United Evangelical Church

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

THE, a religious denomination established in 1894 as the result of a secession in the Evangelical Association. The first general conference was held at Naperville, Ill., in that year, and was made up of delegates from six annual conferences. Laws were made to complete the organization of an independent church, a book of discipline was adopted, founded on the old discipline of the Evangelical Association, with the introduction of some changes such as lay representation at the conferences. The church has about 990 organized congregations, 550 preachers, 90,000 church members, and about 94,000 pupils in the Sunday schools. Its General Missionary Society has three missions in Honon, China; and receives the co-operation of the Woman's Missionary Society. It raised about $100,000 for missionary work each year. It has a number of educational establishments, among them Albright College, Myerstown, Pa.; Dallas College and La Creole Academy, Dallas, Ore.; and Western Union College, Le Mars, Iowa. It also publishes some evangelical journals. UNITED EVANGELICAL CHURCH, THE (IN GERMANY), church a founded in Germany in 1817 by the alliance of parts of the Lutheran and Reformed Churches. A union of the kind had been attempted in 1529, 1631 and 1661. Frederick I. of Prussia (1703- 1722) also endeavored to establish a union, and Frederick William I. issued a number of decrees having the same purpose in view. The evolution of theological thought made the union appear desirable during the eighteenth century, and one proposal was that of a unity of exterior organization, leaving doubtful theological points in abeyance. Finally, in 1817, at the tercentennial celebrations of the Reformation , an outward union was established, under the auspices of the government of Prussia. In other parts of Germany parallel unions have been established, the visible evidences being a single governing body and a common celebration of the Lord's Supper. In 79 UNITED PRESB'N CHURCH Prussia the United Evangelical Church was, previous to November, 1918, the state church, and it is stronger there than in other parts of Germany. A United Evangelical Church was established in the United States at St. Louis in 1840. UNITED formed in 1791 by Theobald Wolfe Tone, IRISHMEN, a secret society having for its object of a republic in Ireland. Being arrested, the establishment and sentenced to death by a military commission, he committed suicide in November, 1798. UNITED KINGDOM. See GREAT BRITAIN: BRITISH EMPIRE, THE. UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, a religious body in Scotland, constituted in 1847 by the amalgamation of the "Secession" and "Relief" churches At first composed of only four minis ters, the "Secession Church" rapidly began to gather strength. Little Christian societies were everywhere formed, which were gradually supplied with pastors either from the Establishment or from youths trained to the work of the ministry by Erskine and his friends. The "four brethren" drew up a testimony declaring their reasons for separation. What they sought was the vindication of what they held to be evangelical truth, much more than of the mere right of popular election. So much popular indignation was excited by their deposition that it was thought desirable by the majority of the Moderate party to make certain concessions to the Evangelicals, or Marrow party. The General Assembly of 1734 passed some measures distinctly favorable to the latter party, and empowered the synod of Perth and Stirling to remove the censures from the four brethren, and to restore them to their respective charges; but Erskine declined to be "reponed." In December, 1736, appeared the pamphlet commonly known as the "Judicial Testimony," which is a sort of survey of the whole ecclesiastical history of Scotland from the Reformation downward. In 1737 four other ministers joined the original four. In 1738 the commission of Assembly libeled the "eight brethren," and summoned them to appear before the Assembly of 1739, which they did; and after a year of grace the General Assembly of 1740 solemnly pronounced deposition, and the connection between Erskine and the church of his fathers was forever at an end. The career of the United Presbyterian Church as a corporate body has been one of uninterrupted prosperity. In point of doctrine it adheres (like all the other Presbyterian churches of Scotland) to the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. But in 1879 a Declaration Act was adopted, setting forth more clearly and fully the view which the Synod takes of the teach ing of Holy Scripture in reference to redemption, the divine decrees, man's dethe civil magistrate pravity, salvation, , the maintenance of the church, and liberty of opinion. Its form of church government is Presbyterian; but, unlike the Established and Free Churches, it has no intermediate courts between presbyteries and the supreme court, the Synod, really an assembly of the whole clergy, with one elder from each kirk-session. It has a Theological Hall and Library in Edinburgh, and a staff of professors. Though mainland at the 49th parallel and runinferior in point of wealth to the Estabthat parallel to the Lake of lished and Free Churches, the United the Woods, and thence by a devious Psychurchurchesnabled tinguished itself by its general liberality and occasional munificence. Negotiations for union between the United Presbyte- Spore 1863rian and Free Churches failed in 1873, but were reopened in 1897. In the year 1875 about 100 congregations of the United Presbyterian Church situated in England were transferred to the "Presbyterian Church of England." But the mother church in Scotland counted in 1897 about 580 congregations and 192,000 members. In 1919 the United Presbyterian Church in the United States reported 991 churches, 995 ministers, and 160,726 communicants. UNITED PROVINCES OF AGRA AND OUDH, formerly known as the Northwestern Provinces and Oudh. A province of British India in the valley of the upper Ganges river. It has an area of 107,267 square miles, of which 83,109 belong to the territory of Agra, and 24,158 to the territory of Oudh. The province, for the most part, consists of a low plain, well watered by the Ganges river. There is, however, in the extreme southern part, the mountain region of the Himalaya. The climate is hot and unhealthful. The chief industries are the growing of wheat, which in recent years has been increased by extensive irrigation works. Over 50,000,000 acres are under cultivation. Rice is also grown in large quantities, as are other agricultural products. Sugar cane is an important agricultural product. Other crops include maize, cotton, opium, and indigo. There are cotton mills in Cawnpore and other cities. The province is better supplied with railroads than any other in Îndia. They are under the administration of a lieutenant-governor, who is assisted by a legislative council of 50 members. Pop., about 48,000,000.