Lessons from 1860

​Recently I took my Historical Theology class to Black Creek Pioneer Village, Toronto. It was a wonderful fall outing. We used the old Edgeley Mennonite Meeting House (b. 1824- the oldest remaining log meeting house in the province) as the backdrop for the day’s lectures. (The meeting house would have been nearly identical in simplicity to early Baptist meeting houses). It was the first time I’d lectured with a toque on and the poor lighting made me appreciate the convenience of electricity as I sought to read my lecture notes! 

​Historical Theology is “the study of how the church past interpreted Scripture and formulated its doctrines and practice.” As such, we had one lecture period where students were able to explore the Village with this question, “from your exploration, what can we learn about what these pioneers believed” (in 1860, the era of the Village, culture was generally Christian).

When we debriefed their visit to the village a number of interesting observations were made:

1. Most homes had a Bible or a copy of Pilgrim’s Progress (the most popular book apart from the Bible). The Bible was seen as a positive literary force in the community and in homes. This is very different to today.
2. There was a form of pluralism, even if it was a Christian pluralism: there were different Protestant denominations (Presbyterian Church, Mennonite Meeting House). There was even the cult of the Masonic Lodge.
3. Because you travelled to church by foot or by horse one had to worship locally. Church hopping was much more difficult!
4. Since the community, including the church community, was tight knit, there was accountability. It would be difficult to place yourself outside of the direct influences of the church or its discipline.
5. As animals were kept and modern medicine did not exist, sickness and death were a humbling reminder of our mortality and the need to be ready to meet our maker. Similarly, male was male and female was female, being entrenched in creation (and working hard) did not give the luxury to question such fundamentals of the created order.

It was amazing how much we learned about belief in 1860. I admit some of it seemed romantically nostalgic though the era or the people in the era were far from perfect.
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What about today? If you think about our community and culture, what do they believe? What do you believe? How might this knowledge help you influence them for Christ?