Free God's Story: A Student Guide to Church History by Brian Cosby Page A

Knox back into England for the rest of his life!
    Thus, Knox travelled straight to his homeland in Scotland in 1559. Upon arrival, Knox pushed through a series of Protestant reformations, leading to a formal break with the Roman Catholic Church the next year. The Church of Scotland also produced the Scots Confession of Faith—largely the work of Knox—which expressed the theology of Calvin. Knox continued to encourage a thorough reformation in Scotland, ministering in Edinburgh at St. Giles Cathedral until his death in 1572.
War and Westminster
    As mentioned earlier, Charles I set out to enforce his anti-Puritan policies when he took the throne in 1625. He demanded absolute conformity to the use of the Book of Common Prayer and the ceremonies that many Protestants couldn’t stand. In 1638, Charles also tried to force these policies on the Scots, who were by that time fully Presbyterian and not under the control of the Church of England. Bad move!
    The Scots rebelled. One lady, Jenny Geddes, reportedly threw a stool at the minister in St. Giles who started using the Book of Common Prayer in the worship service! Charles was furious at the Scots’ response and sent an army up to squelch the rebellion. But to his great consternation, the Scots beat his army and the English were forced to retreat. Charles went to Parliament to ask for more money to fight the Scots only to be handed what was called the “Grand Remonstrance of 1640,” which stipulated that they would grant Charles the money only if he agreed to their list of grievances; particularly, (1) that only Parliament can raise taxes and not the king and (2) that he must stop the oppression of religious uniformity.
    Being an arrogant individual Charles took this as a direct assault to his kingship and declared war on his own Parliament! From 1642 to 1648, England was torn in a brutal Civil War. The two armies fought back and forth with Parliament finally coming out on top, thanks to the Scots coming alongside them to fight and the brilliant English leaders, Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) and General Thomas Fairfax (1612-1671). King Charles was captured, brought up on charges, and beheaded on January 30, 1649.
    Significantly, throughout the war, Parlia-ment controlled the southeastern portion of England, including London. It was there, at Westminster Abbey, that a gathering of nearly 130 ministers would meet from 1643 to 1647 to write one of the most beloved and influential confessions of faith, the Westminster Confession of Faith . They also composed a Larger and Shorter Catechism and a Directory for Public Worship.
    With Charles executed, England was declared a republic and quickly chose Oliver Cromwell to be their leader. Refusing the title of “king,” Cromwell became “Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England.” Many attribute the 1650s to be the triumph of Puritanism. In reality, the sudden change to a Commonwealth caused irreparable damage to the Puritan cause. Disorder, chaos, and confusion reigned and, after only a decade, the people wanted a return to the monarchy.
The Great Persecution
    By 1660, the pendulum of national favor swung back toward a monarchy and Charles II (Charles I’s son) was crowned king—bringing with him the Restoration of the Church of England and the persecution of the Puritans. This period became hauntingly known as the Great Persecution . Many faced torture, fines, imprisonment, loss of civil liberties, denial of access to the universities, and (in some cases) execution; all this for simply not conforming to the official church.
    After Charles II’s arrival, thirteen men involved in the execution of his father were themselves executed for treason. Two years later, in 1662, Charles enacted the Act of Uniformity , demanding that all ministers and churches be uniform, prescribing to the worship as outlined in the Book of Common Prayer. That August, nearly 2,000 ministers, professors, and church leaders (called “nonconformists”