characteristics to determine the Evangelicalism of Spencer, Bridge, and Lowell. Bebbington’s four characteristics are: the urgent need to accept Christ as one's personal saviour and experience a change of life and heart (conversionism), tireless ministerial, educational, and benevolent activities, including an active opposition to Roman Catholics and other religious competitors (activism), a deep reverence for Scripture as the supreme religious and ethical norm (biblicism), and belief in Christ's death as the central salvific event to secure salvation (crucicentrism). -- Chapter One begins by examining the state-of-the-question. This is followed by a brief explanation of each of Bebbington' s characteristics, not only as Bebbington himself defines them globally for all Evangelicals, but also as each one affected the Newfoundland context. -- Chapter Two examines Missionary Societies, an integral element of the conversion-oriented and educational activities of Evangelicals. While such societies as the Church Missionary Society and the American Home Missionary Society are briefly explored, a more detailed examination is allotted to merchant Samuel Codner's Newfoundland School Society, not only because of Spencer's and Bridge's involvement, but also because the society represented Great Britain's first ...