The Protestant Story in the Atlantic Provinces, Ontario and the West

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The Protestant Story in the Atlantic Provinces,
Ontario and the West

• By Kelsey Doolaar

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Introduction

• Protestants in Atlantic Canada
• Establishment of Religious groups
• Key figures
• Influence of John Wesley
• Movements in Protestantism
• The Protestants in Ontario and the West
• Problems with the United States
• Key figures
• Education and Outcomes

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Problems for the Church of EnglandWhy they had
trouble maintaining their established status.

• Catholicism
• There was a large catholic population mainly in
  the french speaking colonies who had to be
  accomodated.
• Resistance of other protestant groups
• These protestant groups continued to grow in
  numbers
• Immigration from Scotland
• A large number of Scottish Presbyterians made
  their way to Atlantic Canada.

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Education

• The Scottish Presbyterian immigrants brought with
  them a their concern for education
• Started schools and higher academies
• Thomas McCulloch

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Thomas McCulloch (1776-1843)

• Presbyterian Minister
• Founded Pictou Academie
• Teacher of the Evangelical Creed
• First Principal of Dalhousie College

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British Wesleyan Immigrants and their Influence

• The direction of Atlantic Methodism changed when
  the British Wesleyan Immigrants began to gain
  influence in Atlantic Canada
• Similar to the New Light faith of Henry Alline
• The later Wesleyan Methodist put emphases on
• Ministerial training
• Decorum in worship
• Disciplined approach to spiritual life

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Maritime Protestantism

• Disciplined, Conservative and Preoccupied
• with Morality
• Baptists ? Calvanism
• Methodist ? English decorum
• Presbyterisans?Reconstruction of Scottish forms
• Distaste for American patterns due to the
• War of 1812 (affecting the 20th Century)

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Interesting facts

• By mid-century almost half of Canadas blacks
  lived in the Halifax area, and worshiped mostly
  in Baptist churches
• Levels of church membership and attendance has
  been the highest in the Maritimes compared to any
  other Protestant regions in Canada

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Protestantism in Ontario and the West

• In Ontario Protestant expansion was the greatest
• Mid 19th century Ontario passed Quebec as
  Canadas most populated province
• lowest Catholic population proportionally
  compared to Protestants in regards to any other
  province

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Ontario Populations

• 1800s 20 000 residents with 25 clergymen
• 1900s 2 220 000 residents
• 1851 1871 the number of churches went from 1
  500 to 4 100

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Impacts of the War of 1812

• Invasion of Upper Canada
• British destroyed later Washington in retribution
• Leaders were against incorporating Canada into
  the United States
• End of United States Methodist Preachers
• Respectability of Anglicanism
• Canadian Protestantism no longer followed that of
  the United States

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Anglicans, Presbyterians and Methodists

• A faith involving stability, order and social
  harmony was a main interest for the Anglicans and
  Presbyterians
• Methodists wanted their faith defined by the
  transforming power of Spirit-inspired revivalism
• Different outlooks kept Ontario unsettled

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John Strachan (1778-1867)

• Anglican immigrant from Scotland
• Became Bishop of Toronto
• Worked to allow the Anglican Church to be the
  main force in higher education

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A love of order is not only essential to the
tranquility but to the very being of any
State.John Strachan
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Egerton Ryerson(1803-1882)

• Methodist who had a moving conversion earlier in
  his life
• Itinerant minister
• Editor of an influential Methodist publication
• First principal of the Methodists first College
• First director of public education in Ontario

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Strachan vs. Ryerson

• Strachan
• Promotes a godly sense of restraint and balance
• Strong opinions about the Methodists

• Ryerson
• Christian faith is the transporting touch of
  Gods grace
• Against Strachans claims about Methodists

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The Meeting of Strachan and Ryerson (1842)

• Important meeting for educational reasons
• Methodists received permission from the
  government to turn their academy into a college
• Strachan gave advice on how to use the Clergy
  Reserves to support the college
• Christianity put to use for the benefit of
  individual and society

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Education and Outcomes

• Strong force for Christianizing the society and
  for personal religion
• Unifying religious life and advancing
  civilization
• Fund education in a very Protestant way, yet
  still providing for Catholic separate schools

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Discussion Questions

• Strachan said that the Methodists way of
  preaching was a zeal without knowledge
  (teaching) what they do not know. In which way
  do you feel education is important to the
  understanding and sharing of Christianity?

• Noll states that the Maritimes became to Canada
  what Scotland was to England? Being that Scotland
  was a place of vigorous Christian loyalties that
  nonetheless remained on the margin of cultural
  influence. What do you think are his reasons for
  stating this? Would you agree?