Independence Day Reflection: The Presbyterian Influence for Independence

Nathan Eshelman, a pastor in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America has been so kind as to remind us of the noble Presbyterian history of our great nation in his blog post at Gentle Reformation. As you celebrate Independence Day in America, please contemplate this part of our Christian heritage and please give thanks to God for the freedoms and religious liberty (while not perfect) we still enjoy today. ~Mercy Adams

Enjoy Your Freedom? Thank a Presbyterian.

Published July 2, 2019

As those of us in the United States this week celebrate freedom from British governance, consider the many ways that Presbyterianism influenced the decision to enter a war for independence and take up arms against a magistrate:

Only a Presbyterian understanding of Romans 13 would allow us to enter a war. The Bible calls for submission to magistrates, but Presbyterians understood the nuances that allowed for rebellion against tyranny. (See James M. Wilson's Establishment and Limits of Civil Goverment for an exposition of Romans 13.)
It was psalm singing Presbyterians like Rev. James Caldwell who helped win some battles--when paper for musket wads was unable to be found--Isaac Watts' Hymnbook was used instead. "Give 'em Watts, boys!"
King George referred to the war for Independence as the "Presbyterian rebellion." The Anglicans were never fans of rebellious presbyterians.
The prime minister of England, Horace Walpole said in Parliament that "Cousin America has run off with a Presbyterian parson."
“The Revolution of 1776, so far as it was affected by religion, was a Presbyterian measure...so intense, universal, and aggressive were the Presbyterians in their zeal for liberty..." Lorainne Boettner in "Calvinism in America."
Historians note: "When Cornwallis was driven back to ultimate defeat and surrender at Yorktown, all of the colonels of the Colonial army but one were Presbyterians elders. More than one-half of all the soldiers and officers of the American Army during the Revolution were Presbyterians.”
One German mercenary soldier wrote home: "Call this war by whatever name you may... it is nothing more or less than a Scots-Irish Presbyterian rebellion.”
British troops, knowing the role of the Presbyterians in the war, turned Presbyterian church buildings into stables--or sometimes choosing to burn them to the ground.
Joseph Galloway, former speaker of the house, fled back to England, blaming Presbyterians for the war, calling it a "religious quarrel."
Harvard historian, Dr. G. Bancroft notes: “The first public voice in America for dissolving all connection with Great Britain came not from the Puritans of New England, the Dutch of New York, nor the Planters of Virginia, but from the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians of the Carolinas.”

As you wave sparklers in the air, crack open a few cold ones, eat grilled meat, and watch the fireworks, remember that God used Presbyterians to give liberty in the new world. Have you thanked a Presbyterian today?

Source: Enjoy Your Freedom? Thank a Presbyterian. (gentlereformation.com)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Father in Heaven,

We thank You for the men and women who helped found our nation. We are especially grateful for the Christians who advocated freedom and liberty for all men based upon Biblical principles.

We also thank You for the noble Scottish Presbyterians who brought their zeal for freedom to these shores and helped found our nation.

In Lord Jesus Name I pray, amen.

Comments

Patriotic Ladies: Mercy Otis Warren

I'm presently reading Minds & Hearts: The Story of James Otis Jr. and Mercy Otis Warren by Jeffrey H. Hacker published in June of 2021 by Bright Leaf. I appreciate the author giving us a closer look into the Otis family and especially these two siblings to whom we owe so much of our independence from Great Britain. Something I've gleaned from the book are the traditional values Mercy Otis Warren held. I've read biographies of her that emphasize her writing and politcal insight, but not so much of her dedication to her husband, sons and home. It's truly wonderful to read of this housewife whom the Lord has used so greatly in our American history. I encourage you to get this book and read her amazing story. Here is a review posted at The Journal of the American Revolution website: Review: Mind and Hearts: The Story of James Otis Jr. and Mercy Otis Warren - Journal of the American Revolution (allthingsliberty.com) For Mercy's professional accomplishments...

Patriotic Ladies: 'Republican Mothers'

James Peale , The Artist and His Family, (1795) (Source: Republican motherhood - Wikipedia ) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ While reading biographies of Mercy Otis Warren and Abigail Adams, who were not only peers, but also close friends during the War for Independence, I often find the term "Republican Motherhood" used to describe them and other ladies of that time who cherished their role as homemakers, but also did what they could to promote liberty. These founding ladies weren't "feminists," but they were intelligent and helpful to their husbands and the other men leading the charge for our independence from Great Britain. They also believed education for both sexes would be instrumental for a free society. Wikipedia tells us: "Republican Motherhood" is an 18th-century term for an attitude toward women's roles present in the emerging United States before, during, and after the American Revolution . It centered on the belief that the patriots' d...

The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence, written in 1776, announces a complete break with Britain and expresses the ideals on which the United States was founded: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.' Source: Founding Documents in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom National Archives Museum ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In Congress, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them ...

Examining the Religious Habits of the Washington Family

What were the religious practices of George and Martha Washington, you might ask? Let's take a look and see if their Christian faith played an important part of their lives. Sampler made by Martha Parke Custis (Martha Washington’s second granddaughter) in 1784 at age seven. Her rendering of the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments can be seen as lessons in sewing, reading, writing, and also as instruction in the Christian faith. Image Source: George Washington's Mount Vernon The website George Washington's Mount Vernon reports that " Martha Washington was a devout Christian, her granddaughter Eleanor 'Nelly' Parke Custis Lewis noted that she 'never omitted her private devotions, or her public duties…'" and goes on to say "Mrs. Washington regularly retired to her room between 9 and 10 o'clock in the morning 'for an hour of meditation reading & prayer and that hour no one was ever allowed to interfere with.' She and Ne...

Remembering Founding Father Dr. Joseph Warren

'The mistress we court is LIBERTY; and it is better to die than not to obtain her.' ~Joseph Warren to Samuel Adams, June 15, 1775 I recently read Dr. Joseph Warren's biography Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution's Lost Hero written by Christian Di Spigna and was impressed with the facts presented in his book. I learned a great deal and recommend others read it as well. It's balanced and presents a thoroughly researched account of one of our leading founders few have heard about. I also viewed the Youtube video featured below and the speaker, Vern Frykholm, does an excellent presentation of summing up the character and life of Dr. Warren, who has become one of my favorite heroes living during the events leading up to our separation from Great Britain. However, there is more to the story as Dr. Warren's body was mutilated by the British because they hated and feared him due to the influence he had ov...

Mercy Adams Writes

Search This Blog