Pulpit and Politics: Clergy in American Politics at the Advent of the Millennium

5. Presbyterian Church (USA)

The Presbyterian Church (USA) has long been one of the most active denominations in the United States in the areas of politics and public life. Since the early 1700s, Presbyterians have played a major role in American religious, social, and political history. This engagement in social and political life stems from Reformed theology that arose largely out of the theological perspectives advanced by John Calvin, John Knox, and Ulrich Zwingli during the Reformation of the sixteenth century. This theology, which emphasizes the “Creation, Fall, Redemption” narrative , calls Christians not to withdraw from a fallen world, but to engage the culture of which they are a part in the knowledge that God is at work redeeming his fallen creation and that Christians can bring Christ’s renewing influence to bear on public life. Over the past several decades, different segments of the PCUSA have exhibited different theological and political tendencies. The members of the church have tended to be traditional both theologically and politically , while the ruling elders of the church, its lay leaders, generally have been even more traditional in their theological and political views. By contrast, the specialized clergy (those ordained ministers who do not serve in congregations but serve instead as teachers, chaplains, church Chapter 5 Presbyterian Church (USA) William (Beau) Weston 59 bureaucrats, and the like) have been much more liberal in their theological and political views than either church members or the ruling elders. This study examines those leaders between the laity and these specialized clergy—namely, those clergy of the PCUSA that serve as ministers within the life of Presbyterian congregations. Most of these pastors are centrists, loyal to the church and to the institutions of American society (Weston 2003). While the clergy in the church bureaucracy and in specialized ministries sometimes make headlines for liberal causes, PCUSA pastors take a less polarizing role in political action. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The PCUSA is a large, national, mainline Protestant denomination that traces its roots back to John Calvin’s church in Geneva. Historically, the denomination owes much to the Church of Scotland, especially the form of Scottish Presbyterianism brought to this country from Ulster in Ireland. The Presbyterian Church was one of the “big three” colonial denominations, along with the Congregational and Episcopal churches. That influential position, coupled with Scottish Presbyterianism’s history as the established church of Scotland, gave Presbyterians in the United States an early and active role in shaping American political institutions and culture. Presbyterian polity centers on the presbytery, a regional body composed of clergy (teaching elders) and an equal number of lay elders (ruling elders) chosen by the congregations. The presbyteries send commissioners (representatives) to synods and to a national general assembly. In these “higher judicatories,” the principle of the equal representation of clergy and laity is maintained. All congregational pastors and specialized clergy are members of the presbytery, not of a local church. Clergy are entitled to a vote in presbytery, and all their official relations with the church come through the presbytery. Lay elders and regular church members, by contrast, are members through local congregations . The denomination is governed by a written constitution. Modifying the constitution requires a vote of the general assembly, which must then be ratified by a majority of the presbyteries. The judicatories have a series of permanent judicial commissions arranged as a hierarchy of appeals courts. These courts review the constitutionality of actions of the judicatories. 60 Presbyterian Church (USA) The parallel between these structures and that of the federal government of the United States is not coincidental. Presbyterians have always been disproportionately represented among elected officials of the United States. The only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence , John Witherspoon, was a Presbyterian. To emphasize the continuing vitality of this example of Presbyterian ministers involved in political life, the new headquarters of the PCUSA in Louisville, Kentucky, was given the address “100 Witherspoon Street.” Theologically, Presbyterians have emphasized God’s sovereignty over all aspects of creation. Human beings are stewards of all creation on behalf of the sovereign God. Presbyterians have interpreted this stewardship responsibility to include taking an active role in creating and administering the institutions that govern human societies. In common with other Protestants, Presbyterians have emphasized the “priesthood of all believers,” which has led to a strong emphasis on Bible reading. However, extending beyond most other Protestant denominations, Presbyterians have also insisted that their clergy be able to read...