Reformation and Great Awakenings Influences to the Presbyterians ---------------An Academic Reflection

By

Rev. Alcenir Oliveira

on Presbyterian and Reformed History (ITEH 658E) Interdenominational Theological Center Atlanta, October 23rd, 2006 1. Factors that contributed to the Protestant Reformation The factors that contributed to the reformation were many. The first was the dissatisfaction caused by the misinterpretation by the clergy of the authority of the church, diverging from the Bibles teaching. The most concerned was the indulgences within the bounds of the authority of Church to impose tributes on the population in exchange for guaranteeing forgiveness of sin and open way to heaven. Other important factor were the advent of the press, the translation and printing of the bible in vernacular, the social drives like the Christian Humanists and the Renascence, the emergence of the bourgeoisie that found no social and political legitimacy. The political environment, mostly French and German, in certain ways also contributed not being extremely severe in the classification as and punishment of manifestation of disagreement with the church. Also, the German peasants gave support for being burdened with the taxation by the clergy. 2. Reasons why Luther was successful when others had not been There were three basic reasons Luther could go ahead with his protest and became eventually successful. First, he counted on the clerical political environment of Pope Leo X, who not initially condemned Luther for exposing his 95 thesis motivated by the dispute about who was entitled to a cut of the revenues made out of indulgence sellers.

His basic point was that Christians are saved by faith, and faith alone, and that no amount of work or purchase of indulgences would have any value. The fact that there was a spread of heterodox views at the time seems to have blurred the senses of Clergy. Luther not only was not immediately condemned as heretic, but also was allowed in court to present his case. Aided by the technology of recent borne printing press of the moment that made possible the spread of news, his case impressed the populace. Also the Elector of Saxony protected him from the harness of the ecclesiastical authorities. As the press got the news wider spread, it made him the focus for all sorts of religious, spiritual, political, and economic discontent. 3. The distinction between Luther and Calvin Luther and Calvin shared much in terms of justification by grace, faith alone. But they issues concerning the matter of law and Old Testament Covenant. Luther was suspicious of linking the Hebrew law in the context of justification by grace that would end at leading to a misunderstanding of the role of the law. Calvin on his part, without breaking apart the two contingencies, proposes an understanding of a continuous covenant under the dispensation of grace. This far, it paves the way fit in the idea of double predestination. In specific matters, in the sacraments Calvin and Luther equally rejected the catholic principle of transubstantiation. However, Luther insisted that somehow Christ would be present in the Bread and Wine, what comes to the concept of consubstantiation. For Calvin, it was more symbolic or commemorative and Christ was present in Spirit. Other difference is concerned with the churches attitude towards the society and the state. Calvin refused to recognize the subordination of church to state. His view was that the true Christians had a kind of responsibility to Christianize the state and remake the society to reflect a religious community.

4. Reasons for the Presbyterian Church splitting in the 1730s and the 1830s: Similarities, differences and contribution for today's Presbyterians The reasons for the 1730 split were the dispute between the call new light or new side and the old light or old side. The new side, that comprised those ministers who adopted the revival movement, started behaving as charismatic and believed they were under the straight illumination and guidance of the Spirit. Therefore, they were not supposed to abide by the regular rules and order of the church. In assuming this and being strongly opposed by the old side, they denounced them as unconverted. The situation became inconsistent, as the new group held meetings in the sites of the old side and denounced minister as disqualified for ministry, spiritually dead, unconverted and more. Their denunciation caused the dismemberment of congregations, ministers expelled, and people became unsatisfied with their ministers and their churches. The synod ruled the transit of ministers among presbyteries, but the new side disregarded the rules. The old side became concerned also with the qualification for ministry, as most of their ministers were educated overseas and the new side was ordaining ministers educated locally. In this direction, the synod ruled requiring all those ministers who had not received regular training to be examined, but the new side protested against the rule. The new side use to give more relevance to the conversion dramatic experience related to the vocation. By 1741, as some presbyters issued a protest requiring abidance to the standards of church to sit in the synod, the new side didnt agree and, as a majority, required the old side to quit. However, they realized that some ministers who didnt sign were sympathizers with the old side and decided to create their own presbytery of New Brunswick. One presbytery was formed in New York that was neither satisfied with the old nor with the new - they were in the middle. By 1758, they came to a common sense and all synods reunited again. The reasons for the 1830 split were based also in the revival, or second awakening, a charismatic movement that had the same basis of the first in the beginning of the 18th century. The breach happened much more because of ministers being ordained

with less than the required higher education for ministers than the emphasis on revivalism techniques. The Cumberland Presbytery, which valued the ordination of ministers fit in revivalism techniques that could attend the needs of the frontier ministry, was dissolved for not abiding by the standards of the church. Afterwards, they gathered the ministers and founded the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The similarities of the two splits were that both split were outcome of Christian revival or awakening, that both had as grounds for dispute the standards of higher education for the ordination of ministers. The differences of the two splits were in location the first split happened in Philadelphia and New York; the second happened in Kentucky and evangelistic circumstances. Also the first split didnt come out with a new denomination and last less than two decades. The second was motive for the birth of a new branch of the Presbyterian Church that lasted almost a century. The lessons extracted of the two situations that could be applied today are that most whenever the biblical standards, principles or the foundations of the Church are being disregarded and disputed we may at the dawn of a new breach; and that a crisis or a revival may be the cause to disregard certain principles and foundations; that rules adopted by the Church to which a minority do not abide by may lead to a withdraw of the group in disagreement. 5. Ways the Second Great Awakening affected the Presbyterian Church The Presbyterian church had been struggling with two lines of orientation since the first Great Awakening, with the advent of the old side or old school (mainly of Scottish Presbyterian origin) who favored a well-educated formation of ministers and the new side or new school (mainly of England Presbyterian origin), who favored less higher education of ministers than the emphasis on revivalism techniques used in the great awakening, which led the Presbyterian Church to split for a short time in the 1740s. The frontier movement, by the beginning of the nineteen century, couldnt count on enough educated ministers for its evangelistic ministry. In these circumstances and as

Methodist and Baptist were ordaining ministers to the frontier regions with little or no educational requirements, the Cumberland Presbytery of Kentucky started doing the same and give regular status to the ministers. The Kentucky Synod came to a disciplinary dispute with the Cumberland Presbytery and decided to dissolve it, as well as to expel many ministers. This confrontation led the ministers to reorganize and care for the members who were characterized a headless church. Thereof, the new Cumberland Presbyterian Church started with the purpose of gathering a people that turned from the doctrine of predestination. This is how, amid the effervescence of the second great awakening, the Presbyterian Church was affected. Suggested Reference: A Brief History of the Presbyterian. Smylie,H. James Geneva Press, Louisville, Kentucky