Presbyterians and Ethics

The history of ethics in the Presbyterian Church has been shaped by the theological commitments of Reformed theology, the church’s ecumenical and interreligious encounters, its interactions with the wider cultures in which it functions, and its global scope. Consequently, Presbyterian ethics have become increasingly diverse, culturally diffused, ecumenically directed, and frequently divisive. That said, its history can helpfully be divided into three lengthy periods. In the first (roughly from the church’s origins in 1559 to the Second Great Awakening in the early nineteenth century), theology, ethics, and politics are so interwound that distinguishing one from the others is difficult. In the second (roughly from the Second Great Awakening to the end of World War II), moral concerns emerge as forces that drive the church’s theology and polity. And in the third (for which proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 might be a heuristically helpful starting point), ethics increasingly functions in ways that are only loosely tethered to either Reformed theology or polity. The strength of the church’s social witness, the consistency of its global engagements, and the failings of its internecine strife are all evident during its five-hundred-year history.

Presbyterian Preaching

Presbyterian preaching grew from roots in the Reformation, particularly the Calvinist wing. The fullest early expression of the character of Presbyterian preaching is in the Westminster Standards, documents produced in England by an assembly of Calvinist clergy and laymen in the mid-seventeenth century. These documents described the key qualities of Reformed, and thus Presbyterian, preaching: sermons grounded in the Bible, containing significant doctrinal content, and aimed at teaching and edifying congregants.The authors of the Westminster Standards prescribed preaching that was substantive and lively, filled with biblical and doctrinal content, and touched the hearts of hearers. Throughout the history of Presbyterian preaching, however, these twin goals were often difficult to attain. This tension between intellectual, content-centered preaching and more emotional, experience-centered preaching among Presbyterian is evident in such events as the Old Side–New Side controversy in the mid-1700s and the Old School–New School conflict from 1837 to 1869 (both in America), in Scottish Presbyterian preaching in the early nineteenth century, and in Korean Presbyterian preaching during the end of the twentieth and the beginning of the twentieth century.Today as many Presbyterian preachers use digital media and conversational-style sermons, a strong desire continues for preaching that is clear, deeply theological and biblical, impassioned, and relevant.

Hymnody and Liturgy

This chapter outlines the history of Presbyterian worship practice from the sixteenth century to the present, with a focus on North American Presbyterians. Tracing both their hymnody and their liturgy ultimately to John Calvin, Presbyterian communions have a distinct heritage of worship inherited from the Church of Scotland via seventeenth-century Puritans. Long marked by metrical psalmody and guided by the Westminster Directory, Presbyterian worship underwent substantial changes in the nineteenth century. Evangelical and liturgical movements led Presbyterians away from a Puritan visual aesthetic, into the use of nonscriptural hymnody, and toward a recovery of liturgical books. Mainline North American and Scottish Presbyterians solidified these trends in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries; however, conservative North American denominations and some other denominations globally continue to rely heavily on the use of a worship directory and metrical psalmody.

Presbyterians, Schisms, and Denominations

Although Presbyterians have long professed a strong commitment to church unity, Presbyterian denominations have often been divided by schism. Major disagreements over theology have always played a central role in precipitating these schisms. However, class, ethnic, gender, racial, and regional differences and also personal conflicts have often also contributed significantly to schisms. An examination of the 1843 Great Disruption in Scotland, the 1837 Old School–New School Presbyterian Church schism in the United States, the 1903 formation of the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil, and the 1952 rupture that led to the establishment of the Korean Presbyterian Church (Kosin) illustrate this argument.

Presbyterian Ecumenism

Most Presbyterians possess an ecumenical spirit. They recognize other denominations as parts of the Body of Christ just as surely as their own. They cooperate enthusiastically in service, worship, and witness with Christians in many different denominations. Their reliance on biblical authority and agreement with Christians in other communions on many theological issues have led American Presbyterians to be involved in practically every major ecumenical endeavor. Many Presbyterians have been leaders in these enterprises as well. The Old Light and New Light Presbyterian reconciliation, major revivals in America and Europe, the mergers of denominations and comity arrangements for mission have provided energy and vision for ecumenism. The planting of newer Reformed churches—in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and predominantly Catholic countries in Europe—embodied this ecumenism. Mainstream Presbyterians played an important role in numerous ecumenical organizations including the Evangelical Alliance, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the Federal Council of Churches, the Faith and Order and the Life and Work movements, and the World Council of Churches. Those who left the larger Presbyterian denominations to create new Reformed bodies have likewise engaged in ecumenism. In recent years, however, the extensive formal ecumenical ties have been eclipsed by the extensive ecumenism of local Presbyterian congregations and their individual officers and members.

The Doctrine of the Sacraments

This chapter maps the essential contours and points of dialogue or contention pertaining to the sacraments among Presbyterian denominations. First, the chapter examines the distinctively Presbyterian understanding of sacraments in general. The chapter then explores in detail the theological meaning and practices of the two Presbyterian sacraments: baptism and Holy Communion. For Presbyterians, baptism serves as the rite of Christian initiation. The chapter also explains why Presbyterians practice paedobaptism. While baptism is for Presbyterians the sacrament of initiation into the church, the sacrament of Holy Communion is at the core of the church’s corporate life and work. The chapter next examines several contemporary issues related to the sacraments for Presbyterians. In the spirit of “the Reformed church always being reformed according to the Word of God,” the chapter concludes by posing several provocative questions for Presbyterian denominations and the sacraments in the digital age.

The Seventeenth Century and the Westminster Assembly

The seventeenth century marked a high point in the Presbyterian experiment. A variety of models were tested internationally, and apologists for its polity offered a rigorous defense against Episcopalians, Congregationalists, and Erastians. The Westminster Assembly offered Presbyterians the first opportunity since the Reformation to model a fully Reformed church in England, and the gathering looked closely not only at the teachings of Scripture on ecclesial governance, but also at historical and contemporary models of connectional, nonhierarchical government to guide their formulations on church polity. The century also saw some of the worst persecution of Presbyterians, especially in France and Scotland, but also in England and central Europe. During their seasons of suffering, some Presbyterians found subtle ways to articulate their polity or identify essential elements of Presbyterianism. Others fought or fled hostile authorities, supplying a legacy of martyr narratives and missionary impulses for later Presbyterians.

Presbyterians in Africa

The Presbyterian presence in Africa goes back mainly to the nineteenth-century Protestant missionary enterprise on the continent. Presbyterianism spread all over the continent through missionary activity, but especially through the work of Africans themselves. African Presbyterians have much in common with Presbyterians worldwide in terms of beliefs, values, and practices, but the African cultural context offers unique dimensions to these commonalities. Presbyterians in Africa continue to face challenges generated by their context in areas such as the engagement between the gospel and African culture, which is intertwined with Africa’s primal religions, worldviews, and many local languages. A major challenge confronting Presbyterians today is how to engage with people of other faiths, especially Muslims, in Africa’s multireligious setting. Other challenges are African multiethnicity and the implications for Presbyterian worship and polity; globalization and its impact on values and ethics; denominationalism and its ramifications for ecumenism and church unity; and the shift in the center of gravity of Christianity to Africa and other southern continents and the impact on mission, theological engagement, and reflection. Presbyterians in Africa have a rich history that should shape their continuing contribution to the development of the continent and the global church.

Introduction

This handbook provides an overview of Presbyterian history, ecclesial forms and structures, theology, worship, ethics, involvement in politics, and educational philosophy and enterprises. It examines Presbyterianism in a global context, focusing primarily on its European background and development in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. It also analyzes, however, the planting of Presbyterian congregations and ministries in several African nations, the four main regions of Latin America—Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and South America—various parts of Asia, including Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Taiwan, and Korea, and the Middle East. The handbook highlights key differences over doctrine, polity, liturgy, and social issues, as well as ethnic, racial, class, and gender, regional factors, and personal conflicts, that have produced controversy and sometimes schism among Presbyterians. Nevertheless, Presbyterianism’s theological foundation, impressive heritage, organizational structure, educational institutions, social activism, and commitment to proclaiming the gospel have enabled it to have a substantial influence during the past four hundred and fifty years.

Presbyterians and Higher Education

This chapter explores Presbyterian influences and involvement in higher education. It begins by using Princeton as an historic lens to examine the “Presbyterian ideals” of reason and education, liberty, and differentiation. The Presbyterian regard for freedom of thought and intellectual edification produced denominational schools throughout the history of higher education, especially in the United States, that differed substantially in their overarching philosophies, approaches to learning, curricula, and emphases on Christian piety. The second part of the chapter identifies the proliferating diversity at the intersection of Presbyterianism and the higher education landscape in the twentieth century. It describes differentiation by theology, denominations, geography, and culture. The chapter ends with brief ruminations on the future roles and stability of Presbyterian higher education.