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settle the government and liturgy of the Church of England. One hundred twenty-one Puritan ministers, six Scottish commissioners, and thirty laymen from both houses of Parliament were invited to this assembly. They were the finest theologians of the day and included Presbyterians, moderate Episcopalians (Anglicans), Independents, and Congregationalists.
The Westminster Confession of Faith
Presbyterian - On June 12, 1643, the English Parliament passed an act calling for an assembly of learned and godly divines to consult with Parliament to settle the government and liturgy of the Church of England. One hundred twenty-one Puritan ministers, six Scottish commissioners, and thirty laymen from both houses of Parliament were invited to this assembly. They were the finest theologians of the day and included Presbyterians, moderate Episcopalians (Anglicans), Independents, and Congregationalists.
The dominant force in the Assembly was the Presbyterians. They were the largest in number, and their influence grew as the convocation progressed. They understood that the crucial issue facing the church was the doctrine of the sovereign saving action of God in Jesus Christ (how a person becomes a Christian). They also emphasized that government by Presbytery is "expressly instituted or commanded" in the New Testament as the proper polity of the Church. A vast majority of the Presbyterians believed that the Lord Jesus Christ was the only King and Head of the Church and never any monarch, bishop or pope.
But important differences existed in other areas. Serious debates raged about the Church/State relationship, and the issue of Church discipline. Secondary arguments concerned the order of God’s decrees, assurance of salvation, eschatology (representing three the millennial positions), and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to the believer in justification. On each subject the members worked for clarity and faithfulness to the Word of God, while graciously permitting shades of differences under the broader Reformed umbrella.
The Westminster Confession of Faith was quickly adopted by the Scottish General Assembly on August 27, 1647 and speedily endorsed by the Scottish Parliament. The first Presbyterian Synod in North America (the Philadelphia Synod) adopted the entire Westminster Standards in the historic action known as “the Adopting Act” in 1729.
The Church of England failed to become Presbyterian, due to the political rise of the Independents under Oliver Cromwell. The dream of a unifying religion for Great Britain based on Presbyterianism gradually evaporated. But while the Reformed movement and the Westminster standards lost favor among the English, Presbyterians around the world continue to subscribe to the Confession as the definitive expression of biblical faith.
According to the esteemed professor B. B. Warfield of 19th century Princeton Seminary, the Westminster divines left as their legacy, “the most thoroughly thought-out statement ever penned of the elements of evangelical religion” while at the same time emitting “the finest fragrance of spiritual religion.”
To The New World
Soon, Scottish Presbyterians immigrated in great numbers to Northern Ireland and later to the American colonies where they were known as the “Scotch-Irish.” Presbyterians were fiercely independent minded. Unlike other churches that withered away without the support of the state, the Presbyterians flourished in the free air of the New World. They grouped themselves into "presbyteries,” synods, and general assemblies without the involvement of the state. In this New World, Presbyterianism found a home like no other.
Presbyterians played a leading role in the religious and political life of the American colonies. The first presbytery in the New World was formed in Philadelphia in 1706, under the leadership of the Irish immigrant Francis Makamie, commonly regarded as the “Father of American Presbyterianism.” The growth of the Presbyterian population in Pennsylvania and New Jersey necessitated the organizing of the Synod of Philadelphia in 1716.
Expanding to the south and the west, Presbyterians stayed true to their rich doctrinal legacy and vibrant history. Through the Adopting Act of 1729, these New World Puritans declared allegiance to the Westminster Standards, affirming them as the best expression of biblical doctrine and church government in the English language.
The enormous influx of Scots and Scottish-Irish spurred the significant growth of Presbyterianism in the American Colonies. In the brief interval, between 1771-1773, more than 30,000 Presbyterians arrived from Ireland alone. Dependable historians agree that by the Revolutionary War era, two of every three colonists were Reformed in their theology and worldview, though not all were Presbyterians.
Highly influential in culture and government, Presbyterians left an indelible mark on state and federal constitutionals. The fundamental principles of “checks and balances” and “separation of powers” grew out of their commitment to the sovereignty of God and their recognition of innate human sinfulness.
The nineteenth century was marked by disagreement, dissension, and division among Presbyterians in the United States. The schism of 1837 pitted the “Old School” (who insisted on strict adherence to the Westminster Confession and Catechisms), against the “New School” (who were inclined to a less strict application of the Confession and were interested in cooperation with other believers for the sake of evangelism).
By 1861, the slavery issue reached the breaking point. At this point, Presbyterians failed the Protestant church in America by not taking the moral high ground. By default, theological liberalism and the abolitionist’s movement claimed that ground. The intellectual and moral leadership that Christians had come to expect from Presbyterians was lacking at a critical juncture in history. The conflict that divided the states drove a wedge between Presbyterians as well. As a result of the slavery conflict, the Southern and Northern churches officially broke communion. But soon after the civil war ended, the Northern and Southern Presbyterian churches exchanged fraternal delegates to pursue the possibilities of a reunion. That reunification was achieved in 1869.
By the latter part of the nineteenth century, Presbyterian ministers and seminary professors trained in the “higher criticism” of European graduate schools began to teach unorthodox ideas - denying the inspiration and authority of the Bible, and thus contradicting cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith. At the grass roots level, American Presbyterians were theologically conservative. However, many leading ministers were in hot pursuit of pragmatism and the social gospel, so they ultimately ended up rejecting historic Christianity.
By the early twentieth century, theological liberalism had secured a safe home in the mainline Presbyterian Church. In his book Christianity and Liberalism , former Princeton Seminary Professor J. Gresham Machen, spoke for millions of American Christians when he skewered theological leftists as enemies of the gospel who were beyond the pale of Christendom.
In the following decades the mainline Presbyterian denomination yielded more and more ground to the advancing army of heterodoxy . The General Assemblies’ social agenda has been dominated by debates about abortion rights, homosexuality, and radical feminism, while undercutting the cherished Presbyterian legacy of unequivocally affirming the relevance and authority of Scriptures.
Though the mainline Presbyterian denomination in the Unites States declined from 2.5 million members in 1965 to 1.8 million by 1990, other Presbyterian communions such as the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church remain faithful to the rich history of Reformed theology and biblical polity. In addition, newer denominations such as the Presbyterian Church in America and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church have declared a commitment to the Scriptures, fully embracing the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Westminster Confession of Faith
Presbyterian - On June 12, 1643, the English Parliament passed an act calling for an assembly of learned and godly divines to consult with Parliament to settle the government and liturgy of the Church of England. One hundred twenty-one Puritan ministers, six Scottish commissioners, and thirty laymen from both houses of Parliament were invited to this assembly. They were the finest theologians of the day and included Presbyterians, moderate Episcopalians (Anglicans), Independents, and Congregationalists.
The dominant force in the Assembly was the Presbyterians. They were the largest in number, and their influence grew as the convocation progressed. They understood that the crucial issue facing the church was the doctrine of the sovereign saving action of God in Jesus Christ (how a person becomes a Christian). They also emphasized that government by Presbytery is "expressly instituted or commanded" in the New Testament as the proper polity of the Church. A vast majority of the Presbyterians believed that the Lord Jesus Christ was the only King and Head of the Church and never any monarch, bishop or pope.
But important differences existed in other areas. Serious debates raged about the Church/State relationship, and the issue of Church discipline. Secondary arguments concerned the order of God’s decrees, assurance of salvation, eschatology (representing three the millennial positions), and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to the believer in justification. On each subject the members worked for clarity and faithfulness to the Word of God, while graciously permitting shades of differences under the broader Reformed umbrella.
The Westminster Confession of Faith was quickly adopted by the Scottish General Assembly on August 27, 1647 and speedily endorsed by the Scottish Parliament. The first Presbyterian Synod in North America (the Philadelphia Synod) adopted the entire Westminster Standards in the historic action known as “the Adopting Act” in 1729.
The Church of England failed to become Presbyterian, due to the political rise of the Independents under Oliver Cromwell. The dream of a unifying religion for Great Britain based on Presbyterianism gradually evaporated. But while the Reformed movement and the Westminster standards lost favor among the English, Presbyterians around the world continue to subscribe to the Confession as the definitive expression of biblical faith.
According to the esteemed professor B. B. Warfield of 19th century Princeton Seminary, the Westminster divines left as their legacy, “the most thoroughly thought-out statement ever penned of the elements of evangelical religion” while at the same time emitting “the finest fragrance of spiritual religion.”
To The New World
Soon, Scottish Presbyterians immigrated in great numbers to Northern Ireland and later to the American colonies where they were known as the “Scotch-Irish.” Presbyterians were fiercely independent minded. Unlike other churches that withered away without the support of the state, the Presbyterians flourished in the free air of the New World. They grouped themselves into "presbyteries,” synods, and general assemblies without the involvement of the state. In this New World, Presbyterianism found a home like no other.
Presbyterians played a leading role in the religious and political life of the American colonies. The first presbytery in the New World was formed in Philadelphia in 1706, under the leadership of the Irish immigrant Francis Makamie, commonly regarded as the “Father of American Presbyterianism.” The growth of the Presbyterian population in Pennsylvania and New Jersey necessitated the organizing of the Synod of Philadelphia in 1716.
Expanding to the south and the west, Presbyterians stayed true to their rich doctrinal legacy and vibrant history. Through the Adopting Act of 1729, these New World Puritans declared allegiance to the Westminster Standards, affirming them as the best expression of biblical doctrine and church government in the English language.
The enormous influx of Scots and Scottish-Irish spurred the significant growth of Presbyterianism in the American Colonies. In the brief interval, between 1771-1773, more than 30,000 Presbyterians arrived from Ireland alone. Dependable historians agree that by the Revolutionary War era, two of every three colonists were Reformed in their theology and worldview, though not all were Presbyterians.
Highly influential in culture and government, Presbyterians left an indelible mark on state and federal constitutionals. The fundamental principles of “checks and balances” and “separation of powers” grew out of their commitment to the sovereignty of God and their recognition of innate human sinfulness.
The nineteenth century was marked by disagreement, dissension, and division among Presbyterians in the United States. The schism of 1837 pitted the “Old School” (who insisted on strict adherence to the Westminster Confession and Catechisms), against the “New School” (who were inclined to a less strict application of the Confession and were interested in cooperation with other believers for the sake of evangelism).
By 1861, the slavery issue reached the breaking point. At this point, Presbyterians failed the Protestant church in America by not taking the moral high ground. By default, theological liberalism and the abolitionist’s movement claimed that ground. The intellectual and moral leadership that Christians had come to expect from Presbyterians was lacking at a critical juncture in history. The conflict that divided the states drove a wedge between Presbyterians as well. As a result of the slavery conflict, the Southern and Northern churches officially broke communion. But soon after the civil war ended, the Northern and Southern Presbyterian churches exchanged fraternal delegates to pursue the possibilities of a reunion. That reunification was achieved in 1869.
By the latter part of the nineteenth century, Presbyterian ministers and seminary professors trained in the “higher criticism” of European graduate schools began to teach unorthodox ideas - denying the inspiration and authority of the Bible, and thus contradicting cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith. At the grass roots level, American Presbyterians were theologically conservative. However, many leading ministers were in hot pursuit of pragmatism and the social gospel, so they ultimately ended up rejecting historic Christianity.
By the early twentieth century, theological liberalism had secured a safe home in the mainline Presbyterian Church. In his book Christianity and Liberalism , former Princeton Seminary Professor J. Gresham Machen, spoke for millions of American Christians when he skewered theological leftists as enemies of the gospel who were beyond the pale of Christendom.
In the following decades the mainline Presbyterian denomination yielded more and more ground to the advancing army of heterodoxy . The General Assemblies’ social agenda has been dominated by debates about abortion rights, homosexuality, and radical feminism, while undercutting the cherished Presbyterian legacy of unequivocally affirming the relevance and authority of Scriptures.
Though the mainline Presbyterian denomination in the Unites States declined from 2.5 million members in 1965 to 1.8 million by 1990, other Presbyterian communions such as the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church remain faithful to the rich history of Reformed theology and biblical polity. In addition, newer denominations such as the Presbyterian Church in America and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church have declared a commitment to the Scriptures, fully embracing the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ.
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Presbyterian Doctrine
The Westminster Confession of Faith
Presbyterian - On June 12, 1643, the English Parliament passed an act calling for an assembly of learned and godly divines to consult with Parliament to settle the government and liturgy of the Church of England. One hundred twenty-one Puritan ministers, six Scottish commissioners, and thirty laymen from both houses of Parliament were invited to this assembly. They were the finest theologians of the day and included Presbyterians, moderate Episcopalians (Anglicans), Independents, and Congregationalists.
The Westminster Confession of Faith
Presbyterian - On June 12, 1643, the English Parliament passed an act calling for an assembly of learned and godly divines to consult with Parliament to
Presbyterian - On June 12, 1643, the English Parliament passed an act calling for an assembly of learned and godly divines to consult with Parliament to settle the government and liturgy of the Church of England. One hundred twenty-one Puritan ministers, six Scottish commissioners, and thirty laymen from both houses of Parliament were invited to this assembly. They were the finest theologians of the day and included Presbyterians, moderate Episcopalians (Anglicans), Independents, and Congregationalists.
The Westminster Confession of Faith
Presbyterian - On June 12, 1643, the English Parliament passed an act calling for an assembly of learned and godly divines to consult with Parliament to
Church History - Pt 2
Let's Look Inside
the Book
