Presbyterian Attitudes Towards Slavery Essay Example

Kings and increasing differences four northern Synods were expelled during the 1837 General Assembly (Kull 1938, 107). This led to the formation of the New School and the School School. But the old school couldn't shun the question of slavery for a long time and gave a strong anti-slavery statement in 1845. Though it was neutralize by denying slavery as a sin.

By 1859 all the abolitionist elements in the Old School were neutralized when the General Assembly took control of the North West Theological Seminary in 1859 (Kull 1938, 109) While the New School Presbyterian Church took a different path. In 1846 the Church denounced slavery as "the system of slavery, as it exists in the United States, . . . is intrinsically an unrighteous and oppressive system, and is opposed to the prescriptions of the law of God, to the spirit and precepts of the gospel, and to the best interests of humanity. (Kull 1938, 111) But in 1850 it allowed slavery in unavoidable circumstances.

In 1857 the Lexington Presbytery was condemned for holding slaves. This led to the further division of the New School Presbyterian Church. Conclusion: The overall history of the Presbyterian Church reflects that the Church was not able to condemn slavery directly due to the environment and society. It is hard for the clergy to impose anything on moral bases disregarding the interests of the social and industrial elite.