George Scott (18 June 1804 – 28 January 1874) was a Scottish
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
missionary active in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
from 1830 to 1842. His preaching has been described as the start of Sweden's Great Awakening that began in the 1840s.
Biography
Scott was born 18 June 1804 in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Robert Scott, a master tailor, and Margaret Lumley. He grew up in a very religious home.
On 2 April 1824 he married Elizabeth Masson; however, she died just a few years later in 1828. Scott was raised
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
but eagerly joined the
Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1827, engaging in
lay
Lay may refer to:
Places
*Lay Range, a subrange of mountains in British Columbia, Canada
*Lay, Loire, a French commune
*Lay (river), France
*Lay, Iran, a village
*Lay, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community
People
* Lay (surname)
* ...
ministry work and becoming a
Sunday school
A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West.
Su ...
teacher. He became a
local preacher
A Methodist local preacher, also known as a licensed preacher, is a layperson who has been accredited by the Methodist Church to lead worship and preach on a frequent basis. With separation from the Church of England by the end of the 18th century ...
the next year and was ordained by the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society in 1830.
That year, Scott was sent to Stockholm to take over
Joseph Rayner Stephens
Joseph Rayner Stephens (8 March 1805 – 18 February 1879) was a Methodist minister who offended the Wesleyan Conference by his support for separating the Church of England from the State. Resigning from the Wesleyan Connection, he became free t ...
' work.
He first worked as a religious teacher and preacher for industrialist
Samuel Owen and the British workers in his factory. His goal, while perhaps initially to spread Methodist teachings, was to inspire spiritual renewal among the people in a manner that deemphasized religious
sectarianism
Sectarianism is a political or cultural conflict between two groups which are often related to the form of government which they live under. Prejudice, discrimination, or hatred can arise in these conflicts, depending on the political status quo ...
.
He learned Swedish quickly, and in 1831 also began to preach and hold meetings in Swedish, in violation of the
Conventicle Act banning all religious meetings other than those of the
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...
. Thus, due to the controversy, "one of his important and successful strategies was to attract influential friends and fellow workers", including
Count Mathias Rosenblad and
Lord Bloomfield.
In 1832, Owen and Scott initiated one of the first Swedish
temperance societies
The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, a ...
, ; the following year it expanded into the rest of the city of Stockholm. In 1837, the two, along with , ,
Jöns Jacob Berzelius
Baron Jöns Jacob Berzelius (; by himself and his contemporaries named only Jacob Berzelius, 20 August 1779 – 7 August 1848) was a Swedish chemist. Berzelius is considered, along with Robert Boyle, John Dalton, and Antoine Lavoisier, to be on ...
,
Anders Retzius
Anders Adolph Retzius (13 October 1796 – 18 April 1860), was a Swedish professor of anatomy and a supervisor at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.
Biography
Retzius was born in Lund, Sweden, in 1796. He enrolled at Lund University in 18 ...
, and others, founded the
Svenska nykterhetssällskapet (the Swedish Temperance Society).
The organization would reach over 100,000 members in the 1840s.
In 1833, Scott married Janet Kelley. Their son James Scott (1835–1911) was a missionary to South Africa.
Scott's missionary work grew and he founded several periodicals around this time, including ', ''Missionstidningen'', and ''Fosterlandsvännen''.
Scott initially had the support of some of the clergy from the Church of Sweden. Together with Owen, priest
Johan Olof Wallin
Johan Olof Wallin, (15 October 1779 – 30 June 1839), was a Swedish minister, orator, poet and later Church of Sweden Archbishop of Uppsala, Sweden between 1837–1839. He is most remembered today for his hymns.
Early life
He was born in St ...
, bishop
Carl Fredrik af Wingård
Carl Fredrik af Wingård (born 26 September 1781 in Stockholm, died 19 September 1851) was a Swedish Lutheran archbishop of the Church of Sweden, Professor at Uppsala University, and politician. He served as Archbishop of Uppsala 1839–1851 ...
, Rosenblad, and others, Scott founded the
Swedish Mission Society
The Swedish Mission Society (Swedish: (SMS), later ), was a Swedish Christian organization to promote mission work among the Sámi in Sweden.
History
The Swedish Mission Society was founded in 1835 by George Scott, Samuel Owen, Johan Olof ...
() in 1835, an organization for
missions work among the
Sámi
The Sámi ( ; also spelled Sami or Saami) are a Finno-Ugric-speaking people inhabiting the region of Sápmi (formerly known as Lapland), which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and of the Murmansk Oblast, Rus ...
people. also prayed at the chapel's mission prayer that year.
Scott's work would build on and influence the growing
revivalist movements, including
Pietism
Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christian life, including a social concern for the needy and ...
,
Radical Pietism
Radical Pietism are those Ecclesiastical separatism, Christian churches who decided to break with denominational Lutheranism in order to emphasize certain teachings regarding holy living. Radical Pietists contrast with Church Pietists, who chose t ...
, and the Reader (''
läsare
(lit. 'reader') or the Reader movement was a Swedish Pietistic Christian revival movement of people who stressed the importance of reading (), that is, reading the Bible and other Christian literature. It was influenced by both the Herrnhute ...
'') movement. With his
low-church Pietist views, he inspired and supported several people who would become leaders in the many Swedish revival movements that would flourish in the latter half of the 19th century. Among these were Swedish Baptist pioneers
F. O. Nilsson and
Anders Wiberg
Anders Wiberg (17 July 1816 – 5 November 1887) was a preacher, missionary, and leader of the early Swedish Baptist movement.
Life
Early life and influences
Wiberg was born on 17 July 1816 in Vi in Hälsingtuna parish, Hälsingland, Swed ...
, and co-founder of the organization (EFS, later the
Swedish Evangelical Mission
The Swedish Evangelical Mission (SEM) (Swedish: "Evangelical Homeland Foundation", EFS) is an independent, low-church, New Evangelical () movement within the Church of Sweden. It emphasizes the importance of lay involvement in the church and ...
)
Carl Olof Rosenius
Carl Olof Rosenius (February 3, 1816 – February 24, 1868) was a Swedish lay preacher, author and editor of the monthly ''Pietisten'' (The Pietist) from 1842 to 1868.''Twice-Born Hymns'' by J. Irving Erickson, (Chicago: Covenant Press, 1976 ...
.
Rosenius initially came to Scott for guidance in a crisis of faith. Scott's inspiration led Rosenius to move to Stockholm to become his assistant; the two maintained a lifelong friendship and worked together for several years. In 1842 Scott and Rosenius would also found the journal ''
Pietisten
("The Pietist") was a Swedish Christian monthly publication "for religious revival and edification", founded in January 1842 by the Scottish Methodist minister George Scott, who had immigrated to Sweden, and edited by preacher Carl Olof Roseniu ...
'', for
Mission Friends
The Mission Friends (Swedish: ) was a Christian association in Sweden and among Swedish immigrants in the United States.
History
Background and Mission Friends in Sweden
The Mission Friends had their origins in the spiritual reform movements ...
, together.
Scott's influence was present in other ways as well: the biographical dictionary ''
Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon
''Svenskt biografiskt lexikon'' () is a Swedish biographical dictionary, started in 1917. The first volume, covering names ''Abelin'' to ''Anjou'', was published in 1918. As of 2017, names from A to S are covered.
Volumes
# ABELIN – ANJOU (1 ...
'' describes Scott's "emphasis on the individual's momentary conversion and adherence to new forms of organization, as well as his connection with the work of the temperance movement" as "decisive for the entire development of the later Free Church movement," stating that, "after the Reformation, hardly any single foreigner has had as great an impact on the transformation of Sweden's religious structure."
Scott raised 2000 pounds in 1837 for the construction of a Methodist church, the
English Church
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
(). The building, with seating for over one thousand,
was designed by Scottish architect Robert Blackwood and a revised version of the plans was submitted by
Fredrik Blom
Fredrik Blom (24 January 1781 – 25 September 1853) was a Swedish officer, architect and professor at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts.
Life
Fredrik Blom was born in Karlskrona. His father was a compass maker journeyman. He began his career as ...
.
In 1838 Scott received approval for its construction. It was consecrated on 24–25 October 1840 as the first
free church
A free church is a Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church does not define government policy, and a free church does not accept church theology or policy definitions from ...
in Sweden with
Johan Henrik Thomander
Johan Henrik Thomander (16 June 1798 – 9 July 1865) was a Swedish professor, bishop, translator and author. He received his doctorate in theology in 1836 and was elected to the eighteenth chair of the Swedish Academy in 1856.
After his father's ...
and
Pehr Brandell co-officiating.
The church's membership quickly grew and Rosenius also soon took on a preaching role in the church. However, despite the legality of the church's construction, Scott continued to face increasing pressure from both religious circles and the media. He was reported to the state church for offering communion to its members and attacked in sermons.
Newspapers ''
Aftonbladet
''Aftonbladet'' (, lit. "The evening paper") is a Swedish daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. It is one of the largest daily newspapers in the Nordic countries.
History and profile
The newspaper was founded by Lars Johan H ...
'', ''Tidning för Stora Kopparbergs län'', and ' wrote articles critical of him, adding to the tension. "By praising the people for leaving
cott
Primo Water Corporation (formerly Cott Corporation) is an American-Canadian water company offering multi-gallon bottled water, water dispensers, self-service refill water machines, and water filtration appliances. The company is headquartered in ...
untouched, new, aggressive signals were given.
cott
Primo Water Corporation (formerly Cott Corporation) is an American-Canadian water company offering multi-gallon bottled water, water dispensers, self-service refill water machines, and water filtration appliances. The company is headquartered in ...
could no longer walk in peace in the streets."
At this point, the support of Rosenblad, , and
Peter Wieselgren
Peter (Per) Wieselgren, born Jonasson (1 October 1800 – 10 October 1877) was a Lutheran priest, librarian, archivist, literary historian, and leader of the Swedish temperance movement who formed the first organised temperance society in Sweden. ...
began to wane.
In 1841, he traveled to the United States on a fundraising trip at the request of
Robert Baird and the
American Bible Society
American Bible Society is a U.S.-based Christian nonprofit headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the American member organization of United Bible Societies, it supports global Bible translation, production, distribution, literacy, engage ...
in an attempt to pay off the church's debt after construction. During that time, Rosenius took on a greater role. Scott's talks were attended by two Swedes, who wrote home about his descriptions of the situation in Sweden in disparaging terms.
Upon Scott's return, the press called for his exile and he was told he was no longer safe. After a riot in the church on
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Palm Sunday marks the first day of Holy ...
in which Scott's life was threatened, the Governor of Stockholm banned him from preaching in Swedish.
On 30 April, Scott was forced to leave Sweden. His work in Stockholm was then left solely to Rosenius.
The church building remained abandoned until 1851 when preacher began using it; his preaching in Swedish was allowed to continue. The same year, Scott was contacted in London by
Per Palmqvist
Per Palmqvist, also Palmquist, (8 April 1815 – 10 August 1887) was a Swedish Baptist pioneer and organist. He is regarded as one of the founders of Sunday school in Sweden. Palmqvist, along with his two brothers Johannes and Gustaf Palmquist, ...
, brother of pioneer Baptist missionary
Gustaf Palmquist, to learn about the Methodists' Sunday schools. At that time, Sunday school was quite uncommon in Sweden; due to Scott's influence, Palmqvist founded the first Baptist Sunday School in the country in the church that year.
The building was bought by the EFS in 1857 and renamed Bethlehem Church.
Scott continued to work as a traveling preacher taking three-year assignments in cities including Aberdeen, Liverpool, and Newcastle-on-Tyne. He was elected as president of the Methodist conference in Canada in 1866. Scott worked as a preacher until his death in Glasgow on 28 January 1874.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, George
1804 births
1874 deaths
People from Edinburgh
Methodist missionaries in Europe
Scottish Methodist missionaries
Protestant missionaries in Sweden
Converts from Presbyterianism
Converts to Methodism
Scottish temperance activists