Middle East Work Group

INTERFAITH RELATIONS – William G. Gepford, American-Arab Relations
“A Bit of Presbyterian History”For the history buffs among us, let me recount a bit of early interfaith activity, a la Presbyterian. What follows is taken from a statement by the Presbytery of Detroit as it participated in the “Detroit 300″ celebration some five years ago.

The Presbyterian Church might not have come into being had it not been for the proclivity of the only resident priest to use French in his religious services and for the insight of a General in the United States Army.

The French priest, Father Gabriel Richard, gave occasional talks in the French language, something a disparate Protestant community could not fully appreciate. In 1813 then General Lewis S. Cass was appointed Governor of Michigan. One of his first concerns was to find Protestant leadership for the non- French speaking inhabitants arriving from England.

It was a request from Governor Cass to Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey in May, 1816, that eventually led to the appointment of John Monteith to pastor what would become the beginnings of Presbyterianism in Michigan. The story tells it that it was Father Richard who first met Monteith when he arrived at the dock.

The two men developed a long standing friendship which benefited the territory, most notably in their appointment to the leadership of the first successful state university in America, the University of Michigan. The name John Monteith will go down in history as the first President of the University of Michigan.

But, in Presbyterian history John Monteith is remembered for organizing the first successful Protestant Church, called the First Protestant Society, in Detroit, composed of both Congregationalists and Presbyterians. The first Protestant Society of Detroit became the First Presbyterian Church on Woodward Ave., in 1826. By 1833 there were a total of seventeen churches in the newly formed Presbytery of Detroit, a growth remarkable for the fact that in those times people did not take religion seriously. Monteith is quoted as saying that, “he had never even imagined such depravity anywhere.”

Presbyterians exerted a rather strong influence in educational affairs in Michigan, in the early years, especially at the University of Michigan. In time the Presbytery of Detroit, needing more ministerial candidates for pastoral leadership, founded Alma College in the city of its namesake, especially for this purpose. This took place in 1887. The college has since broadened its scope and provides matriculation in most of the traditional fields and is recognized as one of the leading private schools in Michigan.

The Reformed Churches tradition, of which Presbyterianism is a member, traces its ancestry back to John Knox, a Scotsman who studied under John Calvin in Geneva. As a member of this tradition, Presbyterians are open to learn and to share the wisdom and insight given to traditions other than its own. The Historic Principles of Presbyterianism have “sought to establish balance between the private judgment of the individual and the freedom of the church to order its affairs” (The 194th General Assembly, 1982).

Also, the Presbyterian Church is guided in its relationships with people of other religions by Presbyterian Principles for Interfaith cooperation recommended from time to time by its General Assembly. The 1999 General Assembly stated:

“We are called to work with others in our pluralistic societies for the well-being of our world and for justice, peace, and the sustainability of creation.”

This bit of history, I believe, demonstrates how open-hearted and open-minded people can change the direction of history, for the well-being of all.