Church of Scotland Ministers and the Environment in the Scottish Enlightenment

The Evidence of the Old Statistical Accounts (1790-1797)

Abstract

Christian concern for the natural environment is not new: clergy of the Scottish Enlightenment were interested in and knowledgeable about the natural world, and some were expert natural historians. However, attitudes towards the natural world were very different from today: “improvement” rather than environmental protection was the dominant ideology. Educated in science as well as theology in Scottish universities, Church of Scotland ministers reflected these values in their contributions to the Statistical Account of Scotland. Published between 1791 and 1797, this comprised 938 parish accounts covering all of Scotland, the great majority written by parish ministers. Drawing on the accounts this paper explores ministers’ interest in the natural environment and their attitudes towards it. It suggests that understanding enlightenment attitudes towards the natural environment helps give a context for later developments in ecotheology.