It is probably almost heretical for me to admit this, but after spending a couple of days immersed in Scottish history in Edinburgh, I have mixed feelings about the Reformation.
I started my historic tour at the famous castle. It is an impressive fortress and told the story of centuries of war or fragile peace between Scotland and others, mostly the English. The castle mostly eliminated references to the religious forces shaping many of the conflicts (which is an interesting observation by itself), but other sites were more balanced. In the 1500-1700s, many of the conflicts were at least influenced by what was happening in the church.
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| Edinburgh Castle from the outside |
I visited St. Giles Cathedral, which despite the name, is known as the "mother church of Presbyterianism". John Knox was the pastor here from 1559-1572, as the Reformation conflict roared in Scotland. It is an interesting church because it has a number of side "aisles" which are sort of like large alcoves off the main sanctuary area. On one side of the church is the Chapman Aisle, which has a memorial to James Graham, who was loyal to the crown and Catholicism. He was executed and later buried in a crypt beneath the church. On the other side of the sanctuary is St. Eloi's aisle, which has a memorial to Archibald Campbell, a supporter of the reformers and a bitter enemy of James Graham. He was executed too. Many wonderful things resulted from the Reformation, but they came at a high price.
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| Center of St. Giles Cathedral |
Then I went farther down the street to John Knox's house. Historians think he only lived here the last few months of his life. Before that, it belonged to one of Mary Queen of Scots' jeweler and goldsmith. In the fighting that surrounded the Reformation (which led to Mary being forced to abdicate the throne for her son James VI), the goldsmith stayed loyal to the queen and the Roman Catholic Church. He became part of a revolt to return her to the throne, but they lost and he lost his worldly goods as well. The house was empty and Knox's health was failing, so he probably lived and then died here.
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| Dressed as John Knox for a photo |
Today the house is a museum. It captured much of the complexity of the Reformation and the pain it caused the nation. It has early copies of Calvin's Institutes and a portrait of Knox by Theodore Beza (who knew he was an artist? I missed that in Church History). It shares the tremendous impact Knox had on the church, and his illustrious ideas for education for all and care for the poor.
But it also shares the story of the original owners. Although we might say they were on the "wrong" side, I suspect they too were trying to do the right thing, and paid the price. The Reformation wasn't just a war of words waged through the books, letters, and confessions we read today, it was a war. People died for their beliefs--on both sides. And that makes me sad.
I also went to the National Museum of Scotland. It is huge, beautiful, and informative. I could have easily spent an entire day there. In their galleries about Scottish history, they had sections about how Christianity came to Scotland and the effect it has had. I was a bit horrified to see some of the effects of the Reformation, like instruments of torture used on suspected witches. Instead of feeling proud of being a product of the Reformation, my time in Edinburgh left me wishing there was another way.
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| Inside the Museum |
At my classical exam (last step for ordination), one of the questions was something like what do you love and hate about the church? I remember saying that I hate how the church is fractured into pieces and we continue to fight about things, if not on Reformation scale, on the local-church scale. And I do hate how things divide us into different Christian branches and denominations. I hate how some Christians can't take communion with others. I hate how we judge and say this is the only way you must practice faith.
And yet at the same time, I am so thankful for the Reformation. I am thankful that I can read the Bible in my heart language and so can people from Nepal and Burundi. I am thankful for our passion for God's word. I am thankful that I don't have to go through anyone (and no one has to go through me) to communicate to God. I am thankful for the Reformation's emphasis on the priesthood of all believers, so we all have important parts to play in the church. I am thankful for our confessions that help us to teach and learn our faith.
I just wish that it didn't come at such a high cost. I wish that Protestants hadn't reacted so harshly on so many occasions.
I hope and pray that in my lifetime I will see parts of the church come back together instead of splintering more. I hope that we can worship and serve together with brothers and sisters of different Christian background. I hope that we can all have the humility to learn from each other and not just assume that our way is the way. And I long for the wedding feast of the lamb where I hope we will all get to take Mass/Eucharist/Holy Communion/Lord's Supper together as one body.
