Finis Ewing
Encyclopedia
Finis Ewing was the primary founder of the Cumberland Presbyterian Denomination on February 4, 1810.
of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
in 1803, Ewing became one of the leading ministers in the Second Great Awakening
or Great Revival that took place on the American frontier in the early 19th century. When Kentucky Synod
turned against the revival movement and moved to discipline what it considered to be rebellious presbyteries, in 1805, Ewing found himself with the outcasts. The synod believed that it was protecting the integrity of the ministry by requiring a classical education prior to ordination. Frontier presbyteries protested that they had an immediate need for ministers and that frontier preachers could hardly be expected to attend Princeton Theological Seminary
.
Between 1805 and 1810, the Presbyterian outcasts operated as the Council of Revival Ministers
. They tended to their congregations as best they could while attempting to reconcile themselves with the Presbyterian Church (USA). By 1810, it was obvious that a reunion would not happen in the near future. Ewing, along with ministers Samuel McAdow
and Samuel King, constituted an independent Cumberland Presbytery on February 4, 1810. Ewing, in particular, hoped that the Cumberland Presbyterian Church
and the Presbyterian Church (USA) one day would reunite.
Ewing was among several Protestant ministers who in 1831 helped to inspire the mobs that drove the Mormons
from Jackson County, Missouri
. He wrote in a local newspaper, "The Mormons are the common enemies of mankind and ought to be destroyed."
Biography
Originally ordained by Transylvania PresbyteryTransylvania Presbytery
Transylvania Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church , as it was established in 1786 from part of Abingdon Presbytery, encompassed all of Kentucky, settlements on the Cumberland River in Tennessee, and later the settlements on the Great Miami River and Little Miami River in Ohio.The presbytery grew...
of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
in 1803, Ewing became one of the leading ministers in the Second Great Awakening
Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a Christian revival movement during the early 19th century in the United States. The movement began around 1800, had begun to gain momentum by 1820, and was in decline by 1870. The Second Great Awakening expressed Arminian theology, by which every person could be...
or Great Revival that took place on the American frontier in the early 19th century. When Kentucky Synod
Kentucky Synod
In the history of the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition in the United States, there have been a number of judicatories named Kentucky Synod.- Kentucky Synod, PC :...
turned against the revival movement and moved to discipline what it considered to be rebellious presbyteries, in 1805, Ewing found himself with the outcasts. The synod believed that it was protecting the integrity of the ministry by requiring a classical education prior to ordination. Frontier presbyteries protested that they had an immediate need for ministers and that frontier preachers could hardly be expected to attend Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
.
Between 1805 and 1810, the Presbyterian outcasts operated as the Council of Revival Ministers
Council of Revival Ministers
The Council of Revival Ministers was a group of disaffected Presbyterian clergy in the frontier areas of Kentucky and Tennessee. Ejected by the Presbyterian Church in 1805, these ministers banded together to better tend their congregations while they sought to address their grievances with the church...
. They tended to their congregations as best they could while attempting to reconcile themselves with the Presbyterian Church (USA). By 1810, it was obvious that a reunion would not happen in the near future. Ewing, along with ministers Samuel McAdow
Samuel McAdow
Samuel McAdow , a Presbyterian minister, was, in 1810, one of the founders of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.-References:...
and Samuel King, constituted an independent Cumberland Presbytery on February 4, 1810. Ewing, in particular, hoped that the Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Cumberland Presbyterian Church
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Christian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening. In 2007, it had an active membership of less than 50,000 and about 800 congregations, the majority of which are concentrated in the United States...
and the Presbyterian Church (USA) one day would reunite.
Ewing was among several Protestant ministers who in 1831 helped to inspire the mobs that drove the Mormons
Mormons
The Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....
from Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. With a population of 674,158 in the 2010 census, Jackson County is the second most populous of Missouri's counties, after St. Louis County. Kansas City, the state's most populous city and focus city of the Kansas City Metropolitan...
. He wrote in a local newspaper, "The Mormons are the common enemies of mankind and ought to be destroyed."
Sources
- The History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Kentucky to 1988 by Matthew H. GoreMatthew H. GoreMatthew H. Gore is a British historian, popular culturist, and educator residing in Memphis, Tennessee. He is best known for his book The History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Kentucky to 1988 , but has published on a variety of topics as diverse as The Origin of Marvelman , the...
. Published by the Joint Heritage Committee of Covenant and Cumberland Presbyteries (Memphis, Tennessee), 2000. - Shakers, Mormons, and Religious Worlds: Conflicting Visions, Contested Boundaries (Religion in North America) by Stephen C. Taysom, Indiana University Press, 2011, p. 59.