An prime example of one of the many contributions of Calvinism to this Republic.
I'm going to give this a Presbyterian bump, even though the PCUSA is making it embarrassing to be a Presbyterian these days.
bump for later read
From 1706 to the opening of the revolutionary struggle the only body in existence which stood for our present national political organization was the General Synod of the American Presbyterian Church. It alone among ecclesiastical and political colonial organizations exercised authority, derived from the colonists themselves, over bodies of Americans scattered through all the colonies from New England to Georgia.
I question this as a Virginian more than as a non-Calvinist. It ignores the Virginia House of Burgesses established in 1619. Granted, they were subject to the veto power of the Governor and up the line. But they were authorized to make laws concerning the governing of the colonies. And, in their present form as the Virginia General Assembly, they remain the oldest continuous law-making body in the New World.
George Washington and Patrick Henry were members of this body.
I should also note that my French Huguenot ancestors were here in the late 1600s...and that I have more problem with the "French" than the "Huguenot" aspect. ;-)
Makes you want to get out the drums and bagpipes!
Which we will have in our processional in our Christmas Eve Service. One of the highlights of the year.
A very interesting article. Thanks for posting.
A most excellent post.
One slight nit to pick: it was not called Princeton at that time, but the College of New Jersey.
Thanks for posting.
I am not a Calvinist --- but am forever grateful to the WASP influences on this country which led to it being the greatest country ever. Nowdays the WASP traditions and culture are condemned and being replaced with some goofy multiculturalist utopia that says that all other cultures are better than the American culture and that no one should assimilate or allow themselves to be influenced by those evil white WASP men who founded this country and wrote our Constitution.
I'm looking forward to fellowshipping with John. He operated in the upper right corner of the envelope. And if "total depravity" isn't obvious to you, you *might* not be a Christian.
You know I have read a great deal of the private writings of founding fathers like Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, Washington, Adams and others. They were not Calvinists. Most were only nominally Christian. They believed in God very deeply but were skeptical about the divinity of Christ and the Bible.
bookmarked... Late BTTT