General Reference
Papal infallibility
In 1864 Pope Pius IX, a man who had fallen out of favor and had fled Italy due to his meddling in national affairs, returned from exile and wrote Syllabus of Errors, a work devoted to condemning certain liberalizing social trends and claiming that the Church should have control over all secular affairs in the…...
Social reform in Britain
These and other men and women, among the first to be called evangelicals, organized the Church Missionary Society and other Bible and tract societies. Together they took the lead in social reform and helped to make significant and lasting changes in Britain, changes that inspired other believers around the world.
Oxford Movement
The Oxford movement resulted in a new impetus toward old customs. It gave momentum to a Catholic trend in the Church of England, which made the High Church party a growing force in the religious life and social activity of Great Britain.
Rise of the Sunday school movement
The steady improvement of secular schools made it imperative that Sunday schools should be improved if they were to truly help their pupils, and by the end of the nineteenth century it was evident that extensive modifications must be made. A particularly valuable experiment was the instruction of teachers at summer assemblies and by means of local study classes. The Chautauqua Movement for popular education grew out of a summer assembly for the better training of Sunday school teachers. It outlined a system of reading courses that were adopted widely by local groups of teachers and other interested persons, with an annual gathering at Chautauqua, New York. These assemblies lasted for several weeks with lectures and intensive study. In 1903 the Religious Education Association was organized to put religious education on a broader basis than the Sunday school. Composed mainly of ministers and educators, it was organized into expert commissions that investigated conditions, planned improvements, and published useful aids for religious education. This group was not only active in the Sunday schools but they also worked with colleges, Young Men’s Christian Associations, and young people’s societies.
American foreign missions
For nearly thirty years Presbyterians and other Reformed churches contributed to the American Board, but at the end of that period denominational organization seemed to each group a better arrangement. Both Methodists and Episcopalians followed the example of the rest. Smaller denominations carried on independent operations in various regions.
English and Scottish foreign missions
English and Scottish missions in the late eighteenth and early to mid-nineteenth centuries not only brought the Gospel message, they were also instrumental in fomenting social reforms, bringing medical care, and ending pagan practices that destroyed the lives of women and children.
German Inner Mission, The
The Inner Mission enlarged its scope beyond the expectations of its founders. Various organizations were created for children and young adults. Numerous agencies were established to cope with social ills. In short, it served a vital ministry role during the nineteenth century.