Nineteenth Century Religious Turmoil: Expatriates from Britain in Madeira

 Robert Reid Kalley (1809-1888) was an evangelical Scottish Presbyterian minister, who became a doctor on the island of Madeira. He preached in the open air and tried to win the souls of his patients for Christ, thus attracting interest from the Roman Catholic authorities who suspected him of Protestant Proselytism. Eventually in August 1846 a mob attacked his house and burned many of his possessions, but Kalley had fled the night before. Some of his supporters, known as “Calvinistas” were attacked too, causing a problem for the British Consul, George Stoddart.

Problems for the Consul were also generated by the island’s Anglican Chaplain, Richard Thomas Lowe (1802-1874). He was a Tractarian and his services were not to the taste of the Anglican congregation. A meeting of church subscribers voted to stop funding his salary, whilst temporary visitors wanted the restoration of the money. Finally in 1847 the British Government terminated Lowe’s contract, but he would not leave the Madeira quietly, issuing a public protest at the appointment of his successor.

The island was almost a British colony during the nineteenth century and visitors from Britain rarely interacted with the local Portuguese community, even the hotels were run by expatriate British people. Kalley was an exception as he had tried to interact with the local people and improve their lives as many lived in grinding poverty. His agenda though was one of explicitly trying to win people for Christ and this was what caused his down fall.

Lowe worked hard to influence the people for whom he was responsible- in a different manner trying to win people over for the Christian life. He tried to revive a congregation dominated by wealthy wine merchants, some of whom were resistant to change. The events surrounding Kalley and Lowe occurred at a time when expatriate religious life in Madeira was insular. Gradually this changed as the Portuguese Government passed laws rejecting proselytism and Christians of different denominations from other European countries arrived.

How much factionalism do you think there is present in the twenty first century Church?

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