Presbyterianism

The origin of Presbyterianism is traced to 16th Century Protestant Reformation. As the Catholic Church fought against the reformation, many movements emerged within the reformers with many denominations.

History of the Group

Presbyterianism was one of the protestant movements of the Christian theology during 16th century.  It was founded by John Knox, a Scottish who studied with John Calvin in Geneva- Switzerland.

The Christian denomination traced its origin in Scotland and England. When John Calvin developed the Reformed theology in Geneva, John Knox took the teaching to Scotland (his home) where he nursed it into Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

In 1560, the parliament of Scotland adopted the Scot Confession which was developed by Presbyterians that served as the Creed of the Scottish kingdom.

In 1560, the movement produced the First Book of Discipline which spelt its important doctrines with regulations to government involvement within that period. The movement created ten ecclesiastical districts and appointed superintendents which later became known as presbyteries.

After sometimes, the Scot’s Confession was improved upon to give rise to Westminister Confession of Faith.  The Westminister Assembly formulated the larger and shorter catechisms in 1643 and 1649 respectively.

The name Presbyterian uniquely identify the churches that trace their root to the Scottish and English Christian tradition.  The name was equally identified with English political group that was formed during the English Civil War.

The movement has a sort of political implication with Scottish religion and statehood.  During religious convulsion and political contest between Roman Catholic Church and Protestant Reformers at the Siege of Leith, the church of Rome was defeated and Reformation was favoured by the legislation of the Scottish Reformation Parliament in 1560.

The state favour transformed the Presbyterianism to be the Church of Scotland.  King James IV and V build the church up as a Episcopal form of government.  King Charles I and William Land, the Archbishop of Canterbury forced the church of Scotland (Presbyterianism) to use the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.

This development resulted to crises that made many Scots to sign the Solemn League and Covenant.  The covenanters became a force behind the Scottish government and equally sent military support to the parliamentarians during the English Civil War.

In 1660, the monarch was restored and King Charles II took to the crown and reinstated the Episcopal form of government to the church of Scotland.

This position was maintained by the movement until the Glorious Revolution of 1688 when the Church of Scotland was finally recognized as the Presbyterian by the monarch.  This was achieved based on the support of Scottish Presbyterians for the revolution.

Establishment and Divisions

In 1707, Scotland and English passed the Acts of Union that granted the Church of Scotland an autonomy of its form of government.

Presbyterian Church in Scotland flourished after the United Kingdom Parliamentary act that equally led to divisions in the church. For example, in 1733, the Associate Presbytery was formed. In 1761, the Relief Church came into existence and the Free Church of Scotland that emerged after the Disruption of 1843

There were other divisions that majority of the Presbyterians in Scotland affected in 1929 through the established Church of Scotland and the United Free Church of Scotland.

Presbyterianism was established in England by Thomas Cartwright in Secret to avert the wrath of the Elizabethan Church in 1592.

The Presbyterian Church was permitted to operate in England through an act of the Long Parliament that was under the control of Puritans (Reformers within Anglicanism).  The Presbyterian Church in England rejected the demand of conformity to the main church of England.

This brought to a major split of the movement in 1719 with the majority of the Presbyterians adopting non-trinitarian view and this converted many Presbyterian denominations to be Unitarian in doctrine.

In 19th century, some Presbyterian Churches were established by Scottish immigrants to England and such efforts gave rise to formation of Presbyterian Church of England which took its root and link to Church of Scotland.

In 1972, the Presbyterian Church of England joined with the Congregational Church of England and Wales to establish the United Reformed Church.  In recent years, there are formations of smaller denominations of Presbyterian Churches in England.

The Presbyterian Church in Wales was originally made of Calvinistic Methodists who broke off from the Church of England in 1811.

Presbyterianism was established in Ireland by Scottish Plantation Settlers at Ulster.  The Presbyterian Church operated independently from Anglican Church of Ireland.  The Presbyterian movement  in Ireland suffered terribly under the disciplinary penal laws until they were revoked in 19th century.

The movement equally arrived into the colonial America in 1707 and was first established at Philadelphia.  The movement later metamorphosed into the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America.

Structure and Policy

Presbyterianism has a unique character in terms of assemblies of elders.  The movement typically believe of the sovereignty of the creator which it identify as God or in other forms of various human languages.  It focuses on the authority of the Bible and the necessity of grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Administratively, local Presbyterian Churches are governed by sessions that are made up of the congregational elders.  Other levels of decision making bodies includes the presbytery, synod and general assembly.

The movement uses the Book of Order to regulate common practices or order in worship or management.

As a confessional church, the Presbyterianism is guided by several statements of faith, theological writings and catechisms which are often referred as the “subordinate standards”.  These instrument guides members to exhibit their faith into action through act of generosity, hospitality, pursuit of social justice and reforms as well as proclamation of the gospel of Christ that it hold as its principal duty.

Presbyterian government is led by councils that are referred as “courts” of elders.  Administrative and teaching elders are ordained and convened in a council that is referred as a “session” or “consistory” which takes care of the mission of the congregation.

Teaching elders that are often referred as pastors are responsible for teaching, worship and confecting of sacrament.

The ruling elders are elected by the congregations and ordained to serve along with teaching elders who takes care of administrative affairs of the presbyteries.

The ruling elders and teachers often delegate power to group of officers that are called the deacons that are ordained in some denominations.  The group is often referred as the “Deacons court”.  They are equally known as “presbyters” to the congregation.

Above the sessions are the presbyteries which have territorial control.  The presbyteries consists of teaching and ruling elders from each congregations.  The presbyteries sends delegates to a broader regional or national assembly that are generally referred as the General Assembly.

The Presbyterianism is traditionally managed from the congregational scheme as the Presbytery, synod and general assembly.  Though, some of the denominations have abolished synod as part of its structure.

Belief and Practices

Regarding to doctrinal practices, the movement is confessional. Therefore, it defines its practices through the confession of faith.  In confessional congregations or traditions, the community's general understanding are expressed in the confession and therefore has binding force upon each individual.

Presbyterianism adopted the Westminister Confession of Faith as its doctrinal standard and this is subordinate to the Bible.  There are other instruments as “larger” and “shorter” catechisms and some other reformed confessions that are in use by various denominations.

In worship, the Presbyterianism is guided by the Regulative Principle of worship which spells that what is not commanded is forbidden. There is no single pattern of Presbyterian worship style as some churches are evangelical while others may appear revivalist in tone.

Presbyterians observe major traditional Christian holidays as the Advent, Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost etc.

The movement esteem two sacraments as baptism in which infant baptism is a tradition while adults are baptized by Aspersion (sprinkling) or Affusion (pouring) method rather than emersion.

The next sacrament is the Lord's Supper (Holy communion) in which they believe that Christ is present in the bread and wine through the Holy Ghost which oppose the doctrine that he is being locally present.

Infant baptism in Presbyterianism is taken as children circumcision in the Hebrew religious tradition.  As the Hebrew tradition hold that circumcision enjoins infants into the covenant community, so the Presbyterians require their infants to baptism.  They do not view infant baptism as for regeneration as observed in other Christian traditions.

The Presbyterian churches are often identified with decoration of cross that has a circle around the centre or known as the  Celtic Cross in Christianity.

Contributions of the Group

One of the great significance of Presbyterian Christian tradition is its contribution to the ecumenical movements. It carried out this duty with inclusion of the World Council of Churches and World Communion of Reformed Churches.  Some Presbyterians are in union with Congregationalists, Lutherans, Anglicans and Methodists.

Modern evangelism of Christianity was truly influenced by Presbyterianism.  The North Americans are noted for modern evangelism and they drew their activities from the features of pietism of the Presbyterianism and vestiges of the Puritanism.

The Presbyterianism is known for its doctrine of precisionism that was mixed with individualistic introspection from the puritans to effect the evangelicalism that influenced the entire globe in positive way.

Observations and Summary

Presbyterianism is one of the Christian movement that claim to apostolic succession but is wholly caged by the practices of Christendom.  Many millions of converts seek for Yahoshea Meshiyach and his way through Presbyterianism.

As a protestant reformers church, it is caught in the web of practices of wrong doctrines that were brought down to the era from Roman Catholic Church.

Although, it may have adopted some elements of administrative structure of early apostolic assembly but is entirely opposite to the doctrinal practices of the early apostles.

Truly, the early assemblies of Yahoshea Meshiyach was structured in the pattern obtainable at the Hebrew synagogues which had a council or college of elders that were referred to as presbyters in Christian tradition.  The term “Presbyter” refers ordinarily to elders of the congregations while “Episcopos” was used to refer to “overseers” who was later translated  to “Bishops”.

Some scholars conclude that presbyters were the priests while others refer that presbyters were the “Deacons”.  The early scriptural records did not properly distinguish between the Presbyters and Episcopos but in 2nd century, the Church Fathers began to define a clearer explanation in which the episcopos were referred to as overseers while the presbyters being identified as elders.

The Hebrew word equivalent to the Greek term “Presbyters” was “Zagen” which means “elder” and not priest.  The Hebrew texts took the Zagenium as men of distinctive maturity that qualifies them for ministerial roles among the people.

The Presbyterianism may have drawn its name or administrative structure from the way of Yahosheans of old but such is not good enough to pass it as the true sect that represent the early apostolic assembly.

Since the Presbyterians are not observing the true tenets of Yahosheanism that anchor upon the Hebrew religious tradition, it is totally out of contest of apostolic succession.

The movement drew its root from the councils that set up the Catholicism but was revived or regenerated by John Calvin and John Knox who were acting under the influence of Protestantism to mainline Christianity.

Based on this fact, it was never regenerated by the promised comforter on whose laps the entire restoration of all values of Yahosheanism is rested upon.

Truly, it is only the comforter led ministry that can lead mankind back to Yahweh through Yahoshea Meshiyach.  A false acclaimed comforter can never be of good use in such direction, so any convert that seeks for Yahoshea  or Yahweh through ministry of unapproved comforter will certainly fail at the end of the day.

Those who have ears must hear the directions of the spirit of truth to mankind.