::Colored Opinions::

Trust But Verify Amendment Rejected

2013-06-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

Remember the guy President Obama was playing golf with beginning of may? Right. As I expected (see also CSM yesterday) Bob Corker (R) of Tennessee, is emerging as a key player in the Senate bid for immigration reform. A couple of days ago he hinted:

'I'm certainly one of those people who wants to see some sort of productive outcome'

We can see this reflected in the vote today. The Senate voted 61-37 on Wednesday to table (kill) an amendment from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky) (which is a good thing):

'GOP members of the Gang of Eight — Sens. John McCain (Ariz), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Jeff Flake (Ariz.) and Marco Rubio (Fla.) — voted against Paul's amendment, along with Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine) and Bob Corker (Tenn.).'

Note how this process is moving forward in a perfectly scripted way. Nobody should have any illusions that this outcome was not completely predictable. The Republican party isn't going to be hijacked by individuals like Steve King who has consistently sabotaged constructive grassroot activism in 2007 (Huckabee) and 2011(Ron Paul).

However, the way this process is moving forward shows how much work Rand Paul still has ahead of him to be able to fly without the help of the Tennessee/ Kentucky 'quartet' (Lamar Alexander, Bob Corker and Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell).

Bob Corker played the exact same role during the Chuck Hagel nomination process. He made sure filibuster went nowhere which was key.

When, June first, he said he was 'hopeful on immigration reform' he knew exactedly what he was talking about.

Reconciling The Vulgar And The Learned

2013-06-19T00:28:00.002-07:00

Tom Rosenstiel wrote two days ago that journalism's future is collaboration between citizens, technology and professional journalists towards deeper and wider public intelligence. A theme that reminds me of a the excellent article The Scottish Tradition in Economics and the Role of Common Sense in Adam Smith's Thought in which Flavio Comim quotes Davie (1976):

'the central problem of Scottish philosophy'(Davie 1976): the problem of reconciling the vulgar and the learned'

Flavio Commin's essay on Common Sense in Adam Smith's thought refutes the claim by Gawkin Kennedy that Thomas Reid is merely a parochial philosopher. In this context of reconciling the vulgar and the learned 'contesting the theory of rationality and justification implicit in Hume's skepticism' (Michael De Moore) suddenly makes a lot more sense.

'we should either trust all our faculties, or distrust them all' - Thomas Reid

Collaboration between 'the vulgar and the learned' is what Princeton's thoughtleadership under Samuel Finley and John Witherspoon aimed for. It's the reason John Witherspoon, in his "Answers to the Reasons of Dissent", rejected the moderates in Scotland and why he wasn't interested in 'instilling the classical knowledge essential to a scholarly gentleman'.

Hans Joachim Störig's writes in 'History of Philosophy':

'Thomas Reid's 'School' uses common sense to avoid having to digg deeper into the criticism of the mind is, to quote Immanuel Kant, 'ultimately no different than relying on the judgement of the masses, a round of applause for which the philosopher is ashamed.'

Incredibly unconvincing statement considering the fact that this was precisely the central problem Scottish Philosophy was working on. You get the impression from this statement that Kant, instead of entering the field and engaging Scottish philosophy, he just runs of with the ball.

Senate Vote To Proceed To Debate Immigration Reform Bill

2013-06-11T22:33:00.001-07:00

Let's take a look at these 2 votes:

'With an 82 to 15 vote Tuesday afternoon, the Senate voted to end debate on a motion to proceed to an immigration reform bill.

Shortly thereafter, the Senate voted 84 to 15 in favor of a motion to proceed.'

Senator Rubio announced friday that the Motion to proceed S744 would be voted on June 11th. Byron York reported monday 10th:

'In a Spanish-language interview Sunday with the network Univision, Sen. Marco Rubio, the leading Republican on the Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration reform group, made his strongest statement yet that legalization of the nation’s estimated 11 million illegal immigrants must happen before any new border security or internal enforcement measures are in place'

Who were the 15 that voted against the motion to proceed to S744? List can be found here:

Enzi (R-WY), Nay
Barrasso (R-WY), Nay
Boozman (R-AR), Nay

Crapo (R-ID), Nay
Cruz (R-TX), Nay
Grassley (R-IA), Nay
Inhofe (R-OK), Nay
Kirk (R-IL), Nay
Lee (R-UT), Nay
Risch (R-ID), Nay
Roberts (R-KS), Nay
Scott (R-SC), Nay
Sessions (R-AL), Nay
Shelby (R-AL), Nay
Vitter (R-LA), Nay

Boozman (R-AR), Nay

McCain (R-AZ), Not Voting
Murkowski (R-AK), Not Voting
Coburn (R-OK), Not

Once again, as during the Chuck Hagel nomination, Senator Jim Inhofe marginalises himself.

This is also funny:

'The leaders of unions representing workers at the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a letter sent to lawmakers last month that the Senate measure is too weak on securing the borders in part because it doesn't provide for enough agents.'

Princeton's Thoughtleadership & Scottish Enlightenment

2013-06-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

'When John Witherspoon arrived at Princeton in 1768, he found a curriculum that represented some of the most significant innovations of the period' writes Thomas Miller. How did Princeton at that time relate to Scottish Enlightenment? And what should this tell us about Princeton's relationship to Common Sense Realism?

Let's take a look at Murray N. Rothbard's interpretation of Scottish Enlightenment:

'In this atmosphere corrosive of Christian faith and values, it is remarkable that the Scottish Enlightenment was linked very closely with the Presbyterian Church. How did this happen? How did a Scottish kirk that, in the 16th century under the aegis of John Knox, had been fiery and militant, become softened into a church that welcomed the Enlightenment, i.e., natural law, reason, and latitudinarian if not skeptical Christianity?'

'The answer is that in the two centuries since John Knox the hard-nosed Calvinist faith had weakened in Scotland'

While Murray N. Rothbard sees a contrast between Scottish Enlightenment and the fierce militancy of 16th century Presbyterianism, I don't think Scottish Enlightenment could have existed without John Knox's educational vision. In the bookreview of Arthur Herman's book Scottish Enlightenment: the Scots' Invention of the Modern World by Irvine Welsh we read:

'And through innovations in philosophy, education, commerce, engineering, industry, architecture, town planning, soldiering, administration, medicine and even tourism, the Scots invented the modern world of capitalist democracy. The springboard for this was the most powerful legacy of the Presbyterian revolution: a universal (or near-universal) education system.'

Samuel Finley's West Nottingham College in Maryland implemented this same vision in Cecile County Maryland. Leading up to the American revolution, 'enlightenment' and 'fierce militancy' of Presbyterianism functioned as two sides of the same coin as Princeton's President Samuel Finley, the architect of the American revolution, explains in his 1757 sermon on the Song of Deborah:

'they who expect divine knowledge without studying Scripture; the Holy Spirit, without Prayer; saving blessings, without attending on gospel ordinances; or Deliverance from temporal enemies, without Fighting against them, discover their deep Ignorance of Scripture, of Reason, and the Whole scheme of divine government'

The success of Princeton's thoughtleadership leading up to the American revolution was based on it's approach to solving the tensions between 'moderates' and 'evangelicals', Old Lights and New Lights, fronteer Scots-Irish and New-England puritans, Scottish and non-Scottish segments of US Presbyterianism. Samuel Finley's sermon (1761) on Romans 14 verse 7 and 8 adresses these different tensions and aims at creating a common sense among Americans:

'For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.'

To understand John Witherspoon's (succeeded Samuel Finley as Princeton's President in 1768) relationship to Thomas Reid and Common Sense we should keep in mind that 'Common Sense' took on a life of it's own in the thirteen Colonies thanks to Thomas Paine's political pamphlet for Independence in 1776. How to connect the two?

Common Sense became the interpretation of the classic stoic 'sensus communis' in two directions: the intrinsic value of the community and of the individual. And here comes in Rhetoric as the skill needed to sustain peace in society. C. Jan Swearingen quotes Thomas Reid's 'Eloquence' on Logic, Rhetoric and the Fine Arts:

'Power of Speech one of the best gifts of God to Man. ..without it they could never have associated in Political Society, ....never had laws or government...must have remained Savages to all Generations'

The role 'sensus communis' plays in Aristotle's rhetoric illustrates how these two are linked:

'In rhetoric, the term is used to mean the whole set of unstated assumptions, prejudices, and values (see endoxa) that an orator can take for granted when addressing an audience. These are those opinions absorbed from society and the Zeitgeist without being exposed to to critical consideration'

Michelle F. Elbe and Lynée Lewis Gaillet in their paper 'Educating Community Intellectuals: Rhetoric, Moral Philosophy, and Civic Engagement' provides us the key element to solving this puzzle:

'Witherspoon was interested not in the emerging belleistric tradition or epistemology rhetorics promoted by Hugh Blair and George Campbell, but rather "with the practical art of speaking to public controversies"

Which reminds us of Jay Heinrichs' description of Aristotle:

'He was no Sophist, though he found a middle ground between the absolutism of Socrates and the sophists’ untrustworthy pragmatism.'

Thomas Miller gives great insight into the nature of the training at Princeton at the time:

'According to Bohman, Witherspoon developed the most extensive program of oratorical study in revolutionary America. The students' diaries and letters are full of references to their compositions. Virtually every evening students gathered for speeches and debates in the main hall. These exercises, which sometimes included dramatic performances, were attended by the whole school as well as by townspeople and visiting dignitaries, who would occasionally offer comments and suggestions.'

Wikiepedia states:

'Thomas Reid often quotes Cicero, from whom he adopted the term "sensus communis"'

'Moses Wrote Of Me'

2013-06-07T00:06:00.000-07:00

The relationship and/or supposed tension between Cornelius van Til's Transcendental Critique and Thomas Reid's Common Sense Philosophy is part of one of the most exciting puzzles I'm trying to solve in my mind:

'Bill Dennison’s interpretation of Cornelis van Til’s transcendental critique together with his understanding of ‘the heart of Reformed Biblical Theology and its redemptive-historical hermeneutic’ leaves the possibility open that the essence of Cornelis van Til’s approach can be reconciled with Thomas Reid’s Common Sense Philosophy.'

This immediately brings to mind the possibility, which seems implied in Bill Dennison's approach, that there is a direct link between Thomas Reid's Common Sense Philosophy and Biblical theology as taught at Princeton. In other words, Biblical Theology could or should be understood as a consistent application of Thomas Reid's Common Sense Philosophy. Biblical theology without common sense makes little sense.

The aim of Princeton's founding fathers, as Samuel Finley argued in his famous sermon (1561 occasioned by the death of Samuel Davies), was to exercise 'our rational powers' not in merely curious and amusing researches, but in matters the most useful and important. To be in pursuit of learning, that ornament of human minds, not with a view only to shine more conspicuous, but that we may serve our generation to better advantage.

John Witherspoon's lectures on moral philosophy and rhetoric clearly served that purpose as explained in the excellent article 'Educating Community Intellectuals: Rhetoric, Moral Philosophy and Civic Engagement' by Michelle F. Elbe and Lynée Lewis Gaillet.

When William Henry Green pleaded with Geerhardus Vos to accept the newly created chair of Biblical Theology we should see it in light of this Common Sense tradition.

Which makes it worthwhile to understand the thought of mathematician(!) turned Old Testament scolar William Henry Green. His mathematical background shines through beautifuly in this article on the primeval chronology.

In Peter Enns discussion of William Henry Green's understanding of the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch we read this phrase:

'it is at least as plausible to posit the theory that Jesus' ('Moses wrote of me') words here should be read as a device to convict these Jews on the grounds of what they hold most dear: their authoritative Scripture'

Not too fast Peter, I would say. At this point in the article Peter Enns suddenly moves from a discussion of the scope of Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch to discussing the authority of the Pentateuch itself. A strange transition in the middle of an otherwise interesting look at William Henry Green's approach.

However, showing how the Biblical theology of William Henry Green and Geerhardus Vos is built on Thomas Reid's Common Sense Philosophy could be very helpful.

Seakle Greydanus was interested in the United States (where he had lived for two years with his family) which made him discover theology at Princeton. Could this explain the connection between Schilder and Geerhardus Vos concerning Historic-Redemptive preaching?

This direct link between (Scottish) Common Sense (Philosophy?) and Historic-Redemptive preaching, which I think exists, deserves a lot more scrutiny than it's currently receiving (or did I miss something?).

To be continued.

article by Peter J. Wallace on the foundations of Reformed Biblical Theology might give some additional info.

The Common Sense in Transcendentalism

2013-06-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

At the Time 100 Gala US Senator Rand Paul toasted to David Henry Thoreau saying:

'because I think that people who will stand up for principle, who fill fight for justice should be supported wether it's popular or unpopular, here is to David Henry Thoreau'

Allthough the toast is not an endorsement of Henry David Thoreau's ideas, it does point to Thoreau's popularity among a segment of American Libertarians. The question remains wether there is a direct link between libertarianism and transcendentalism? And if there is, what is it?

In his blogpost Henry David Thoreau: Founding Father of American Libertarian Thought Jeff Riggenbach points to the direct link between David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson's thought:

'Yet where had Thoreau picked up such radical ideas in the first place? Wasn't it, at least in part, from Emerson himself? It was Emerson, after all, who wrote in 1833, when Thoreau was a teenage student at Harvard, that "a man contains all that is needful to his government within himself.'

One could argue that (Emerson's) transcendentalism is just 'the most philosophically subtle and intellectually cosmopolitan' of 'an array of iconoclastic spiritual movements that spread across the northeastern United States during the Second Great Awakening'.

However, from reading a brief introduction into Ralph Waldo Emerson's 'Transcendentalism'(in A History of Philosophy, volume 8 by Frederick Copleston, S.J.) I get the impression he merged Scottish Common Sense Realism with Unitarian theology, and he was being admirably consistent.

In 1938 Odell Shepard remarked "We may yet come to realize that the entire Transcendental Movement was a revolt against Locke". This points to a common denominator with Thomas Reid who argued strongly against the Theory of Ideas advocated by John Locke. The fact that Ralph Waldo Emerson was clearly influenced by Thomas Reid is illustrated in this short quote:

'Ralph Waldo Emerson treated John Locke as an exponent of “the old school” (“Historic Notes” 500) and repeatedly uttered his dislike of Locke’s theory because it imposes its absolute and all-encompassing “classification[s] on other men” (“Self-Reliance” 226).'

This reminds of Thomas Reid's rejection of Locke's 'idea of an apple' over against the common sense awareness, without mediation, of the apple. Thomas Reid is also 'well known for his criticisms of Locke's view of personal identity' which is called the 'Storehouse Model'. Toni Vogel Carey writes in his essay 'Scotland and Harvard Yard: The dominance and decline of Scottish common sense':

'Thoreau and Emerson were schooled in this philosophy (Reidian Thought) at Harvard and Emerson specifically praised Reid and Stewart in his 1821 Bowdoin prize essay.'

Very interesting! And certainly a good idea to read "The American Scolar" Oration, 'his first great public address and the most celebrated talk in American academic history' (ahum).

How James Guthrie And William Govan Defined Liberty

2013-06-01T12:25:00.002-07:00

W.J. Seaton sums it up:

'In many ways, once we have read the sketch of James Guthrie, we have read the book, for his is the story of all the covenanters'

The Staple Act of 1663 & 1699 together with the Test Act, which triggered Scots-Irish immigration to America, make it perfectly clear why Scots-Irish anger boiled over when the English tried this game again in the 18th century with the Stamp Act:

'At the outbreak of the Revolution in 1775 the Scots-Irish, in interesting contrast to many of their Scottish cousins, were among the most determined adherents of the rebel cause.'

Ross Douthat asked this week What is Reform Conservatism? and concluded:

'what people who use the term mostly have in mind, I think, are those of us who think that the American right’s biggest problem, both politically and practically, lies in economic policy'

This obviously clashes with Rand Paul's call for inclusiveness and emphasis on his eco-friendly lifestyle.

Rand Paul's message at the Lincoln Dinner in Iowa, allthough deliberately ignored by Byron York and willfully distorted by Craig Robinson was very clear:

"We’re an increasingly diverse nation, and I think we do need to reach out to other people that aren’t like us, don’t look like us, don’t wear the same clothes, that aren’t exactly who we are”

And:

"We need the passion of Patrick Henry, ‘Give me liberty or give me death!’”

American right's biggest problem does not lie in economic policy, but in a shallow understanding of what Liberty means. When Rand Paul refers to Patrick Henry, we are reminded of William Govan and James Guthrie, according to Cromwell "the short little man who could not bow", who were executed in Glasgow 1 June 1661:

'Guthrie's farewell letter (1 June 1661) to his wife shows great strength of character. At eleven o'clock the same day he signed a paper to dispose of the rumour that he was willing to retract. At dinner he called for cheese, saying his physicians had forbidden it, but he was beyond the need of such precautions. He spoke at the scaffold for about an hour, leaving a copy of his speech to be given to his son when he came of age. Opportunities of escape, he said, he had rejected, as flight might be taken as an admission of guilt. At the last moment he "raised the napkin from his eyes", and lifted up his voice for the covenants.'

We should reread Andrew Clarkson's Plain Reasons for Presbyterians Dissenting(1731), George Gillespie´s Aaron´s Rod Blossoming (especially chapter IV), add to it Benjamin Franklin's Plain Truth from 1747 and think how Benjamin Rush encouraged Thomas Paine to publish Common Sense in 1776.

Liberty never meant just economic freedom as George Whitefield said in 1765

'My heart bleeds for America. There is a plot against both your civil & religious liberties & they will be lost'

´Liberty is the nurse of riches, literature and heroism´ says John Witherspoon in Lecture XII (Moral Philosophy) on Civil Society.

The skulls of James Guthrie and William Govan on the Nether Bow and West Ports in Edinburgh reminded Scottish dissenters for 27 years that they would have to fight for their civil and religious liberties. As Samuel Finley, grandson of 1658 Glasgow University graduate, said in a sermon in 1757

'they who expect divine knowledge without studying Scripture; the Holy Spirit, without Prayer; saving blessings, without attending on gospel ordinances; or Deliverance from temporal enemies, without Fighting against them, discover their deep Ignorance of Scripture, of Reason, and the Whole scheme of divine government'

Kentucky Senator James Guthrie was a descendant of Reverend James Guthrie.

EU Parliament to Kigali: Victoire Ingabire's trial is a test

2013-05-31T08:36:00.000-07:00

KPFA Evening News, May 27, 2013

November 2011 march in Brussels to free Victoire Ingabire

KPFA Evening News Anchor: The European Parliament adopted a resolution this week calling for a fair trial for Rwandan political prisoner Victoire Ingabire, whose case is now being heard by the Rwandan Supreme Court. Ingabire has been behind bars in Rwanda’s capital Kigali since 2010, the year she attempted to run for the presidency against Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

The European Parliament resolution says that her first trial, which led to an eight year sentence, was politically motivated and did not meet international judicial standards. Ingabire was charged with plotting to destabilize the Rwandan government and with “genocide ideology,” meaning disagreement with the constitutionally codified history of the Rwanda Genocide.

The European Parliament’s resolution also says that the Rwanda Civil War and Genocide “continue to have a negative impact on the stability of the region.” KPFA’s Ann Garrison spoke to Sixbert Musangamfura, spokesperson for Victoire Ingabire’s political party, who remains, for now, in exile in Helsinki, Finland.

KPFA/Ann Garrison: Sixbert, how significant is this European Parliament resolution regarding your party leader, Rwandan political prisoner Victoire Ingabire?

Sixbert Musangamfura: It’s very significant because Rwanda is depending a lot on the aid from the international community.

Sixbert Musangamfura

KPFA: And when do you expect a resolution of Victoire’s appeal before the Supreme Court now?

Sixbert Musangamfura: Actually, there have been some developments. They were supposed to conclude the case before the end of May, but now the hearing is continuing beginning of June. And we are expecting a resolution a month after that – probably late June 2013 or early July 2013.

KPFA: And the West’s policies with regard to Rwanda, Congo, M23 and the FDLR all seem to be shifting. There are the U.N. combat troops going to eastern Congo from Tanzania and South Africa. What do you think the implication of this trial is for that situation, for Rwanda’s presence, the Kagame regime’s presence in the eastern Congo?

Sixbert Musangamfura: I think that the continued violation of human rights in Rwanda and outside Rwanda – those have maintained Kagame in the spotlight as a dictator. And this international brigade under deployment in the eastern Congo – as long as it’s there and the area is stabilized, then we are expecting international justice, because Rwandan leaders have been involved in atrocities committed in the eastern Congo. This has been documented by U.N. reports and all our eyes are turned towards the international criminal tribunal in The Hague because Rwanda, the Rwandan army, has been involved in those atrocities.

KPFA: And that was Sixbert Musangamfura, spokesperson for Rwandan political prisoner Victoire Ingabire’s FDU-Inkingi Party, on the European Parliament’s resolution calling for a fair resolution of her case, which is now before the Rwandan Supreme Court.

For Pacifica, KPFA, and AfrobeatRadio, I’m Ann Garrison.

To hear the audio archive of this KPFA report, see San Francisco Bay View, "European Parliament calls for Rwandan Justice for Victoire Ingabire."

How George Whitefield Prepared America for Revolution

2013-05-28T23:57:00.002-07:00

Jerome Dean Mahaffey offers a compelling case for George Whitefield's decisive contribution to the American Revolution in the book Preaching Politics:

'The intellectual & enthusiastic cooperation of elements within the New Light & Old Light camps that enabled a succesful Revolution'

Three elements stand out. First. George Whitefield's smart strategy eventually resolved the tensions between the New Lights & Old Lights as he writes to Gilbert Tennent in 1747:

'I can now send you good news from the Northward. My reception at Boston, and elsewhere in New-England, was like unto the first.....Congregations were rather larger than ever, and opposers' mouths were stopped." Whitefield was so encouraged that he was reminded of the revival in 1740.

they had ironed out a working partnership that would be called to duty in the next two decades in the fight against the French and to defy the scheme to establish an Anglican episcopacy in America, which, as people feared, might undermine the authority of colonial governments.'

Second, George Whitefield's preaching gave the different communities the tools to transcend their natural community limits:

'Awakening preaching, among other things, served to break down the form of community expressed through traditional religion. In the traditional scheme, one's identity and religion were by-products of national/religious heritage. In other words, if our church is, let's say, Dutch Reformed and serves as a symbol of our national identity, then "we are all, Christians." The revivalists said, "No, true religion is personal, and each one must choose Christianity personally." The genuine believers became a community having more in common with the other newly born converts down the road than relatives next door.

As ties of nationality faded, the religious ties of a citizenship in the kingdom of God served to bind people into a more inclusive community with a reason and will for increasing the amount of intercolonial contact. Consequently, believers from different national backgrounds could converse with a common vocabulary that transcended any cultural or political differences.'

Third, emphasis on the relationship of the individual to God in George Whitefield's preaching translated into revolutionary pamphlets:

'the Revolutionary polemicists found it necessary to undermine the monarch with religious arguments that privileged the relationship of the people to God over a community's right to choose its preferred form of government. This fact suggest that Lockean liberalism or republicanism ideals wer not as profoundly embedded, or at least as widespread, in the minds of colonists. '

Brent Winter, (I found him while searching for the origin of the word 'Whig') in the video below (at 32:00) makes perfectly clear how George Whitefield's preaching functioned:

Migrant Identity As Dynamic Process

2013-05-28T02:15:00.001-07:00

The book The People With No Name: Ireland's Ulster Scots, America's Scots Irish and the Creation of a British Atlantic World, 1689-1764 by Patrick Griffin confirms and explains my strong aversion for the static identity models proposed by Dutch (Ranging from Jan-Peter Balkenende, Wouter Bos to Mark Rutte) and UK elites (David Cameron etc etc):

'For the men and women who left Ulster, identity resembled less an ideology, vision, or static set of traits than a dynamic process through which individuals struggled to come to terms with and acted upon the world around them. Only as men and women confronted the challenges and possibilities of everyday life, familiar and unfamiliar material conditions, as well as the extraordinary, did they reinvent traditions to give these developments meaning. Identity, then, for these people did not amount to the group's acceptance of unifying cultural markers--quite the contrary. Ulster's Presbyterians continually remade themselves as they struggled to make sense of experience in rapidly changing contexts by giving a useable past a number of different and often contradictory meanings.'

It reminds me of my blogposts Apologetics and Citizenship (Re)defined and Missionary Citizenship (Re)defined in which I focus on this ongoing process.

Patrick Griffin argues in an article in the Journal of British Studies of 2000:

'explaining who the Ulster Scots were or how they defined themselves has not attrated much scholarly attention, an unsurprising failure...

their eighteenth-century experience has mainly attracted church historians interested in theological disputes, social historians charting the rise of the linen industry and students of the '98 Rebellion exploring the ways in which a latent Presbyterian radicalism contributed to the formation of the United Irish movement.'

Disappointing, but not surprising.

However, we are looking here at the motor of the American revoltuion. When interpreting Abraham Kuyper's significance most scolars tend to ignore the dynamic missionary citizenship (which is Kuyper's interpretation of the American revolution) and replace it with Dooyeweerd's toothless version of sphere sovereignty.

Reading Abraham Kuyper's Lecture to the Christian Social Congress, November 1891 while ignoring his lecture Maranatha , May 1891 which is much more representative of his thought, characterises the current state of debate between conservative and progressive Christian Democrats.

Preaching & Persuasion

2013-05-27T06:48:00.001-07:00

John Witherspoon's Lectures On Eloquence gives great insight into the fundamental importance of Rhetorics at Universities at the time. Raymond Blacketer's book The school of Pedagogy and Rhetoric in Calvin's Interpretation of Deuteronomy explains how basic knowledge of the classical and Renaissance rhetoric helps us understand Calvin's writings:

'It will also become evident that Calvin's exposition of Scripture bears the deep imprint of his training in classical and Renaissance rhetoric. Rhetoric for Calvin was an essential tool for teaching and preaching, so long as it served the subject matter and did not become an end in itself. Calvin advocated and implemented a restrained use of rhetoric for the purposes of teaching and persuading in the church and in a godly society. For Calvin, proper pedagogy and restrained rhetoric were two of the most important tools in the school of God.'

And in the speeches of John F. Kennedy we see the classical rhetorics at work as well. In the book Performing patriotism: national identity in the colonoial and revolutionary American Theater by Jason Shaffer we read in the chapter 'A School for Patriots':

'At Princeton, Witherspoon began in 1769 to deliver an annual series of "Lectures on Eloquence, the first official course in public speaking documented at an American college.In the first of these lectures, Witherspoon notes approvingly that "the grace of elocution and the power of action might not only acquire a man fame in speaking, but keep up his influence in public assemblies, citing as his examples the revivalist preacher George Whitefield and William Pit'

In the book Preaching Politics: The Religious Rhetoric of George Whitefield and the Founding of a New Nation Jerome Dean Mahaffey writes:

'seeking to understand him more deeply, I began reading Whitefield's sermons. As my graduate eduation progressed, I received sufficient training in rhetorical criticism to identify the persuasive action and forces present in the texts. I found in Whitefield a person who understood the art of persuasion, considered his audiences, and produced just the right kind of discourse to meet his goals. Surprised that nothing I had read to that point delved deeply into his extant sermon texts, I believed that my dissertation could provide a new perspective on Whitefield, on that analyzed his sermons to describe the rhetorical action that blended with features other scholarship had discovered.'

'Whitefield wrote very little to explain his peraching strategies or views on persuasion. I believe that one reason for this is that he knew everything was embedded in his sermon texts or otherwise available from studying the classical sources on persuasion.'

Jerome Dean Mahaffey writes on page 33:

'Whitefield's achievement of fluency in the mechanics of eloquence and his grasp of the psychology of persuasion - all gained through a rhetorical education far more rigorous than modern colleges provide. the combination of talent, study, and practice constitutes the three essential ingredients of fine oratory that teachers of rhetoric have emphasized since the time of rhetoric's Greek origin. These ingredients were manifest in Whitefield: his rhetorical education began early; he had competent models to imitate; he received a complete edution at Oxford; he developed his nonverbal delivery skills through obsessive participation in drama; he developed his voice through declamation; and even his eye deformity became an unexpected asset.'

Linda Melvern Defending RPF Countergenocide Congo December 1997

2013-05-25T02:15:00.004-07:00

After the Arusha agreements in 1993 (between the Rwandan government and the Ugandan supported RPF revolutionaries):

'Claude Dusaidi was appointed the RPF's North American representative and sent to New York to lobby the international community'.

In Linda Melvern's december 1997 obituary of Claude Dusaidi, RPF organiser in North America before the genocide and political counselor to VP Paul Kagame after the genocide, we read:

There was little Dusaidi could do and he later suffered the indignity of seeing a representative of the genocidal "interim government" address the council. As terrible for him was the subsequent global outpouring of sympathy for the Hutus who fled the country, many of whom had helped carry out genocide.'

A chilling defense of RPF countergenocide on Rwandan refugees which was reported in the UN report of july 1997:

'A United Nations report (july 12 1997) into the massacres of Rwandan refugees in Congo during the rebellion stated they were so massive and systematic that they can be considered crimes against humanity and possibly genocide. Investigators, who have been hampered in their investigation efforts by Kabila's government, said they received reports on 134 alleged massacres committed by Kabila's ADFL and Banyamulenge militias.'

Linda Melvern recently helped the RPF attack credibility of the UN Group of Experts on Congo.

Still, from this obituary, we can learn a lot about RPF propaganda:

'In the weeks before the genocide began, Dusaidi, a former schoolteacher who became a political activist, was lobbying at the United Nations in New York, trying to alert ambassadors that the Rwandan peace agreement which UN peacekeepers were monitoring was about to unravel'

How did he know?

'Dusaidi said later that he believed the Security Council failed to grasp the principle involved - that a tyranny ruled Rwanda and the fragile peace which the peacekeepers were to monitor was Rwanda's last chance to create democracy.'

'The RPF was created by exile Rwandans from communities in Africa, Europe and North America and was dedicated to the return of up to one million Tutsi exiles to Rwanda and the creation of a democratic state.'

RPF claimed to fight for democracy and against tyranny (but has made sure no opposition exists in Rwanda to this day).

Linda Melvern adds another interesting fact, Claude Dusaidi:

'was the first person to use the word 'genocide' in relation to Rwanda in an official document, in an RPF press release on 12 April 1994.'

Two weeks later (april 30 1994) Claude Dusaidi, a member of the RPF political bureau, opposed UN intervention:

'Consequently, the Rwandese Patriotic Front hereby declares that it is categorically opposed to the proposed U.N. intervention force and will not under any circumstances cooperate in its setting up and operation. In view of the forgoing [sic] the Rwandese Patriotic Front:

Calls upon the U.N. Security Council not to authorize the deployment of the proposed force as U.N. intervention at this stage can no longer serve any useful purpose as far as stopping the massacres is concerned.'

May 17 1994 the New York Times publishes the article 'U.N. Backs Troops But Terms Bar Any Action Soon':

'The United States forced the United Nations Monday (may 16th 1994) to scale down its plans and put off sending 5,500 African troops to Rwanda in an effort to end the violence there.'

'Rwanda's Foreign Minister, Jerome Bicamumpaka, a member of the Hutu ethnic group which dominates the Government, said he is ready for a cease-fire. In a lengthy address to the Council, he vehemently denounced the rival Tutsi ethnic group, accusing them and their backers in Uganda of launching a genocidal war against his people.

Claude Dusaidi, representing the predominately Tutsi Rwandan Patriotic Front, said his party "will neither accept nor be bound by any Security Council resolution voted for by representatives of the so-called interim Government" of Rwanda and demanded the withdrawal of the resident United Nations mediator, Jacques-Roger Booh-Booh.'

Jerome Bicamumpaka was accused of genocide, arrested in 1999, but:

'On 30 September 2011, Jerome Bicamumpaka was acquitted of all charges at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. He was immediately released from custody and reunited with his family.'

November 1996 the Rwanda Patriotic Front, which invaded Congo october 1996, opposed UN military intervention in Congo as well:

'Rwandan Foreign Minister Anastase Gasana said Tuesday Rwanda would strongly oppose any international military intervention in eastern Zaire to aid more than a million refugees fleeing from fighting there.

"If there were a decision for such an intervention ... it would be opposed by the sub-region by all means, not only political," he told a news conference at the Rwandan embassy in Brussels'

Foreign Affairs minister Jean-Marie Ndagijimana, now a prolific Rwandan blogger in France, fled Rwanda in october 1994 and was promptly accused by this same Claude Dusaidi of stealing money:

"You are aware of the pressures that the international community has been putting on our government to become broader and bring in elements who come from groups responsible for the genocide of our people. . . . We entrusted him (Ndagijimana) with responsibility, despite the fact that he was a high member of the former regime that was responsible for genocide."

Can Congo's Army Learn From Rwanda?

2013-05-24T06:40:00.002-07:00

Chief director for Southern Africa at the international relations and cooperation department Edward Xolisa Makaya's astonishing statement claiming reintegration would address issues behind war in Kivu:

"Months would go by without soldiers getting their salaries. That is a source of concern; it's one of the reasons the M23 is talking about reintegration, which will address those issues"

I don't see how integrating a negative force contributes to Security Sector Reform, but does that mean Congo can't learn from Rwanda (which is behind m23)?. The Congolese army could for example study how RDF officers built a support network with officers in western armies. Congolese officers should produce case studies on SSR like this one by Rwanda's Frank Rusagara.

Even today Rwanda's Defense Forces and the Rwandan RPF profit from the relations built with people like Rick Orth and Tom Odom in the aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide as Tom Odom writes here:

'The initial phase of E-IMET took place in early 1994, attended by both formerRwandan Army (ex-FAR) and RPA soldiers. Then Major Rick Orth was the Defense Intelligence Agency analyst on the conflict in 1994; he joined me on the groundfor 60 days in late 1994. He replaced me as the Defense Attaché in 1996.'

Rick Orth served as U.S. defense attaché to Rwanda (1996-1998) and Uganda (2001-2005). The DRC Mapping Exercise Report covers the period 1993-2003 during which the Rwandan Army (RPA) committed massive scale crimes against Hutu refugees that could constitute a crime of genocide. Gerard Prunier writes in his book Africa's World War how Rick Orth played a key role in warming the relationship between RPA and the U.S. Department of Defense during this time. Former US Ambassador to Burundi (1994-1995) wrote in his book 'from bloodshed to hope in Burundi':

"How U.S. military leaders had become so enamored of Paul Kagame I could not fully fathom....I was appalled that these skills had so successfully overshadowed his obvious preference for dictatorship over democracy, and his tolerance, or perhaps appetite, for vengeful ethnic slaughter, yet he was invited to the United States to be feted at the Pentagon. In time, I was sure that the truth about the RPA would come out. But how many lives would be lost, how much suffering endured, how much fear and despair would be borne in the interim?"

Yesterday, in a blogpost on Stars and Stripes, Rick Orth commented on a recent report by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office:

'The report focused on mass rapes in and around the town of Minova. Among the Congolese soldiers who perpetrated these gross human-rights abuses were members of the U.S.-trained 391st Commando Battalion....

The horrific spree of sexual violence in Minova is a stain on our consciences. But if there is a silver lining to that incident, let it be an opening window to enact the real justice reforms needed to ensure that such a case never happens again.'

Instead of worrying about Rwanda's supposed cozy relationship with people like Tom Odom and Rick Orth the Congolese Army could see current debates on Security Sector Reform as a window of opportunity. Learning from Rwanda's Defense Force and building strong relations with senior military officers at the Pentagon could be essential to succesfull Security Sector Reform. So yes, Congolese officers can learn a lot from Rwanda.

John Knox & Educating America's Revolutionaries

2013-05-22T10:34:00.002-07:00

The 1696 Act for Settling Schools (in Scotland) implements Knox's vision of a school in every parish; by 1750 literacy in Scotland about 75% compared with England 53% (Herman p.23)

When Samuel Finley started West Nottingham Academy, Cecile County Maryland, he implemented the plan outlined by John Knox (in 1560) which reads like this:

"Therefore we judge it necessary that every several church have a schoolmaster appointed, such a one as is able, at least, to teach Grammar and the Latin tongue, if the town be of any reputation. If it be [rural] …… then must either the Reader or the Minister there appointed take care over the children and youth of the parish, to instruct them in their first rudiments, and especially in the Catechism …… And further, we think it expedient that in every notable town …… there be erected a [High School] in which the Arts, at least Logic and Rhetoric, together with the tongues, shall be read by sufficient masters, for whom honest stipends must be appointed. …… Lastly, the great schools called Universities shall be replenished with those apt for learning."

In the selected writings of John Witherspoon, edited by Thomas Miller, we read more about this revolutionary project of educating the masses in America. Thomas Miller explains the aims of Witherspoon's course on Rhetorics (he also lectured on moral philosophy) by contrasting it with Blair's approach:

'Witherspoon defined rhetoric quite differently from his former college classmate Hugh Blair, whose Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres (1789) came to dominate the origin of college English studies at the turn of the century. Where Blair helped institutionalize a rhetoric defined by its ties to polite literature, Witherspoon reiterated the classical relationship between rhetoric and the twin studies of moral philosophy- ethics and politics.'

'Bower states that Stevenson started the practice of having students compose, deliver, and defend essays on philosophical topics in English as well as Latin.'

'Stevenson also lectured on the rhetorical theory of Cicero and Quintilian'

Which should immediately remind us of Quintilian's claim that:

'Cicero was "not the name of a man, but of eloquence itself'

Who was Quintilian??, let's see here:

'During the hundred years or more which elapsed between the death of Cicero and the birth of Quintilian education all over the Roman Empire had spread enormously, and the education of the time found its end and climax in rhetoric.'

I'm affraid Thomas Jefferson and Murray N. Rothbart didn't understand the aim of Princeton's founders when they focus on Cicero's 'ideas' instead of Cicero's eloquence:

'Jefferson names Cicero as one of a handful of major figures who contributed to a tradition “of public right” that informed his draft of the Declaration of Independence and shaped American understandings of "the common sense" basis for the right of revolution'

"Murray N. Rothbard praised Cicero as 'the great transmitter of Stoic ideas from Greece to Rome. ... Stoic natural law doctrines ... helped shape the great structures of Roman law which became pervasive in Western Civilization."

Teaching rhetorical skills was Princeton's main contribution to revolutionary America according to Thomas Miller:

'Witherspoon's interest in moral philosophy is apparent in his Latin thesis on the immutability of the soul (which is translated and reproduced in Rich). He draws heavily on Ciceronian moral philosophy, while also citing Berkely and Locke.'

'Witherspoon rejects the closely related assumption that an enlightened individual can understand what is best for society because his Calvinism led him to view human understanding as itself highly fallible.'

'In "Answers to the Reasons of Dissent," Witherspoon and his allies argued against the Moderates on the grounds that individuals have both "a right" and "an indispensable duty" to follow their conscience because it speaks from God, a higher power than any civil authority.'

'On both sides of the Atlantic, evangelicals like George Whitefield, whom Witherspoon holds forth as a model in his "Lectures on Eloquence," preached on the populist theme that God's law overruled earthly authorities and bestowed natural rights on all.'

'Fordyce, Hutcheson, and Thomas Reid's teacher George Turnbull are the major sources of Franklin's Proposals for the Education of Youth (1749).'

Samuel Blair's Account of the College of New Jersey (1764) gives insight in the daily routine at Princeton before Witherspoon's arrival:

'Students delivered syllogistic and forensic orations in the evenings in English as well as Latin. These orations were inteded not merely as rote repetions of classroom material but as opportunities to explore issues that the students had independently researched in the college library.'

The diverse background of the students: from all walks of life and from all 13 colonies, contrasted starkly with other Colleges:

'Princeton's students came from all the colonies and from a wider cross section of colonial society because Princeton was the cheapest college and had strong support from the popular evangelical movement.'

John Witherspoon aimed for the most extensive program of oratorical study in revolutionary America:

'According to Bohman, Witherspoon developed the most extensive program of oratorical study in revolutionary America. The students' diaries and letters are full of references to their compositions. Virtually every evening students gathered for speeches and debates in the main hall. These exercises, which sometimes included dramatic performances, were attended by the whole school as well as by townspeople and visiting dignitaries, who would occasionally offer comments and suggestions.'

"One of the student orations aptly expressed the underlying assumption of this program: "Any Person of Tolerable Genius, may by Application acquaint himself with all the Rules of Oratory, but if he has never practised Speaking in Public, if he should be broght before an august Assembly to deliver some important Harangue, he would appear ridiculous to all"

'As this student suggests, the purpose of combining classroom instruction with extensive public practice was to prepare students to speak to the practical problems of public life'

How would Jefferson and Rothbart reconcile their love for Cicero's ideas and Stoïcism with John Witherspoon's antithetical position towards those who sought a return to the classics?:

'Those who sought a return to the classics wanted colleges to return to their traditional role of instilling the classical knowledge essential to a scholarly gentleman, while Witherspoon was more committed to the ideal of the college graduate as a public leader who was prepared to speak to the political problems of contemporary life.'

Thomas Miller does a great job explaining the focus on oratorial skills at Princeton before and after the arrival of John Witherspoon and summarizes this on page 20 :

'According to Davies, science and religion are bound irrevocably to the public interest, without which "all the valuable ends of a liberal education will be lost".'

Sofar, so good. However, on page 26 Miller claims:

'John Witherspoon was one of the central figures in the transition from clerical to political leadership; he helped introduce the Scottish moral philosophy that was pivotal to that transition; and he taught one of the greatest practical theorists of the new political ideology, James Madison.'

This claim is contradicted by Michael Horton who quotes James Madison here:

'Interestingly, James Madison—a student of Presbyterian theologian John Witherspoon—saw the “two kingdoms” doctrine as essential for the good of the church as well as the civil society; that is, the “due distinction, to which the genius and courage of Luther led the way, between what is due to Caesar and what is due to God.” This view “best prospers the discharge of both obligations,” he said.'

On the other hand, Miller's explanation of 'moral philosophy' as a tool seems very reasonable:

'As the culminating studies of the curriculum at Princeton, these lectures (on moral philosophy) present his ideal of the broadly educated individual with the rhetorical, ethical, and political abilities needed to debate contemporary political issues in democratic forums.'

Michelle F. Eble and Lynée Lewis Gaillet write:

'The eighteenth-century courses in moral philosophy and the civic rhetoricians who taught them offer valuable lessons for present-day professional and technical communication theories and practices.'

James Farrell writes:

'Classical rhetorical theory and practice were grounded on the assumption that eloquent public speech was a practical necessity in a free society.'

Robert S. Null, in a 2011 dissertation, adds another aspect to our knowledge of John Witherspoon's work:

'Witherspoon's work as a theologian has been neglected and his work as a historian has gone virtually unnoticed. A review of class notes of Princeton graduates from the time of James Madison (1769-71) until a few years beyond Witherspoon's death (1794) led to the discovery of four unstudied manuscripts of his lectures regarding history and chronology. Analysis of these manuscripts produced the first critical edition of his "Lectures on History and Chronology." These forgotten lectures reveal an interest by Witherspoon to examine antiquity in the flowing context of redemptive history, simultaneously recognizing the importance of salvation history and the progress of general history maintained and guided by providence.'

Some of Witherspoon's work can be read online here. Everyone interested in politics in general, in American politics and/or in the relationship between faith and politics should read these lectures on Moral Philosophy In the introduction we find the declaration that seems like the core of Witherspoon's thinking when he argues:

'It would be more just and useful to say that all simple and original discoveries have been the production of Providence, and not the invention of man'

Scripture is perfectly agreeable to sound philosophy; yet certainly it was never inteded to teach us every thing. The political law of the Jews contains man noble principles of equity, and excellent examples to future lawgivers; yet it was so local and peculiar, that certainly it was never inteded to be immutable and universal.

It would be more just and useful to say that all simple and original discoveries have been the production of Providence, and not the invention of man.'

This offcourse reminds us immediately of Witherspoon's famous sermon The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men which is often mentioned by scolars studying Witherspoon.

His lectures on Eloquence can be read online here.

Awakening & American Revolution

2013-05-18T00:23:00.000-07:00

Great book by Bryan F. Lebeau 'Jonathan Dickenson and the Formative Years of American Presbyterianism' gives additional information on the debate surrounding New Side - Old Side.

New Sider Alexander Craighead plays a central role in both the New Side- Old Side debate and in the push for American independence as we can read in Hanna's book about the renewal of the covenant in november 1743.

Alexander Craighead was the son of the Rev. Thomas Craighead & Margaret Craighead, Alexander was born near Donegal, Ireland on March 18, 1707. His father was a Presbyterian minister who immigrated to America in 1715. His biography on 'This Day in Presbyterian History' states:

'Alexander was, in the modern parlance, homeschooled, taught by his father, even studying theology under his father’s guidance, and successfully so, in that he was licensed by the Donegal Presbytery in the fall of 1734.'

Note that 1734 was the year Samuel Finley arrived in America. A few quotes to demonstrate Alexander Craighead's direct link to American Revolution:

"Another group of pioneers (Ulster Scots) settled nearer the present site of Charlotte and organized the Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church in 1755, with Rev. Craighead serving as pastor of both the Rocky River church and the Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church from the time each was organized until [his death in] 1766'

Precisely the region where the War of the Regulations started:

'While small acts of violence had been taking place for some time, mainly out of resentment, the first organized conflict was in Mecklenburg County in 1765. Settlers in the region, who were there illegally, forced away surveyors of the region assigned with designating land.'

Harry Seabrook writes about Alexander Craighead's influence in Mecklenburg:

'Only the Presbyterian Church lined up solidly behind the colonists, and without them independence would not have been possible. Oh, and that Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson? It came along a full year after Scots-Irish Presbyterians in Charlotte, North Carolina, wrote their own declaration of independence. The Mecklenburg Declaration, written on May 20, 1775, "by unanimous resolution declared the people free and independent, and that all laws and commissions from the king were henceforth null and void," as Lorraine Boettner writes. Jefferson's biographer notes: "Everyone must be persuaded that one of these papers must have been borrowed from the other." George Bancroft observes that the Mecklenburg assembly consisted of "twenty-seven staunch Calvinists, one-third of whom were ruling elders in the Presbyterian church, including the President and Secretary, and one was a Presbyterian minister." Ephraim Brevard, who drafted the document, and after whom Brevard, NC, is named, was a Presbyterian ruling elder and a Princeton graduate. (Mecklenburg is far more desirable than anything inspired by John Locke. It is interesting to note that these Charlotte Presbyterians, who had been under the guidance of Alexander Craighead, later rejected the non-covenantal national Constitution.)'

The point of these posts is to demonstrate how Samuel Finley became the thoughtleader both inside the Presbyterian Church and the architect of the American revolution. The above introduction to Alexander Craighead serves as background and context in which we should place Samuel Finley's role. P. Fulton Stark confirms my theory in an email discussion on the Finley family history 'Aha! John Finleys separated by Old Sides/New Sides.':

"Here's how we're going to separate the two John Finleys - at least for the years 1730-1765. John Finley (and Thankful Doak) are aligned to the New Sides Finleys. Rev. Samuel Finley (son of Michael Finley) was called to the New Sides Presbyterian congregation at Nottingham in 1744 (then Pennsylvania, now Maryland.) His younger brother, James Finley, served The Rock Presbyterian congregation, a few miles east of Rising Sun (then PA, now MD). These two brothers were instrumental in the reunification of the New and Old Sides in 1758'

There you have the confirmation of what this research into presbyterian history before the American revolution has been focusing on all along:

'These two brothers were instrumental in the reunification of the New and Old Sides in 1758'

Amazing how little attention Samuel Finley's major role in American history has received from historians sofar. Or am I missing something? Richard Lyman Bushman does notice Samuel Finley's thoughtleadership in his book 'The Great Awakening: Documents on the Revival 1740-1745':

'His letter, "The Priests are Blind," is similar in perspective to Tennent's "The Dangers of an Unconverted Ministry.'

'Finley was not, however, merely a firebrand. He opened a school in the parsonage at nottingham'

Bill Willis, in an email, adds another important piece to the Samuel Finley New Side/Old Side puzzle:

'Eventually, under his guidance the two congregations reunited, establishing a new church at the present site of the West Nottingham MH well south of Rising Sun'

If we want to know exactedly how Samuel Finley approached the Old Side - New Side controversy, we should read his sermon preached at Nassau-Hall, Princeton, May 28 1761, occasioned by the death of the Rev. Samuel Davies, A.M. Late President of the College of New Jersey on Romans 14 verse 7 and 8:

'For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.'

In this sermon Finley makes several essential points that are obviously aimed at adressing the New Side - Old Side conflict:

'That we may apprehend the scope and genuine sense of the words, it is necessary to observe, that warm debates at that time arose between the Jewish and Gentile converts, about the difference of meats and days established by the Mosaic Law'

'The Apostle, in order to quell the growing strife, maturely determined that, though the Gentile held the right side of the question, yet both parties were wrong as to their temper of mind, and the manner in which they managed the controversy'

'Our rational powers statedly exercised, not in merely curious and amusing researches, but in matters the most useful and important.'

'Are we in pursuit of learning, that ornament of human minds, it should not be with a view only to shine more conspicuous, but that we may serve our generation to better advantage.'

'But far from gratifying his (Samuel Davies) natural inclination to the society of his friends, or consulting his ease, moved by conscience of duty, he undertook the self-denying charge of a dissenting congregation in Virginia, separated from all his brethren, and exposed to the censure and resentment of many.'

'The Lord, who counted him faithful, putting him into the ministry, succeeded his faithful endeavours, so that a great number, both of whites and blacks, were hopefully converted to the living God'

'But his persuasive voice you will hear no more. He is removed far from mortals, has taken his earial fligth, and left us to lament, that "a great man has fallen in Israel!'

'Nor should the decease of useful labourers, the extinction of burning and shining lights, only send us to the throne of grace for supplies, but excite us to greater diligence and activity in our business, as we have for the present the more to do.'

'Finally, this dispensation should lessen our esteem of this transitory disappointing world, and raise our affections to heaven, that place and state of permanent blessedness.'

James Finley & John Witherspoon In Glasgow

2013-05-16T16:07:00.001-07:00

Reverend Robert Finley:

'was born to James Finley and Ann Angrest, James was born 1737 in Glasgow, Scotland where he was trained as a yarn merchant and where he became acquainted with Rev John Witherspoon who was then a pastor in the town of Paisley about six miles from Glasgow. James immigrated to New Jersey in 1769. His paternal grandparents were James Finley from Paisley, and Ann McDonald.'

His memoirs can be read here. These memoirs are an interesting look into the background of John Witherspoon before he left Scotland to become president of Princeton. Let's see if James Finley is related to Samuel Finley. Which is indeed the case (his great-grandfather was Robert Finley's twin brother James Finley who married Margaret Mackie). These memoirs are a very interesing read, many details on the period that preceded John Witherspoon's arrival at Princeton

But, unlike Samuel Finley, James Finley was not a descendant of the Finley branch that immigrated to Ireland during the 17th century. The Scots-Irish roots of Samuel Finley are essential to why I think he was the Architect of the American revolution.

In the book 'The Clan Finley' (this is V 2, haven't found V1 online yet) by Herald F. Stout we learn that Samuel Finley was pastor of Nottingham Presbyterian Churh in Cecil County, Maryland, from 1744 until he became President of Princeton University in 1761. The book A Condensed Family Genealogy of the Finley Family is also interesting,

'dedicated to Those Fine Women who firmly f... frontier with fortitude and determination: Our Mohters'

In this book we read that Reverend John Finley, the Rev. John FINLAY of Kilmarnock, was burned at the stake in Edinbourgh in 1682, just prior to the expulsion of James II in 1688. He might also have been hanged, after battle of Drumclog in 1679. Executed like so many other covenanters at the time. One of a long list of covenanterer martyrs during the 17th century as found on the website of Gordon Crooks, a leading authority on the Scots-Irish.

Another valuable book on Samuel Finley's background is TORRENCE and Allied Families, by Robert McIlvaine TORRENCE from which we learn that Samuel Finley:

'landed at Philadelphia on 28 Sep 1734, along with his father and eight brothers and sisters. TORRENCE says, "His parents had given their children every possible educational opportunity available in their native country. Samuel FINLEY, from childhood, had determined to study for the ministry, and it was arranged that he should attend Tennent's Log College, which was in Bucks Co, PA.'

'After graduation, he was licensed to preach, August 8, 1740. He was ordained by the New Brunswick Presbytery, October 13, 1742. In 1743, he went to Milford, Connecticut. He became pastor of the Nottingham Presbyterian Church, at Nottingham, Cecil County, Maryland, in June of 1744, where he remained, from 1744-1761, establishing a great reputation in preparing young men for the ministry. The College of New Jersey conferred upon him, in 1749, the honorary degree of Master of Arts. In 1751, he was elected a trustee of that institution.'

Samuel Finley edited the sermons of Samuel Davies:

'Among the sermons and theological discussions published by him were 'Christ Triumphing and Satan Raging' (1741); 'A Refutation of Mr. Thomson's Sermon on the Doctrine of Conviction' (1743); 'Against the Moravians, Being the Substance of Several Sermons, Showing the Strength, Nature, and Symptoms of Delusion,' (1743); 'A Charitable Plea for the Speechless,' (1747); 'Vindication of the Charitable Plea for the Speechless, or a Particular Consideration and Refutation of the Objections Made Against Infant Baptism,' (1748); 'Sermons at the Ordination of the Reverend John RODGERS,' (1749); 'On the death of the Reverend Samuel BLAIR,' (1751); 'On II Cor. Chap. 4 verse,' (1754); 'The Curse of Meroz, or the Danger of Neutrality in the Cause of God and Our Country,' (1757); and a 'Sermon at the funeral of the Reverend Gilbert TENNENT,' (1764). He edited the sermons of Samuel DAVIES, his discourse 'On the Death of President DAVIES,' (1761) being afterward prefixed to an edition of the latter's works.'

Rev. John Borland Finley traces history of the Finley clan to Macbeth, who reigned as king of Scotland from A.D. 1040 to 1057:

'The clan Finley of Scotland, a Highland family of the country in the vicinity of Inverness, is said to be one of the most ancient of all Highland clans. The late Rev. John Borland Finley, Ph.D., Kithaurny, Pennsylvania, who was an ardent lover of family history and devoted much time and labor in researches, says: "The Clan Finley is the most ancient and whole family of Scotland, and existed before a Campbell or a Stewart or a Cameron or a MacDonald had an existence." By the same authority the origin of the clan is derived from "Macbeth." The Encyclopedia Britannica says in substance "Macbeth (son of Finley, a Celtic chieftain in Scotland, and mormaor of Moray, son of Ruadher) succeeded his father as mormaor of Moray, became a successful general under and afterwards revolted against and killed in battle, Duncan, King of Scotland. Upon Duncan's death he succeeded to the crown and reigned as king of Scotland from A.D. 1040 until his death in 1057." Dr. Finley ascribes the downfall of the clan to Macbeth's death...'

Dr. Finley

'ascribes the downfall of the clan to Macbeth's death, which was brought about by a mere party combination, after which the clan was declared to be illegal, and the tartan and the clan were known as that of Farquharson.'

The life and work of Francis Allison, who was born in Ireland (!!) and studied in Glasgow, (quote from same article) adds additional ammunition confirming my theory that the Scots-Irish roots of Samuel Finley are essential to why I think he was the Architect of the American revolution.

'Dr. John McMillan and the Finleys established more than a dozen colleges in the west and south. It has been the boast of Ulstermen that the first general who fell in the revolution was an Ulsterman, Richard Montgomery, who fought at the siege of Quebec; and that Samuel Finley, president of Princeton College, and Francis Allison, had a conspicuous place in educating the American mind to independence.'

Francis Allison 'was at the center of much of the Old Side – New Side Controversy in the early Presbyterian Church' condemning the Great Awakening with the pamphlet Querists attacking George Whitefield. Samuel Finley, allthough from 1744 to 1761 pastor of the 'New Side' of the West Nottingham Presbyterian Church where Gilbert Tennent had preached his famous 'Nottingham Sermon', 'became the thoughtleader that brought the two sides back together.

Samuel Finley, Architect of The American Revolution

2013-05-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

When Michael Finley arrived in Maryland (son of 1658 Glasgow University graduate Robert Finley who had sold his lands to his cousin Thomas Finley before leaving for Ireland) around 1730 (border dispute between Penn and Lord Baltimore created a window of opportunity for poor settlers) little did he know his son Samuel Finley would become one of the architects of the American revolution. 200,000 Scotch-Irish migrated to the Americas between 1717 and 1775. They had been invited by Cotton Mather and other leaders to come over to secure the frontier. Without much cash, they moved to free lands on the frontier, becoming the typical western "squatters", the frontier guard of the colony, and what the historian Frederick Jackson Turner described as

"the cutting-edge of the frontier."

Samuel Finley most likely graduated from the Log College in Warminster, Bucks County Pennsylvania. This first Presbyterian Theological Seminary in America was founded by William Tennent and his son Gilbert Tennent (born in Armagh Ireland like Samuel Finley), and operated from 1726 or 1727 until William Tennent's death in 1746. The educational influence of the Log College was of importance since many of its graduates (about 18-20?) founded schools along the frontier.

In 1743 Finley was assigned by the New Brunswick Presbytery to the newly formed (January 1742) Presbyterian congregation at Milford, Connecticut. This congregation was started when 39 Scotch-Irish people applied under the Toleration Act as Presbyterians under the Church of Scotland. The larger community of Connecticut may have tolerated this new church, but actions indicate they did not foster and encourage it. In May 1742 the Presbyterians were denied erecting their church on the commons. In November 1742, with the aid of a court order, they built their first church nearby on donated land. Their first five ministers were harassed with fines, imprisonment, and threats of being apprehended as early as January 1742. Finley preached in Milford on August 25, and in New Haven, Connecticut on September 1, 1743. For this, he was prosecuted and condemned. Governor Jonathan Law ordered him "transported as a vagrant" from the Connecticut colony. Charles Augustus Hanna writes about this episode:

'this harsh treatment, so contrary to the British Constitution, sowed seeds of revolution'

Samuel Finley went on to found the West Nottingham Academy in Cecil County Maryland and married Sarah Hall september 1744.

Benjamin Rush, one of the founding fathers of the United States, was born 1746 to Sarah Hall's sister Susan. Benjamin Rush received his education at West Nottingham Academy from age 6 or 8. Another signer of the Declaration of Independence, Richard Stockton, studied under Finley at West Nottingham Academy as well. Stockton's daughter, Julia, subsequently married Benjamin Rush.

In 1747 Samuel Finley became a founding trustee of Princeton.

From 1754 to 1760 raged the French and Indian war. This war was fought primarily along the frontiers separating New France from the British colonies from Virginia to Nova Scotia. The Scotch-Presbyterians were living precisely on this frontier. This war had an incredible impact on the content of the sermons during this time. In the book Sacred Scripture, Sacred War: The Bible and the American Revolution James P. Byrd quotes from Samuel Finley's sermon from 1757 on the Song of Deborah:

'they who expect divine knowledge without studying Scripture; the Holy Spirit, without Prayer; saving blessings, without attending on gospel ordinances; or Deliverance from temporal enemies, without Fighting against them, discover their deep Ignorance of Scripture, of Reason, and the Whole scheme of divine government'

The College of New Jersey moved to Princeton New Jersey in 1756, in 1760 Benjamin Rush received his Bachelor of Arts degree there. In 1761 Samuel Finley became President of this College. In 1763 Finley received a honorary doctorat at the University of Glasgow. In the meantime, as Charles Hanna notes, Scotch-Irish immigrants had spread across all 13 original colonies.

Benjamin Rush sat by him when Samuel Finley bade farewell to his daughter and son-in-law:

"He will suport you when all eartly friends are removed," he said. "He has long been my Friend and Guardian and has preserved me from a thousand dangers and temptations" Seek, seek, then, my dear children, an interest in His favor, and among other motives to engage you in this work, remember it was the last dying advice of your father"

The infrastructure of the American revolution was ready to be stirred into action.

Rwanda, A Country of Fear & Hatred

2013-05-14T00:07:00.001-07:00

Chris McGreal wrote yesterday that the government of Rwanda,

'led by the former rebel leader, Paul Kagame, who put a stop to the genocide, seeks to construct a new Rwanda where the ideology of hatred is buried with the corpses of its victims.'

Timothy Longman says something else:

'One of the truths in the Rwandan genocide was that most people didn’t kill out of hate—they killed out of fear.'

It's clear from Chris McGreal's article that Paul Kagame is everywhere in Rwanda's society, on the wall, on the radio, 'as a saviour and protector'. The Government as mediator of 'reconcialition' and provider of a new 'identity'.

Madalena who has two portraits of Kagame on her living room wall claims:

"Kagame can't go to every house teaching people how to reconcile. He speaks on the radio and some people listen but he cannot go house to house making people understand. Those who killed don't regret what they did. If they get the means, they could do it again."

Evil is not something you find only in 'the other', you will find it also in yourself. This is true in general, it's true also in Rwanda. The danger of genocide doesn't just come from Hutus, it comes from Tutsis as well. This is not just some theoretical truth, the genocide in Burundi and the mapping report confirm this.

The narrative of Paul Kagame as the inevitable saviour is dangerous nonsense. The comment by Madalena illustrates how dangerous the RPF regime really is.

Is Boston Bomb Prosecutor Aloke Chakravarty Capable?

2013-05-08T13:35:00.002-07:00

The case against Boston Bomb suspects is prosecuted by the assistant US attorneys William Weinreb and Aloke Chakravarty from the Anti-Terrorism and National Security Unit of the US Attorney's Office for District of Massachusetts.

Last month David Voreacos portrayed Aloke Chakravarty as a guy who seeks dialogue. His colleagues, offcourse, had nothing but praise for Chakravarty. Kurt Schwartz, the Massachusetts undersecretary of homeland security and emergency management, claims, for example, 'Al(Aloke Chakravarty) is a talented guy, he’s a committed guy'.

However, if we want to judge wether Aloke Chakravarty is qualified and capable of 'seeking dialogue' as the title of David Voreacos article claims, we should study Chakravarty's involvement and role in the ongoing case against Beatrice Munyenyezi. A controversial case that could deeply damage the reputation of both prosecutors involved.

From the start the risk of Rwanda's anti-democratic revolutionary regime (rigged elections in 2010, massive scale massacres across the great lakes region (mapping report), direct support of terrorism in the Democratic Republic of Congo today), 'bussing in' false witnesses was real. Capin and Chakravarty knew that this had happened in the case against Kobagaya.

Both Aloke Chakravarty and John Capin knew that most of the witnesses from Rwanda in the first trial were unreliable liars. Munyenyezi's defense had demonstrated it. But instead of ending their case there and then, they decided to leave the first slate of false witnesses in Rwanda and get a new bus-load of false witnesses against Beatrice Munyenyezi for a retrial. Cynical and a direct attack on the rule of Law in the United States of America and the rights of every US citizen.

The editorial of the Concord Monitor, february 28th 2013 was crystal clear:

'We are not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Manchester resident Beatrice Munyenyezi received justice.'

'the appeal is a long shot, but it’s one for justice’s sake we hope Munyenyezi wins. Unlike the jurors, we’re not convinced the prosecutors made their case.'

In the editorial the Concord Monitor asks several fundamental questions which Aloke Chakravarty and his colleague John Capin have been unable and unwilling to answer during the years long proceedings against Beatrice Munyenyezi:

'Munyenyezi’s first trial ended in a hung jury because the charges against her were almost comically horrific – shooting a nun in the head as a cheering crowd watched – and the witnesses unbelievable. They included inmates freed in order to come to the United States who, her defense attorneys argued, could have their sentences reduced in exchange for favorable testimony.

That the prosecutors would go to court with such a slate of charges and cast of characters in itself raises questions. That they would return with drastically reduced allegations of Munyenyezi’s actions and an entirely new cast of Rwandan witnesses raises more questions still. Atop those is the big mystery. Munenyezi’s husband and mother-in-law, a Cabinet member, were prominent party officials convicted by an international tribunal of playing an active role in the genocide. If Munyenyezi played a role herself, why, during proceedings and investigations spanning some 16 years, did her name not come up? Why were no charges filed against her?

Last week, Rwanda’s ambassador to the United States immediately issued a farcical call for Munyenyezi’s summary extradition to Rwanda. Doing so would violate her rights under U.S. law and, since she has never been charged with a crime under Rwandan law, she can’t be extradited. It also suggests that politics played a role in the trial’s outcome.'

Aloke Chakravarty has not demonstrated that he is capable of dealing with the highly politicized Munyenyezi case in a satisfactory manner. He has ignored legitimate questions that I and many others have asked over and over in the case against Beatrice Munyenyezi. Aloke Chakravarty was unwilling or incapable of learning from the mistakes made in the case against Kobagaya. He has not delivered justice and failed the United States and it's citizens.

It's very worrying to see such an individual, who is clearly unqualified, directly involved in the prosecution of the Boston bomb case.

Jonathan Edwards' Approach to Preaching & Union with Christ

2013-05-07T14:14:00.002-07:00

Anthea McCall, Ridley faculty member in Melbourn, has done an amazing job explaining Jonathan Edwards and the Great Awakening to us. She focuses on Edwards' preaching style/method and content and the centrality of the Union with Christ in it. Two quotes, the first on his approach to preaching, which immediately reminds me of Samuel Davies sermons:

'Edwards'formulation of justification did not depend on the many set steps to salvation practiced by traditional Puritan Preparationists. Nor did it depend on any status or education or human virtue as was implicit or even explicit in the Enligtenment or Arminian gospel. Edwards' preaching on justification by faith alone opened the door wide and people came flooding through it to Christ. Wheeler argues that for Edwards, his gospel of equality, and his doctrine of original sin put all on the same level and encourages mutual compassion.

Secondly, Edwards argued also for the 'easy and plain' manner in which he preached these sermons. He suggests that it was the 'frame in which they heard the sermons' which had impact on his hearers. Edwards appears to be commending direct, plain speech in contrast to the preaching style of Arminian sermons which Edwards descried as 'too much encumbered with speculative niceties.. they have a show of learning in obscure words, but convey no light to the mind' Edwards appears to advocate that an unpretentious, plain, direct style will promote the content and meaning of justification.'

The second quote on union with Christ:

'So union with Christ plays a vital role in Edwards' attempt to preach the Bible accurately as well as resolving the debates concerning causation between faith, justification and obedience. It is our union with Christ, which provides the right foundation of both our justification and our sanctification. To the Arminian it makes clear that no ground exists for human boasting before God, and to the Antinomian it makes clear that obedience is an absolute necessity. Edwards' well known quote sums up his argument well:

God don't give those that believe, an union with, or an interest in the Savior, in reward for faith, but only because faith is the soul's active uniting with Christ, or is itself the very act of unition, on their part.. what is real in the union between Christ and his people, is the foundation of what is legal; that is, it is something really in them, and between them, uniting them, that is the ground of the suitableness of their being accounted as one by the Judge..'

Sofar one of the best articles on Jonathan Edwards available online.

Jonathan Belcher, Calvinist Strategist Of American Independence

2013-05-05T06:42:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Belcher, who suggested the name 'Nassau Hall', was a Calvinist congregationalist:

'While it (Nassau Hall) was still under construction, the place came perilously close to being named Belcher Hall. In 1747, Jonathan Belcher, a devout Massachusetts Congregationalist, was chosen royal governor of New Jersey, and he immediately made a pet project of supporting the fledgling College of New Jersey, then located in Elizabeth. Belcher was shocked at the degraded spiritual condition of Harvard and Yale - where, he said, he had reason to believe that "Arminianism, Arianism and even Socinianism, in destruction of the doctrines of free grace are daily propagated" - and he saw the New Jersey seminary as a potential bulwark of the Lord. Seven years later, when work began on the college's new building in Princeton, the trustees tried to honor the governor for his support by naming it after him. ("And when your Excellency is translated into a house not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens," the trustees entreated him, "let Belcher Hall proclaim your beneficent acts.") Belcher graciously declined, and suggested instead the name Nassau Hall, dedicated "to the immortal memory of the glorious King William III, who was a branch of the illustrious house of Nassau." Thus, thanks to Belcher's modesty, began the tradition that in later decades would lead to the composing of "Old Nassau" - imagine a school song entitled "Old Belcher" - as well as to the adoption of orange and black as Princeton's official colors.'

He served simultaneously for over a decade as colonial governor of the British colonies of New Hampshire (1729–1741) and Massachusetts (1730–1741) and later for ten years as governor of New Jersey (1747–1757). Born into a wealthy Massachusetts merchant family, Belcher attended Harvard College and then entered into the family business and local politics. He was instrumental in promoting Samuel Shute as governor of Massachusetts in 1715.

Paradoxically, as governor of Massachusets and New Hampshire, "by trying to keep on good terms with the province and the administration" he lost the respect of both colonial politicians and the colonial administration in London.

It was his tax exemption for Quakers in Massachusets that brought him a potent support base in that community in London. When he lost the Governorship of Massachusets and New Hampshire he went to London for three or four years:

'When he arrived in London he joined the social circles of the Congregationalist and Quaker communities (the latter including among its influential members his brother-in-law Richard Partridge), and called on colonial administrators in the hopes of acquiring a new posting.^[84] There he remained for three years, until in 1746 word arrived that the governor of New Jersey, Lewis Morris, had died. Since New Jersey had a strong Quaker political establishment, Belcher immediately began mobilizing supporters in the London Quaker community to assist in securing the post. Due to this alacrity he was able to get the posting before agents for Morris' son Robert Hunter Morris had time to organize their effort.'

New Jersey was also a rural patchwork quilt of different cultures and religions, unlike predominantly English and Congregationalist New England:

'Elizabethtown, near New York, was heavily populated by evangelical Christians, among them Reverend Aaron Burr, and Belcher found himself welcome there.^[90] He regularly attended services there, and was particularly influenced by preachers including George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards, leaders of the Great Awakening with whom he corresponded '

Jonathan Edwards was married to Sarah Pierpont, daughter of congregationalist and Yale founder James Pierpont. An observation that might shed some light on what the Princeton project was about:

'These observations reflected a topic of common interest that Jonathan Edwards and his friend, Governor Jonathan Belcher (1682-1757) had at that time: refuting the tenets of religious secularism, which held to a shallow, impersonal view of the "Great Architect of the Universe" (a view then known as deism or natural religion).'

'The Unitarian controversy' has some background on this too. Ian Frederick Finseth makes some great observations on the history of the 18th century, Calvinism and the great awakening:

'THE EMERGENCE OFthe Transcendentalists as an identifiable movement took place during the late 1820s and 1830s, but the roots of their religious philosophy extended much farther back into American religious history. Transcendentalism and evangelical Protestantism followed separate evolutionary branches from American Puritanism, taking as their common ancestor the Calvinism of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.'

Princeton, The training Ground Of The New Lights

2013-05-04T02:04:00.000-07:00

Murray N. Rothbart writes in his book 'Conceived in Liberty':

'During this period (second half of 18th century), many of the New Light ministers, under pressure of establishment persecution in several colonies, began to move towards a libertarian position. Elisha Williams was a New Light. The Reverend Samuel Davies, leader of the Southern New Side Presbyterians, declared in 1751 that people had a "legal as well as natural right to follow their own judgment," and to gauge governmental authority against the great principles of natural justice. Davies' focus, of course, was on religious aspects of liberty. Princeton, the training ground of the New Lights, soon developed as a libertarian center.'

In A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God (1737), Jonathan Edwards, Princeton's third president, describes his congregants vivid experiences with grace as causing a "new light" in their perspective on sin and atonement.

When John Witherspoon arrived in Princeton August 1768 every window in the multipurpose college building, Nassau Hall, was illuminated by candle. A not so subtle reference to this new light?

Samuel Davies' sermons and work are a rich source for understanding the direct link between The New Lights and (Calvinist) political engagement.

Samuel Davies' sermon An Enrollment of Our Names in Heaven—the Noblest Source of Joy (January 14, 1759) demonstrates once again the centrality of our missionary citizenship in Calvinism and Calvinist political engagement.

B.J. Gorrell did a sermon on Samuel Davies and the reunion of 1758. Interesting reflections.

Gilbert Tennent & The Reunited Synod of New York & Philadelphia

2013-05-02T23:44:00.000-07:00

L. Gordon Tait writes in his biography of John Witherspoon:

'When John Witherspoon arrived in Princeton August 1768 every window in the multipurpose college building, Nassau Hall, was illuminated by candle, the closest the college could come to son et lumière.'

'John Witherspoon' was more then just the accidental genius, his arrival symbolized Princeton's aim for thoughtleadership in colonial America.

The life of Gilbert Tennent, the son of Log College (precursor of Princeton College) founder William Tennent, shows the ideological tensions among Presbyterians during the Great Awakening. It's not hard to grasp how the reunited Synod of New York & Philadelphia in 1758 was a major event in Presbyterian and American history. It resolved the tensions between the two factions (allthough the factions of the Old Side and New Side did not die down).

It explains why Richard Stockton and Benjamin Rush, as Samuel Finley's messengers(?), wanted to have John Witherspoon as successor at Princeton in 1766. John Witherspoon was the ideal figure to maintain momentum created by the 1758 Synod.

But before John Witherspoon arrived, Princeton's incredible thoughtleadership in the Old- and New Side controversy emerges. Nominating Samuel Davies as Princeton's President in 1559 gives us an idea of the Calvinist approach Princeton aimed for:

'As the first non-Anglican minister licensed to preach in Virginia, Samuel Davies advanced the cause of religious and civil liberty in colonial Virginia. Davies' strong religious convictions led him to value the "freeborn mind" and the inalienable "liberty of conscience" that the established Anglican Church in Virginia often failed to respect in the days before independence.'

And to grasp the direct link between 'John Witherspoon's' common sense and the perspicuitas of Scripture we would do well to take into account this aspect of his work:

'A unique aspect of Davies's religious work among the slave population was his attempts at teaching them to read. Differing from Baptist and Methodist evangelists, who based conversion solely on an outpouring of the spirit, Davies believed that no one, regardless of race or social status, can have true religion without both hearing and reading the Word of God'

During a fundraising trip to Great Britain, together with Gilbert Tennent, Samuel Davies preached 60 times, the grandson of Oliver Cromwell gave three guineas to support Princeton. Thomas Talbot Ellis writes:

'Davies' fame as a preacher was so great in London that news reached King George II that a dissenting minister from the colony of Virginia was attracting notice and drawing very crowded audiences. When the king expressed a strong desire to hear him, his chaplain invited Davies to preach in the royal chapel. He is said to have complied and preached before the royal family and many of the nobility. As Davies was preaching, the king was seen speaking at different times to those around him. While the king was speaking, Mr Davies paused and became silent. He then looked in the direction of the king and is said to have exclaimed, 'When the lion roars, the beasts of the forest all tremble; and when King Jesus speaks, the princes of the earth should keep silence'.'

Sermons by Samuel Davies can be found here.

It's clear why Princeton's trustees (Richard Stockton, maybe even Samuel Finley?) wanted John Witherspoon as President: to firmly establish Princeton's thoughtleadership & to solve, through this, the Old Side - New Side Controversy. And he delivered just that:

'Throughout the colonial period, there was no unified Presbyterian Church throughout the American colonies. (This would not be accomplished until 1789 when John Witherspoon successfully organized American Presbyterians into the new Presbyterian Church in the United States of America.'

Gilbert Tennent was named after his mother Catherine Kennedy's father (See also Log College by Archibald Alexander). Gilbert Kennedy had been a distinguished Presbyterian preacher, who having suffered persecution in his own country, exercised his ministry in Holland with great success (A. A.). Kennedy had apparently translated Jonathan Edward's 'Narrative' into the Dutch language. Archibald Alexander argues:

'it is exceedingly probably that from Gilbert Kennedy, Mr. Tennent imbibed his love of the Presbyterian system.'

Why John Witherspoon promoted Common Sense

2013-05-01T15:17:00.002-07:00

Sophie Rosenfeld is quoted concerning Thomas Paine's use of Scottish Common Sense Realism arguing:

'He used two ideas from Scottish Common Sense Realism: that ordinary people can indeed make sound judgments on major political issues, and that there exists a body of popular wisdom that is readily apparent to anyone'

The Calvinist flavor of this statement is obvious. John Witherspoon's background gives even more information on the nature of this link. Varnum Lansing Collins writes in the introduction to the 1912 re-publishing of Witherspoon's lectures on Moral Philosophy:

'The Scottish Church at this period was in the midst of a struggle between two parties known as the Moderate and the Popular. Moderatism voiced the new spirit of the age, the new element of liberalism permeating the Church.It was, moreover, as Scottish historians have pointed out, an ecclesiastical policy whose chief feature was the absolute enforcement of the artistocratic law of patronage, whereby in practical disregard of parishioners concerned, church livings were at the disposal of patrons. The Popular party, on the other hand, was the conservative and strictly orthodox party. It earnestly combatted the decline of personal religion and the relaxation of the old standards of faith and conduct, which it claimed were results of the rising tide of liberalism; and it opposed strenuously the undemocratic features of the patronage law. With this party Mr. Witherspoon identified himself, and speedily became its leading champion. All of his early publications owe their inception to this truggle, his anonymous 'Ecclesiastical Characteristics' (1753), a biting satire on the Moderates, being the best known and passing through several editions,....'

This statement reminds us immediately of Dutch Calvinism , the emphasis on the perspicuitas of scripture in Calvinist theology. and the definition of freedom in Calvinism.

Sofar the relationship between the perspicuitas of the scriptures and common sense seem to have been ignored or implicitly denied by those studying this topic. Astonishing. John Rattray McIntosh writes in the introduction to his dissertation on this neglected topic:

'The Popular party in the eighteenth century Church of Scotland has received little attention from historians and there has never been a comprehensive analysis of its nature and ideology.'

He writes in the summary:

'The Popular party in the Church of Scotland between 1740 and 1800 emerges as a doctrinally complex party, including within its membership the full range of doctrinal opinion from Moderatism to traditional orthodoxy. The most influential section within the party, however, was an evangelical grouping which combined doctrinal orthodoxy with an Enlightened learning.'

Benjamin Rush (nephew of Samuel Finley, Princeton's President until 1766, who convinced John Witherspoon to accept the presidency of Princeton after Finley's death in 1766) exclaimed in 1768 of Witherspoon that 'he exceeds any Preacher I have heard since I came to Scotland.' What impressed Rush more than Witherspoon's delivery was the sermonic content: 'His Appearance in the Pupit is Solemn and graceful. His Sermons are loaded with good Sense, and adorned at ye same time with all the Elegance and Beauty that Language can give them.... After hearing additional sermons, Rush commented that 'there was nothing in Dr. Witherspoon's sermons to recommend them but their uncommon good sense and simplicity"

L. Gordon Tait adds his own, interesting, observations based on some of Witherspoon's sermons:

'One more careful review of his Scotish sermons does disclose an important development in his thinking and preaching. In several of those sermons he gave notice that he was beginning to think in terms of his later common sense philosophy. These early suggestions of a philosophy are rare and tetative. It was noted earlier that Witherspoon rejected allegory and accepted statements in the Bible in a straightforward manner. What a close reading of his sermons reveals is an unformed interest in reason and experience in the process of interpreting the Bible. Direct appeals to scripture are the norm, but on several occasoins he summons Bible and reason, or Bible and experience. Here are some exampels of 'Bible and reason':

Justification is agreeable to scripture and sound reason.

Reason, as well as scripture, teacheth us, that in all acts of worship, the sincerity of the heart makes the chief ingredient.

Placing ourselves in God's hands is the doctrine of scripture, but also agreeable to reason and good sense.

This is the dictate both of scripture and reason, to whomsoever much is given, of them much will be required.'

It was on his (Benjamin Rush) urging that Thomas Paine wrote a strong tract on behalf of complete American independence to which he gave the title, suggested by Rush, Common Sense.

Obama to protect "U.S. interests" in Africa

2013-04-22T15:16:00.001-07:00

A transcript of this KPFA Radio News broadcast is available at the San Francisco Bay View, http://sfbayview.com/2013/cynthia-mckinney-on-obama-africa-and-fake-change/.