John Scott Lidgett, CH (10 August 1854 – 16 June 1953) was a British Wesleyan Methodist minister and educationist. He achieved prominence both as a

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and reformer within British Methodism, stressing the importance of the church's engagement with the whole of society and human culture, and as an effective advocate for education within

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. He served as the first

President of the Methodist Conference This is a chronological list of presidents of the Methodist Conference of the Methodist Church of Great Britain and its predecessor churches. John Wesley, founder of Methodism, organised and presided over the first Methodist Conference, which was ...

in 1932–33.

Life

He was born in

Lewisham Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...

, the son of John Jacob Lidgett, a shipowner, and Maria Elizabeth Scott. His maternal grandfather John Scott (1792–1868) was a prominent Wesleyan Methodist, a founder and first Principal of Westminster Training College. Lidgett was educated at

University College, London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

, entering in 1873, taking his BA in 1874 and his MA in 1875; he was awarded a DD by the

University of Aberdeen , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

on the strength of a book published in 1902, ''The Fatherhood of God''. In later life Lidgett was closely involved with the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

, serving on its Senate from 1922 until he retired in 1946 at the age of 92. He served as deputy vice-chancellor and as

vice-chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

from 1930 to 1932. He was active in supporting the development of women's colleges and, through his support for the university's relations with teacher training colleges, was instrumental in the foundation of its

Institute of Education IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society (IOE) is the education school of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior to ...

. Lidgett died in a nursing home at

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

on 16 June 1953. He was buried at

West Norwood Cemetery West Norwood Cemetery is a rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery. One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the " Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of ...

Theology

By the standards of 19th-century British Methodism, Lidgett's theology was liberal. He rejected the

penal substitution Penal substitution (sometimes, esp. in older writings, called forensic theory)D. Smith, The atonement in the light of history and the modern spirit' (London: Hodder and Stoughton), p. 96-7: 'THE FORENSIC THEORY...each successive period of history ...

doctrine of the

atonement Atonement (also atoning, to atone) is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some other ...

, and wanted to move his denomination away from its inherited tendency to a narrow

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

stance, towards a social gospel. He founded the Bermondsey Settlement, the only Methodist foundation among the 19th century settlements in the East End of London. Like the secular settlements such as Toynbee Hall, it aimed to bring into the neighbourhood middle-class activists who could provide social and educational facilities for the poor, rather than concentrating narrowly on evangelism like the Church's more traditional "Missions" located in poor areas of London. Within the Church, Lidgett founded the "Wesley Guild", a social organization aimed at young people but also offering activities to adults, which claimed over 150,000 members by 1900. He was President of the Wesleyan Methodist Conference (the ruling body of the denomination) in 1908–09. He was also an early supporter of the

ecumenical movement Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

and a key architect of British

Methodist Union Methodist Union was the joining together of several of the larger British Methodist denominations. These were the Wesleyan Methodists, the Primitive Methodists, and the United Methodists. In 1932 a Uniting Conference met on 20 September in the R ...

in 1932, and was the first President of the newly united church's conference. He remained in the active work of the ministry as chairman of the London South-West Methodist District until he was 94. Lidgett was active in London politics for much of his career. He served as an alderman of the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

, and was leader of the

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on the council from 1918 to 1928. He was prominent on the LCC Education Committee. He was appointed a Companion of Honour in 1933.

Family

Lidgett married Emmeline Davies in 1884. They had a son (John Cuthbert Lidgett, b.1885, killed in action 1918) and a daughter (Lettice Mary Lidgett, b.1887, m. Gerald H. Davy 1911, d.1980). Emmeline died in 1934.

Memorials

Lidgett is remembered in the name of Scott Lidgett School, a comprehensive school built in Drummond Road,

Bermondsey Bermondsey () is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham ...

in the 1960s and closed in 1991, and in that of the road Scott Lidgett Crescent and Scott Lidgett Road in Longport, Stoke-on-Trent.http://www.southlondonblog.co.uk/top-5-in-south-london/5-things-south-londoners-miss/ Both Drummond Road and Scott Lidgett Crescent lie near

Jamaica Road Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...

Published works

*''The Spiritual Principle of the Atonement'' (the 1897 Fernley lecture) *''The Fatherhood of God'' (1902) *''The Christian Religion, its Meaning and Proof'' (1907) *''God in Christ Jesus'' (1915) *''Sonship and Salvation'' (1921) *''The Victorian Transformation of Theology'' (the 1934

Maurice Maurice may refer to: People * Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr * Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...

lectures) *''My Guided Life'' (1936) *''The Idea of God and Social Ideals'' (1938)

References

Bibliography

* Turberfield, A. F. (2002). ''John Scott Lidgett: Archbishop of British Methodism?''. Peterborough:

Epworth Press The Methodist Church of Great Britain is a Protestant Christian denomination in Britain, and the mother church to Methodists worldwide. It participates in the World Methodist Council, and the World Council of Churches among other ecumenical a ...

. .

External links

Lidgett and the Bermondsey Settlement
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lidgett, John Scott 1854 births 1953 deaths People from Lewisham Alumni of University College London Alumni of the University of Aberdeen English Methodist ministers English educational theorists Presidents of the Methodist Conference Members of London County Council Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour Vice-Chancellors of the University of London Burials at West Norwood Cemetery Progressive Party (London) politicians