The Presbyterian denomination was brought to America by missionaries from Scotland and Ireland in the late seventeenth century. In 1684, the first Presbyterian congregation was formed in Maryland. By 1801, men like John Witherspoon, a pioneer for Presbyterians, saw a great surge of church growth in conjunction with the Great Awakening. The pre-Civil War era brought to light the growing differences between the North and the South economically, socially, mentally and eventually spiritually. As tensions mounted within the social arena, discontent began to arise in the spiritual realm as well. In the South it was believed that the church should not comment on slavery because it was a secular issue, not a religious one. The Northern parishioners disagreed. It was their moral obligation as Christians to prevent social injustices. In 1837, a division occurred due to theological and sectional differences.
In present day, the separation in the Presbyterian church involves the traditionalists vs. the revivalists. 1983 saw the union of the United Presbyterian Church in the USA and the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (the Southern denomination that separated itself from the North prior to the Civil War). Robert Miller, the director of national missions for the Presbyterian's office in Atlanta describes the denomination as a Mexican blanket. The differences among parishioners and their churches extends down to theological core of understanding. As some members focus on unity and spiritual oneness, others concentrate on individualism. These issues of pluralism and other secondary issues have bogged the church down. They have become side tracked and have lost some of their focus (Christianity Today "5800 Mainline Presbyterians Seek Renewal in Dallas" by Beth Spring, February 15, 1985, pages 38-41).
Common to most forms of Christianity, Presbyterians believe in original sin and that man was given a free will by God. Along with free will is the concept of Providence. Although man has the ability to make any decision he chooses, nothing can occur that has not previously been ordained by God. A unique Presbyterian philosophy is that of predestination. Predestination, the belief that God has chosen certain people to receive eternal life and others that will not, is a portion of Presbyterian theology. God made a decision about each person before the earth was created and man is powerless to change his fate. It is unclear to me how this relates to the Great Commission in the New Testament. Believers are to go out and preach the Gospel to all. If God has already determined who will believe and who will not, it doesn't seem like this would be very effectual.
Throughout the ages, the Trinity has been a source of dispute. The divine concept has been difficult for many to accept in faith and even more difficult to understand. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three distinct entities that make up one God. God the Son proceeds from the Father. God came to earth in the body of Jesus Christ. He was 100% God and 100% man. At his baptism, he was anointed by the Holy Spirit. He was later crucified on the cross so that we might have eternal life and God's justice could still be carried out. God the Son now serves as mediator between mankind and God.
The Presbyterian church accepts the Filioque, the procession of the Holy Spirit from both God the Father and God the Son. The Holy Spirit is equal in power and glory to God the Father and God the Son. The Holy Spirit was sent by God to mankind to act as comforter and sanctifier as he gives life and convicts man of his sin.
Following Creation, God made a covenant with mankind through Adam. If man perfectly obeyed God, he would have eternal life. Shortly thereafter, Adam and Eve sinned and could no longer uphold their part of the covenant. A second covenant, a covenant of grace was then instigated to replace the former. Man could receive eternal life only through faith in Jesus Christ who was sent to die in our place. Prior to the birth of Jesus Christ, man remembered his covenant by following the law and offering sacrifices. Upon the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, the old sacrificial laws were fulfilled for the last time. We now utilize the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper to remember that the promises of old were fulfilled.
The worship life of the Presbyterian church focuses on recognizing each person in the Godhead. God the Father, God the Son and the God the Holy Spirit are all to be worshipped, but not angels, saints or the Virgin Mary. The Presbyterian church recognizes only two sacraments, baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism involves the pouring of water over the head, there is no immersion. The Lord's Supper is a way in which we commune with God following baptism. Doctrine holds that the wine and bread are merely wine and bread, there is no transubstantiation. The elements are not to be worshipped. Prayer is to be used only for the living. It is not necessary to pray for the souls of the dead because they are already in heaven or hell. Purgatory is nonexistent in the Presbyterian theology. The pastor of the church is allowed to marry. The Presbyterian church ordains women as pastors and gives them many leadership opportunities in the church.
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