The Kirk Above Dee Water
James Dodson
1895-H.M.B. Reid.-”The Kirk above Dee Water” chronicles the rich ecclesiastical history of the Galloway parish of Balmaghie, anchored by its church on the banks of the River Dee. The narrative centers on the dramatic 26-year schism beginning in 1703, when the deposed Covenanter minister John Macmillan defiantly held his pulpit against Church and State, forcing his rival, William M’Kie, to minister from a makeshift “House of Rimmon.” Subsequent chapters profile later pastors—such as the ideal “Moderate” Samuel Martin and the misunderstood, unpopular factor-minister James Henderson—exploring the enduring tension between rigid principle and pastoral gentleness. Interwoven with vivid local lore and contrasts between the “Old Style” and “New Style” of Scottish rural worship, the book ultimately uses the ever-flowing river as a metaphor for the enduring life of the parish and the quiet rest that awaits its people. While useful for Covenanter history, it also chronicles the sad downfall of the RP Church, of Scotland, through laxity, unwarranted ecumenism and a general distain for the “old paths”.
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