Thomas Chalmers

Thomas Chalmers (* March 17, 1780 at Anstruther - Easter in Fifeshire (Scotland ), † May 31 1847 in Edinburgh ) was a Reformed theologian, writer and the founder of the Free Church of Scotland.

Life

Chalmers studied from 1795 to 1798 at the University of St Andrews Evangelical theology, mathematics, chemistry and astronomy. Since 1799 he held himself there lectures on mathematics. This he also continued on as if he had become in 1803 Kilmany pastor, because an academic career seemed more important to him than his official duties. 1810/11 but he was converted to an evangelical piety. In 1815 he became a preacher in Glasgow. There he established a new system of poor relief, which should be based on the promotion of personal initiative and commitment. To this end, Chalmers told the huge township into manageable districts one in which lay volunteers made ​​home visits and offering practical help. These men, in which the altreformierte deacon rose again, relieved the pastor and the elders who were able to concentrate on their pastoral task. The system of ecclesiastical poor relief could not be maintained in the long run, but its basic principles influenced the Elberfeld system and had such an impact on the state's social policy.

1823 Chalmers took over the chair of moral philosophy at the University of St Andrews, but switched in 1828 to a professorship of theology at the University of Edinburgh. Here he became the leader of the " evangelical " faction in the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. His particular interest was the continued presence of the Church in the industrial centers, and so 1834-1841 220 new churches were built. In 1834 he became a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Already since 1834 the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland had claimed that only the presbyteries should get the right to vote as a pastor church bodies; at least a veto right against unsuitable candidates they should have. Chalmers was the leader of Nonintrusionists, the opposite of state power demanded the independence of the Church, because only Christ alone and no foreign masters must prevail in the church. But that dominated by the nobles London House of Lords did not allow limitation on the right of the cartridge for the establishment of the parish priest. When all attempts at mediation had failed, Chalmers entered on May 18, 1843 a large part of the clergy of the state church ( the so-called " disruption "). Large parts of the population and the clergy joined the new Free Church of Scotland, the structure and organization was particularly influenced by Chalmers. But Chalmers was no conflict between state churches and free churches, and so he pursued the establishment of the Evangelical Alliance in 1846.

Thomas Chalmers was since 30 November 1798 Member of the Association of the Freemasons, his lodge St. Vigean 101 is based in Arbroath.

Work

His writings include 38 books, mostly dealing apologetically with theology, including his contribution to the Bridgewater Treatises. He was regarded as a powerful public speaker.

His studies, theology combined with the natural sciences and economics, exerted an invigorating influence on the Church of his time.