Presbyterian and Presbyterianism: Church, Beliefs, Quotes and Facts

Presbyterian and Presbyterianism

The Presbyterian Church is a mainline Protestant denomination founded during the Reformation of the 1500 hundreds. Presbyterians and the Reformed churches were differentiated from the Lutherans over the sacraments and church government, among other doctrines. John Knox founded the Scottish Presbyterian Church in about 1560. Presbyterianism can thus be seen as Calvinism in the Scottish tradition.

Presbyterian Church

The Presbyterian Church was first organized in Scotland under the leadership of John Knox. The Church of Scotland was affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, even though it maintained an attitude of independence. John Knox (1505-1572) was ordained a priest in the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland and become fed up with the abuses he saw by some in the Catholic leadership. (It should be noted that there were indeed some abuses by Church men. Such abuses represented a departure from Catholic teaching. Occasional abuses – which were committed by a few Church men of a world-wide Church – in no way justify repudiating the traditional teaching.) He was exiled to England after his involvement in the murder of Cardinal Beaton in 1546. While in England, he was licensed to preach in the Church of England and was instrumental in reforming the Book of Common Prayer. When Mary Tudor ascended the English throne and started her persecutions of the sect of England, Knox fled to Europe, where he met John Calvin and began to study Reformed theology. In 1559, Knox returned to Scotland and became a vocal proponent of Reformed theology and the concept of presbyterian leadership in the newly formed sect. A number of Scottish lords had already been promoting religious reformation, and they gladly supported John Knox's teaching. Under Knox's leadership, these "Lords of the Congregation" wrote the Scottish Confession of Faith in 1560, which ended papal rule in Scotland and outlawed the Mass. The Scottish Confession remained the primary doctrinal guide for the Church of Scotland until the Westminster Confession in 1647.

What is Presbyterianism?

Presbyterianism is the form of church government in which elders, both lay people and ministers, govern. The name derives from the Greek word presbuteros, or "elder." Approximately 50 million Protestants around the world practice Presbyterian Church government. Substantial numbers of Presbyterians are found in Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and its former colonies, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Hungary, France, South Africa, Indonesia, and Korea. The largest Presbyterian body in the United States is the 3 million - member Presbyterian Church, formed in 1983 by the union of the United Presbyterian Church and the (Southern) Presbyterian Church in the United States. A number of other Presbyterian and Reformed denominations in America trace their origins to Europe or to secessions from the larger American bodies. (The older name Reformed churches remains prevalent among groups of continental European origin; "Presbyterian" is generally used by churches of British origin.)



Presbyterian worship is simple. It revolves around preaching from the Scriptures. Presbyterian hymnody is indebted to the Calvinistic tradition of singing paraphrased Psalms. Two sacraments are recognized: the Lord's Supper, which is usually celebrated monthly or quarterly; and baptism, which is administered to the infant children of church members as a sign of God's covenant of mercy. The discipline of the local church is not as rigorous as in Calvin's Geneva. It is, nonetheless, still the responsibility of the session, whose decisions, as also those of presbyteries, can be appealed to synods and the General Assembly.

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Presbyterians Denies the Bible
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