Close attention has been paid thus far to Thomson’s articulation of Presbyterian Church government, which stood in juxtaposition with his opponents. In response to the objections of the New Side, Thomson’s works revealed the ultimate reason why he opposed what they were . . . Continue reading →
As a particular church, Thomson argued that the officers of the church needed to exercise their authority to adopt a confession for their communion. As a Synod not formally associated with any other church, the Synod could adopt a set of standards . . . Continue reading →
As detailed in the first chapter, controversy over interpretations of what took place at the Adopting Act of 1729 abound. Thomson interpreted the events to support a strict form of subscription. He suspected that only the first half of the Adopting Act, . . . Continue reading →
Prior to the Adopting Act of 1729, the church had only a general understanding assumed between presbyteries and individual ministers that the Westminster Standards were to be upheld. As a ‘particular’ church united together, they were not under the authority of or . . . Continue reading →
Thomson distinguished between what was considered sinful and what was considered lawful. If something was considered indifferent or a matter of Christian liberty in Scripture, meaning not sinful, then the officers of the church could determine whether such an action would be . . . Continue reading →
The Biggest Story Bible Storybook written by Kevin DeYoung and illustrated by Don Clark, is a lighthearted, playful, yet faithful summary of the most important story ever told. It is one in a series of illustrated story Bibles by the duo. The . . . Continue reading →
Thomson, while asserting Synod’s authority to make binding acts upon lower judicatories, argued that there were appropriate times for disobedience. The primary concern of the Presbytery of New Brunswick regarding the submission to Synod was that it could potentially result in submission . . . Continue reading →
The Apology, in addition to questioning the extent and nature of the authority exercised by church judicatories, also questioned the authority of Synod over presbyteries. The disagreement that precipitated their objection was whether Synod had the jurisdiction to regulate the examination of . . . Continue reading →
As a gathered body of ministers united to govern, Synod’s ability to make decisions for the better governing of the church was fundamental to the characteristics and nature of this authority. The discrepancy between the two groups was the difference between how . . . Continue reading →
The Presbytery of New Brunswick’s Apology in 1739 addressed two proposals made to Synod the previous year. While these acts had limited itinerant preaching and required the examination of candidates for ministry by a committee of Synod, the Presbytery of New Brunswick disregarded these acts . . . Continue reading →
In 1739, the Presbytery of New Brunswick, which consisted of Gilbert Tennent, Eleazer Wales, William Tennent and Samuel Blair, submitted a document titled The Apology. It consisted of objections to the previous two acts of the Synod of 1738 and a polemical . . . Continue reading →
In addition to the previous decade of controversy surrounding the Adopting Act, during the Synod of 1738, Thomson submitted a proposal to Synod, which was approved with a great majority, that students who had a private education, meaning not having studied at . . . Continue reading →
Francis Makemie (1657–1707) has been considered to be the Father of American Presbyterianism. Originally from Northern Ireland, he was ordained in Scotland in 1681 and was commission by his Presbytery to plant churches in the Chesapeake Bay area. Makemie, however, came in . . . Continue reading →
The American Presbyterian Church was formed on the soil of the New World and the conflicts it experienced were the growing pains of a young church. At the time of the first presbytery, the three main branches of Scottish Presbyterianism in the . . . Continue reading →
Much of the scholarship of the period focuses on the ethnic divisions and ecclesiastical backgrounds of each of the members of the church. Scholars attribute the various conflicts to the diversity of convictions that each group of ministers brought to the table.19 . . . Continue reading →
The footnote at the beginning of the Minutes of the Presbyterian Church in America states, “Unfortunately, the first leaf of the minutes of this presbytery is missing… The date of organization is generally accepted as 1706, in Philadelphia.”1 The absence of the . . . Continue reading →