The Creation of Third Street Presbyterian Church

The Creation of Third Street Presbyterian Church

Scene: Dayton, 1838, an elderly woman who has been a member of First Presbyterian church for decades is having a conversation with her friend. She is describing to her friend how she feels about her church deteriorating into two factions.

OUR CHURCH IS IN TATTERS! Those people who want to change the very things that make us Presbyterians have stirred up trouble. These so called ‘New Schoolers’ have brought up theologies which should have died with Johnathan Edwards some 80 years ago. The old way has served us well, why change it? It has guided our church through thick and thin and never failed to lift our downtrodden spirits. But now they want to stir up the cauldron and start new way of thinking. As though the old way is somehow out dated and null. Why I should just go over to them and balk in their faces, with their ridiculous ideas about revivals of theology.

Well if they dislike our ways so much then let them be gone. Some 60 people have sided with the Calvinists already. I am deeply disappointed to see our elders; Reverend Graves, Dr. Steele and Mr. Odlin agreeing with these upstarts! These fine men have aided our church before but now they leave us in our greatest time of need! These people have even gone so far as to begin organizing a new church, these have already begun the process. And some of these members have deep pockets, how are we supposed to keep our own doors open when our most generous members leave us for … for… these people.

The world seems to be changing around me. There are rumblings of freeing the slaves which is growing louder by the minute. And there was that article in the paper about a slave rebellion in Virginia. The nation seems to be in as much flux as our church these days. Our borders are expanding more towards the Pacific Ocean and more and more people are moving out into that wilderness. I would prefer to stay here in Dayton personally. I have enough hardships in this town to deal with.

I tell you Cecilia when this mess is settled I shall need to take a trip to calm my nerves.

Bibliography

Box 9 File 6 MS 276 Westminster Presbyterian Church Records Wright State University Special Collections and Archives

Frederic D. Schwarz "1831: Nat Turner's Rebellion," American Heritage, August/September 2006.

Marsden, George M. The Evangelical Mind and the New School Presbyterian Experience: A Case Study of Thought and Theology in Nineteenth Century America (Yale University Press, 1970)