By Dan Rutherford

AROUND the time Karl Marx was writing his infamous aphorism, declaring that “religion is the opiate of the masses,” a courageous young couple embarked on a journey that would demonstrate the exact opposite to be true.

The recently published book Quiet Reformers chronicles the story of Edward and Mary Cridge, and their influence on the masses of Vancouver Island. The Cridges chose to leave the comforts of Victorian England, and follow their deep convictions about serving the cause of Christ in the newly founded community of Victoria in Canada.

Their presence in that new community was to be a kind of visual aid, demonstrating that a living faith in Christ would create a better community – which is visible to this day.

Edward Cridge was brought up in a godly home. At age 19, he began teaching Latin, Greek and math in a local school.  

While teaching, his passion for Jesus grew into a desire to prepare for leadership in ministry.

As a result, Cridge entered Cambridge University to study mathematics – and the queen of the sciences, theology.  His love for Christ was nurtured in that setting, and upon graduation he began the process of training for local church leadership.

It was during this time he was to become a close friend with a beautiful young woman named Mary.

Cridge was cautious about this friendship, because he did not want to be distracted from his calling to ministry.

Mary Cridge is not just a shadow in the story, but a bold figure whose determination to live a life of significance unfolds to the end. She, too, was nurtured in her faith through a loving home, and became a teacher, serving in her church.

Mary would make a good role model for the current generation, showing that surrender to God’s will and pursuing a place of serving Christ’s mission can lead to the place of greatest fulfillment in life.

Edward entered his first church leadership experience with fervour – but soon found that many in his flock had little appetite for the Bible truths that had so deeply affected his own life.

Young pastor Cridge was alerted to an opportunity, in this distant outpost, to become a church planter in a place where a community of faith was needed. His successful application inspired him to marry; he raised support and prepared for the seven month sailing voyage that would take him and his bride to their new home.

Fort Victoria in 1850 was a bustling Hudson’s Bay trading post with a population of some 300 Europeans. The community was sharing the rugged Vancouver Island with an estimated population of some 26,000 natives.

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The post was governed by the strict and authoritarian Captain James Douglas, who was in eager support of a church being established.

The Cridges were quickly thrust into life at the Fort – as they shared rooms in the walls of the outpost, until a separate home could be built for them. They joyfully made friends, and laid the groundwork for a church community of worship, teaching and instruction.

What is striking about the life-work of Edward and Mary Cridge is that their faith was not kept in a ‘church-sized box,’ only visible on a weekly basis; but it was the source of many worthy endeavours that led to the betterment of the fledging society.

As the new congregation began to grow in number, the influence of the Cridges’ faith would have a vital impact on life in Victoria.

A basic tenet of their Christian worldview was that all human beings have worth, value and dignity, because they are made in the image of their creator.

The outworking of that perspective was to begin speaking on behalf of people who were otherwise overlooked in the advance of civilization.

In this same historical era, the emerging naturalistic view of life – espoused by many thinkers such as Charles Darwin – would lead many social endeavours in an opposite direction.

It was quickly apparent to the Cridges that children in this new frontier were not afforded the chance of education; many were seen as a tool to advance family interests.

The Cridges, who were both trained teachers, began to advocate for children to be given the chance to be educated.

They established a school that would give access to higher learning. Edward Cridge was insistent that girls were to be included in schools and not kept at home; his view on equality of access for girls was not the mainstream of the culture of his day, but the fruit of his faith.  

Ultimately, Cridge would become the first superintendent of schools on Vancouver Island, a role he eagerly undertook at his own expense.

The plight of the native peoples who were susceptible to disease and alcohol in the area was another concern the Cridges embraced and sought solutions to.

In fact, their concern for healthcare issues inspired them to work for the establishment of the first hospital, that continues to serve the region today.

Another surviving legacy is the Cridge Centre, which began as a way to care for children who were neglected or abandoned; many were nurtured into community leaders.

Quiet Reformers is a gratifying read, and details much more of the story of Mary and Edward Cridge. It will be an inspiring book to those who have an interest in the history of Vancouver Island, and the role of Christian faith in its development.

December 2010