John Keble and the Oxford Movement - Essay Example

The Oxford movement is a religious movement that started in 1833. It was launched by Anglican clergymen at Oxford with the aim of renewingthe Church of England by reviving certain Roman Catholic doctrines and rituals. "The prominent members of this movement were John Henry Newman, John Keble, Richard Hurrell Froude, and Charles Marriott. They were later joined by Edward Bouverie Pusey and Richard William Church". [1] These young and idealistic men were indignant to the deteriorating spiritual condition of the world around them, particularly of the church where they belong. They were clamouring for a change in the church systems and practices through the renewal of old church practices. These young men were educated in a university that is immersed with the ideals of the past. They had been educated under the care of a church that put premium on traditions which was considered to be the most precious part of the church's heritage. [2] The movement also sought to express their belief that the Church of England was a direct descendant of the Christian church that was established by the original Apostles of Christ. Later on, the movement was also invariably called the Tractarian movement after its series of publications called the Tracts of the Times which ran from 1833 to 1841.[3] The members of the movement were, in some way, can be branded as idealists. They came forward when they thought that the Church that they serve is veering away from the original teachings they were educated upon. The Oxford members believed at that time that the ancient power and practices of the Church should be re-established. Because of their belief in the sacredness of the church based on its origin, they are convinced that the church is a divinely instituted and commissioned institution. Therefore, because of its sacredness, all of the church's teaching should be observed even down to the smallest of these teachings.[4] For the kingdom of God to descend upon the earth, these men believed that the Church must be made absolute in all its doctrines and practices. Harmony can only be achieved by submitting unconditionally to the wiser authority of the Church which had vigorously preserved the teachings of its leaders inspired with divinity.[5] Because of these beliefs, the movement was criticized by some as subscribing to Romanism. To this, the defenders of the movement argue that the greatest difference between the Oxford movement doctrine and the Romanists was that the Oxford members regarded the leaders of the Church to be divinely inspired as against the belief on an infallible human being which is personified by a pope. To renew people's deep and personal devotion to the Bible, the Oxford members sought to establish religious community life. Consequently, sisterhoods were established in the name of the movement, the first of which was founded in 1845. Charity and social work became the primary works of these sisterhoods. Although among the men, communities were slow to expand and are fewer in number.[6] The movement also stressed the importance of adhering to the high standards of worship which resulted in the many changes later on in church services. These changes involved the physical beautification of churches, the proper wearing of vestments, intonation of services and the emphasis on hymn singing. Not all these changes that were introduced resulted in favourable responses. There are times that these changes aroused strong opposition from fundamentalists that culminated in the riot of 1860 at St. George's in East London.[7] Because the movement centred on the forms of expression in the churches, especially between the years 1857 and 1871, the followers of the movement were also labelled as ritualists. The ritualists' desired changes caused a public uproar which led to the passing in 1874 of the Public Worship Regulation Act by Parliament. The act is virtually a means of the State to put down Ritualism. The churchmen took this as an affront to their spiritual independence and the struggle between the secular and parliamentary, or the State against the Church, followed. Many were put to prison by the State as a result of this struggle. Finally, the church resistance, growing more widespread was eventually respected and deemed reasonable.[8] In later years, the followers of the movement focused on the responsibility of Christians in the life of society and shifted their attention to social problems. The Christian Social Union was founded to address this social concern. Among the founding members of the Oxford movement, John Keble can be considered to be one of the most, if not the most respected and the one who contributed so much to the movement. John Keble was born in Fairford, Gloucestershire on St. Mark's Day, the year of 1792. His father was a scholar and a Fellow of Corpus Christi College in Oxford before becoming vicar of Coin St. Aldwyn's near Fairford. His mother was a lady of Scotch descent and daughter of the Ringwood in Hampshire. John Keble was brought up by his parents in the great tradition of the Caroline divines. They also taught him the old Catholic doctrines of the Real Presence, the Apostolical Succession and the Visible Church. From this religious background, Keble grew up in the knowledge of the purity of the Church. This upbringing was to play a crucial part in his leading role to become co-founder of the Oxford movement which sought to restore the sanctity of the old Church and introduce a revival of faith among the faithful.[9] At 23, Keble was ordained Deacon by the Bishop of Oxford. The following year, 1816, he was ordained as a priest. There began his fellowship with the faithful. Ever so humble, Keble would always pray and ask for prayers from friends for him to be able to discharge the functions of his title conscientiously and that he may be worthy of his sacred office. In 1817, Keble was appointed Tutor at Oriel where he stayed for six years. Other appointments followed which took him to different parts of the country thereby spreading his influence to the people he came across with. He declined, however, the Archdeaconry of Barbados. Keble had the most brilliant academic career of his life at Oxford. He obtained a rare double first-class in Classics and Mathematics. The following year, he was elected to an open Fellowship at Oriel College, winning both the Latin and English essays. Keble staunchly loved the Church of England. He was contented and happy to live most of his life in a humble position for the service of the church. Until 1835, he remained most of the time at Fairford, fulfilling his duties as curate to his father. At various times, Oxford sought his help with duties connected to the university. In the intervening years, the religious outlook started to grow bleak. Not since so many years since that the English Church looked blacker. The tyranny of the State over the Church had been gradually increasing over the years while the Whigs were in power. Traditionally, the Church of England has been allied with the Tory Party. The French Revolution further brought a rapid growth of secularism throughout England. People with new ideas came to regard religion as the rubbish of superstition. Many veered away from spiritual enrichment and instead looked to education, enlightenment and reason. These people believed that this newfound knowledge is the cure to the ills of mankind. The English Church was in no position to successfully meet head-on the onslaughts of these new ideas. In many cases, the church brought it upon itself why people were being led away from it. People were not reached out to by the church regarding teachings and doctrines. The dull and predictable services, bishops and clergy who could not command authority because of their worldly personalities, and the absence of widespread devotion and enthusiasm led people to stray away from the Church. Such is the state of the religious environment when Keble and his associates decided to launch the Oxford movement. But it will still take many years before the members were able to put forward their ideas of renewal and reform. The slumbering church was brought to rouse starting with the concerted action of the movement in the Assize Sermon, which Keble preached at the Oxford University. The preacher's aim in the sermon was to draw the waning public focus to the tombs and eminent dangers that are threatening the church both from the State and more seriously, from widespread decay of religious convictions. The sermon was later published under the title National Apostasy. At first, the sermon did not seem to have elicited enough attention from listeners, but also early on, a number of believers were already realizing the sermon's true significance and . Several steps were taken to further push forward the campaign of religious renewal and revival. From these steps, two main results were achieved. [10] First, a speech to the Archbishop was made, wherein it expressed devoted adherence to the "Apostolical Doctrine and Polity of the Church". More than 7,000 clergy eventually signed in favour and was presented in 1834. Another Lay Address followed, this time 230,000 heads of families signed.[11] The second result was of far bigger significance. It was agreed to provide and circulate books and tracts to attempt to renew among the church people the revival of the basic practice of the common prayer, regular participation in the Lord's Supper, to explain point in discipline and worship that may lead to misunderstanding and to help resist any attempts to alter the Liturgy on without the backing of a sufficient authority.[12] For this purpose, the movement published the Tracts of the Times. These were short papers that dealt with important points regarding the practice of faith. Seven of these tracts, Numbers 4, 13, 52, 54, 57, 60 and 89, were written by Keble. Thus the movement started to gain recognition because of these tracts. Throughout the long struggle for revival, Keble remained in the background serving as inspiration to many and helping with his writings and advice, and to a great extent, his sense of spirituality. It was typical of Keble to shun the limelight, instead focusing on his work where he believed he can contribute significantly. Though Keble was not as prolific a writer as the others in the movement, his contributions in the field of theology to the movement were very significant. Aside from contributing to the series Tracts of the Times, Keble also edited an edition of Hooker's works with critical notes. He also wrote the Life of Bishop Wilson. Twelve volumes of Keble's sermons were published by his friends after his death. According to Pusey, affectionate simplicity and intense reality are the chief characteristics of Keble's sermons that made it an invaluable reading for the faithful. Throughout Keble's ministerial life, his advice was constantly sought by his friends and parishioners. Strangers also came to Keble for spiritual direction. Such is the power of his influence that people seek him just to hear and learn. Another of his work, the Letters of Spiritual Counsel, published four years after his death, is a beautiful guide into his person. The letters showed how wise he was and yet also showed his humility. Keble's writings gave significant impetus to the movement which long after his death still serves the very purpose they were written. Younger Tractarians regarded Keble with reverential awe. Some believed that Keble was the wisest man they have encountered in their life. Keble's spiritual impact to those people he had interacted with left a profound mark on these people's personality and most importantly in their spiritual beliefs. There was an aura of unearthliness about Keble that was immediately recognized by those who came to know him. He usually made a great impression on these people he met. Keble had the air of one who lives what he preaches and the feel of one who is living very close to God which all the more gave his personality the dignity and inspiration it commanded among his students, friends and parishioners. Yet in spite of how high people around him regard his person, Keble himself was so conscious of his sinfulness that he always regards others as better than him, and poured out his penitence in a language that others may misunderstood if they are not versed to his sense of spirituality. Keble's contribution to the Oxford movement was immense. In fact, it can be further stated that without his contributions, the movement may have not prospered and gained the wide recognition it enjoyed. It was because of his works, especially his collection of poems The Christian Year, which made a great impact to the religious community. The book is in a sense a collection of religious poetry. It was written from the heart and mind of the man who is immersed with spiritual enlightenment and direction that whoever was able to read it was touched one way or another by the beautiful and timely verses in its pages. Although it was not until Keble's death that the Church of England realized how much he had contributed to its growth, his works are surely appreciated. It is to him, more than any other man, is credited the spiritual influences which inspired the High-Church revival. The effects of these revivals were felt far wider than the church's doctrines were received by the faithful. In recognition of his great contribution, the church has erected a magnificent memorial for him, in the way he would have liked best, by founding in his name Keble College at Oxford. Also, the world will remember him as the author of The Christian Year, probably one of the greatest literary pieces ever produced for the Christian world. The Christian Year permanently enriched Christian literature, and to its author the whole Christian community, whether Roman Catholics or Protestants or Anglican will be forever indebted to. One of the most remarkable things about The Christian Year is its leaning toward the Catholic teachings. Tractarianism can hardly be found in it. This is because Keble is first and foremost a poet. He is a poet with rich spiritual personality. His writings are inspired with deep religious emotion and dependence upon God. In these modern times, The Christian Year still rings relevant for the Christians who may need spiritual rejuvenation. Its repose and calm faith are wonderfully soothing. Amid the proliferation of abundant spiritual literature, The Christian Year should always be made available to the faithful because it contains perennial springs of refreshment and comfort. It is a wise companion of the soul in its time of need. And this is the greatest contribution of John Keble not only to the Oxford movement, but to the whole Christian community as well. The most valid testament of Keble's influence to the Church of England and the Christian community as a whole is that his The Christian Year is found alongside the prayer books on the tables of thousands of clergy, priests and even students of all Christian denominations. That his writings could serve as inspiration and guidance to other faiths is an achievement that only a few were able to accomplish. There are not a lot of writers whose works are still being read today, especially works of religious nature. The fact that John Keble's writings are still relevant in today's modern world is a tribute to his wide influence on the teachings and doctrines on the Christian faith. No man of his period was probably able to exert a broader influence in the thoughts and ideas of his students and the faithful in general, through the simple power of his character and humble personality than John Keble was able to achieve. And this he did without the conscious effort but through his own example in the way he led his spiritual life. Read More