Marginal Importance

Comparison of the eighteenth century diaries of an English Dissenter and a Scottish Presbyterian indicates a contrast between English watchfulness and Scottish accountability. Attention to the genres of record keeping in Scotland, with a particular focus on the use of the margin, suggests systemic p...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mutch, Alistair (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Brill 2016
In: Church history and religious culture
Year: 2016, Volume: 96, Issue: 1/2, Pages: 155-178
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B England / Irlinger, Bernhard 1959-, Scotland / Presbyterians / Diary
RelBib Classification:CD Christianity and Culture
KBF British Isles
KDD Protestant Church
Further subjects:B Presbyterianism accountability self-examination Scotland England diaries Weber thesis
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
Volltext (Verlag)
Description
Summary:Comparison of the eighteenth century diaries of an English Dissenter and a Scottish Presbyterian indicates a contrast between English watchfulness and Scottish accountability. Attention to the genres of record keeping in Scotland, with a particular focus on the use of the margin, suggests systemic practices of accountability. The self-examination revealed by the diaries of the faithful needs to be set against the context of taken-for-granted practices in the broader church. Governance routines in the Church of Scotland, derived from belief and promulgated in guidance manuals before being shaped by local practice, formed a particular culture of accountability founded on detailed record keeping. The value of examining religion as social practice, as opposed to as belief system or institution, is that it points to enduring influences on the conduct of the faithful.
ISSN:1871-2428
Contains:In: Church history and religious culture
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/18712428-09601007