This Day in Presbyterian History

Our post today is excerpted from The St. Louis Evangelist, 13.15 (14 April 1887): 1, col. 5-6.

The first Protestant Christian church in Japan was organized at Yokohama on the 11th of march, 1872. It consisted of 11 members , and most of them were young men who were learning English from the Rev. Mr. Ballagh; and at the same time he had given them instruction in regard to the Creator of all things and eternal life as reveal through His Son. To profess Christ then was in violation of the laws of the country; and it was nearly one year after that the edicts against Christianity were removed from the public places, and then it was claimed that the law was still unchanged, but being so well understood, any further notice of it was unnecessary.

Rev. Mr. Ballagh, of the Reformed Mission, was the acting pastor of this congregation until 1878. Owing to a dislike of Christianity which had arisen, on account of the evils brought upon the country by the Jesuits, to a general indifference, or attachment to their heathen systems, as well as fear of incurring the penalty which was attached to the avowal of Christianity, the number who attended the services was very small, and at times the work seemed quite discouraging.

There were no hymns then in the Japanese language, and no Japanese with a knowledge of either vocal or instrumental music. Only an imperfect translation of the gospel of Matthew by Rev. Mr. Goble had been published, and there was nothing in the way of Christian literature except some few works in Chinese. These were an important help, but of course were only available to the limited number who could read the Chinese.

As the rays of the sun falling upon the iceberg, and the soft winds from the South will in time disintegrate and melt it away, so the light of divine truth slowly but gradually dispelled the various obstacles that hindered the growth of a true and spiritual religion in this land. The earnest prayers of God’s people were heard, the influences of consecrated and happy lives were seen and felt, and the Holy Spirit set his seal to the labors of His faithful servants.

After about two years a branch church was formed in Tokyo, and was the beginning of a large work in the capital of the empire. A gradual increase in the attendance necessitated the erection of a large and suitable place for worship, and in 1875 a fine stone church was erected, and $1,000 given by the native Christians of the Sandwich Islands was employed in this way to extend the gospel of Christ in Japan. From the very first the question arose as to what should be the name and polity of this organization, and also of the other churches that should be established in Japan. As in other matters the spirit of independence was very strong among the Japanese, and the general wish and purpose was that the churches should hold allegiance to no foreign body, but grow up as one in faith and practice, and in accordance with the circumstances and necessities of the case.

This church at Yokohama has grown to be a great power for good. Already nine different churches have been formed through the efforts of its members, and a nucleus exists for similar organizations in many other places. Fifteen preachers and evangelists have been sent out, and among them are some of the most active and efficient workers in the country. The whole number received upon profession has been 736 and 31 by letter. The present membership is 441. Of this number 224 are men, 185 women and 22 children.

The celebration of the 15th anniversary was a most enjoyable occasion. The church was dressed with flags and ornamented with evergreens and flowers. A large and select audience filled the house, and among them were many missionaries and native pastors from Tokyo and other parts of the country. A good number of representatives from churches not connected with the united body were also present, and as opportunity offered extended their hearty congratulations.

A historical account of the beginning and growth of the church and Christianity in Japan, was one of the important features of the occasion. It was most gratifying to all to hear that since this church had been organized the number of Christians had increased to upwards of 16,000, and the native pastors and evangelists to 256, besides 109 in preparation for the ministry.

The music was led by a Christian Japanese lady who presided at the organ, and the singing was hearty and very enjoyable. Translations have been made of a large number of the favorite hymns, and with a considerable number of original productions have furnished a very extensive hymnology.  These hymns are sung everywhere and enjoyed fully as much as at home.

At the close of the service refreshments were served in the foreign style to the various missionaries and other invited guests. After this there was another meeting in the evening at which there were four addresses.

The afternoons and evenings of the two succeeding days were devoted to a series of meetings having the character of evangelistic services. The largest theatre was rented for this purpose and was well filled by a large and appreciative audience.

The fine stone building occupied by the congregation has a seating capacity of above 300, and yet it is fast becoming too small for the wants of the constantly increasing audience. A gallery has been constructed and in this way the room for other hearers has been made.

This brief sketch is a simple index of the growth of Christianity in Japan. May the next fifteen years prove equally as prosperous. The same period of similar success and Japan will no longer be dependent upon other countries for the gospel, but as in the case of the Sandwich Islands will be sending out her representatives to the regions beyond.

THE SCHOOL & FAMILY CATECHIST.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 10.

Q.10. How did God create man?

1. God created man, male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures.

EXPLICATION.

Created.—Made or formed.

Male and Female.—Man and Woman.

After his own image.—After God’s likeness or resemblance.

With dominion over the creatures.—Having power, or authority, over the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air, and the fishes of the sea.

ANALYSIS.

In this there are four things taught:

1. That God made man male and female.—Genesis i. 27. God created man—male and female created he them.
2. That man was made after the image or likeness of God.—Genesis i. 27. God created man in his own image.
3. That God’s image consists in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness.—Colossians iii. 10. And have put on the new man, who is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him.—Ephesians iv. 24. The new man, who, after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness.

4. That man, when first created, had dominion over the creatures.—Genesis i. 28. And God blessed them, and said unto them,—Have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Let’s Take a Quiz

Who am I? I have been called the father of American revivalism . . . the forerunner of everyone from Dwight L. Moody to Billy Graham . . . and still, living in the Vineyard movement to the Church growth movement . . . a darling of both the religious right and the Christian left, or both to the late Jerry Falwell and Jim Wallis . . . envisioned in the church as an agent of change to both individuals and the social gospel? Have you identified me yet? If you chose Charles Grandison Finney, you have passed the test. Finney lives on in all these men and movements today.

Charles G. Finney was a Presbyterian minister whose dates are 1792 to 1875.   A product of the New England states, he taught in his early life and later became an attorney in New York state.  One day, he decided to find God in the woods behind his law practice. He came back to his office claiming to have a baptism of the Holy Spirit which he could barely describe, so wondrous was it.  Giving up his law practice, he refused to attend Princeton Seminary, or for that matter, any seminary, and still was ordained into the Presbyterian church.  He began to conduct revivals then and there. What transpired was what has become known in American church history as the second great awakening.  Only this awakening was diametrically different from the first great awakening.

In examining Finney’s theology and subsequent preaching, listen to the words of Michael Horton. He summed up Charles Finney’s theology and subsequent preaching, as believing that God is not sovereign, that man is not a sinner by nature, that the atonement is not a true payment for sin, that justification by imputation is insulting to reason and morality, that the new birth is simply the effect of successful techniques, and that revival is a natural result of clever campaigns.  He consistently held all these positions in both his campaigns and his books. In short, whatever it was that Charles Finney accomplished, his efforts were rooted in an aberrant theology known as Arminianism. And while any real spiritual results were fleeting, his methods persist to this day.

How different was this from the first great awakening which was rooted in Calvinistic theology?  What you would find in the first great awakening was the teaching that God was sovereign in salvation, that every human being was sinful by nature, that Jesus Christ took on human flesh to stand in our place, bearing our sin and achieving a righteousness for us which is ours by faith, that this new life in Christ is a work of the Holy Spirit, and that revival is brought about by that same Holy Spirit Who is not dependent upon human means for the accomplishment of His work.

It was in 1831 that Charles Finney began a six month revival in the Presbyterian Church of Rochester, New York.  He would preach close to a hundred sermons, complete with all the emotional excesses of a man-centered gospel, ending it on March 9, 1831.  It was these meetings which were the zenith of his evangelistic career.  He went on to other churches and revival, but would come back to Rochester two more times.

Words to Live By: There are two approaches to the gospel which distinguish between the First and Second Great Awakenings. So the question is a simple one : Which do you side with — a God-centered awakening or a man-centered awakening? It was this same question which American Presbyterians had to answer in the early nineteenth century.  Old School Presbyterians answered clearly in the theology of the First Great Awakening.

Comments:
[note: for reasons we’ve not been able to discover, the comment feature on our blog appears to be disabled.]

Our friend Jim O’Brien sent along an email earlier, noting that:

You are too kind to Mr. Finney and, may I suggest, rather unkind to Arminians. Finney was no Arminian. He was an outright Pelagian as were all the rest of the New Haven Divinity. Denying inherited depravity, he needed no ‘prevenient grace’ to restore the freedom to man’s will, as Arminians teach. At least they believe that the Holy Spirit has an important role in conversion. Finney needed no work of the Holy Spirit at all. Anything the Spirit could do to influence a person’s will would be a complete violation of our freedom. It is exceedingly curious that Charismatics have embraced Finney, since, in his theology, the Holy Spirit does precisely nothing.
The effect of Finney’s work was devastating. Since the Spirit was denied, He was also largely absent. Studies conducted years later showed that only a small percentage of Finney’s ‘converts’ were still active in churches. What he accomplished was to innoculate New Englanders and New Yorkers against the Gospel. Historians call that region “the Burned Over District” for a reason. To this day little grows there. It is one of the most Gospel resistant regions in the country. Mr. Finney was a disaster for Christianity in America and if people understood that, no one would laud him ever. He ought to be counted as one of the heresiarchs of the church, just like Pelagius.

How Many of You Know . . .

Mention the name of Pearl Buck and countless Americans will immediately think of the award-winning book “The Good Earth.”  And indeed Pearl Buck did write that famous work and many other novels which earned her both a Pulitzer prize as well as a Nobel prize for literature.  But how many Americans, and even church folks, know that she was instrumental in bringing about the original Presbyterian Church of America in 1936?  And yet she was.

Born of missionary parents in China associated with the Southern Presbyterian church in West Virginia, Pearl Buck returned with her husband to China as missionaries under the Board of Foreign Missions of the northern Presbyterian Church.

In 1932, the book “Rethinking Missions” was published. It stated that its aim was to do exactly what the title suggested, namely, to change the purpose of sending foreign missionaries to the world.  Its aim was to seek the truth from the religions to which it went, rather than to present the truth of historic Christianity.  There should be a common search for truth as a result of missionary ministry, was the consensus of this book.  Pearl Buck agreed one hundred per cent with the results of this book.  She believed that every American Christian should read it.

To her, Jesus ceased to be the divine son of God, virgin born, and conceived by the Holy Spirit.  There was no original sin in her belief structure.  All these truths of historic Christianity made the gospel to be a superstition, a magical religion, and should be done away with by the church, and subsequent mission boards.

Obviously, with beliefs like this, Pearl Buck became the focus of men like J. Gresham Machen, who published a 110 page book on the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.  That treatment was freely presented to the congregations of the Northern Presbyterian Church.  The result was that Pearl Buck was forced to resign from the China mission, though the Presbyterian Board accepted that resignation with regret.

Eventually, the situation of the China Mission was a powerful basis for forming the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions in 1933. True Bible-believing Presbyterians needed to have one board which would only send missionaries to foreign lands who believed that Jesus was the only way, truth, and life to God.  Pearl Buck did not believe this biblical truth.

Pearl Buck passed into eternity on March 6, 1973.

For further study: 
“Pearl Buck’s Comments upon the death of J. Gresham Machen.”

Words to Live By: The New Testament author,  Jude, writes about those who “creep in unnoticed” into the church, who “deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”  As long as the church is on earth, there will be a need for Christians to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered unto the saints.” (ESV  – James 3, 4)

Glory, Glory, Glory to the Blessed God
by Rev. David T. Myers

Our minds and hearts are drawn once again to one of the diary entries of David Brainerd, that man of God who, as a Presbyterian home missionary,  ministered to the native Americans in the mid-eighteenth century in our land.  Listen to his words penned on March 7, 1743:

“This morning when I arose, I found my heart go after God in longing desires of conformity to him, and in secret prayer found myself sweetly quickened and drawn out in praises to God for all he had done to and for me, and for my inward trials and distresses of late.  My heart ascribed glory, glory, glory to the blessed God and bid welcome to all inward distress again, if God saw meet to exercise me with it.  Time appeared but an inch long, and eternity at hand; and I thought I could in patience and cheerfulness bear anything for the cause of God, for I saw that a moment would bring me to a world of peace and blessedness.  My soul by the strength of the Lord, rose far above this lower world, and all the vain amusements and frightful disappointments of it.”

It is clear from reading this brief diary entry that Brainerd saw clearly that both delights and distresses came equally from God’s hand.   Regardless of which came his way, he was prepared to say, “Glory, glory, glory to the blessed God” for it.  And while this is hard to do, to praise God for dark providences, as one called it, yet it is biblical, to say the least.  “In everything give thanks,” the apostle Paul commanded in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.  It is primarily possible when, like David Brainerd, we find ourselves drawn irresistibly to God in adoration and obedience.  Thus we know that, being close to Him, He will give only that which is necessary for our souls to live closely to Him.

Words to Live By:  It is only by daily walking with God, as David Brainerd did during his short life, that we will be able to accept all what the Father has sent our way.  Question? Are you daily walking moment by moment with the Triune God?