Most of us grew up with a very specific image of our church history. We imagine a straight line of sturdy Scottish Covenanters marching out of the Highlands and across the Atlantic to plant the first Presbyterian churches in America. We think of bagpipes and tartans as the primary colors of our past. It is a relatable bit of pride to want a clear, heroic family tree. But as a pastor who stands on the Westminster Confession, I have learned that our history is often messier and more surprising than our tidy traditions suggest. In the fascinating collection of review articles titled Our Irish Presbyterian Heritage, the legendary Archibald Alexander and his son Joseph Addison Alexander pull back the curtain on a forgotten chapter of our story. They argue that if we want to find our “immediate mother,” we shouldn’t look to the hills of Scotland, but to the green fields of Northern Ireland.
Our Family Tree Has More Shamrocks Than Thistles
The most impactful takeaway from this work is the correction of our historical memory. We often represent our church as coming directly from the Church of Scotland. While that is remotely true, Archibald Alexander points out that the immediate origin of the Presbyterian system in the United States was the Presbyterian Church of Ireland. It was the ministers and people from Ulster who settled in the middle colonies—places like Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland—to lay the foundation for what would eventually become hundreds of presbyteries.
This matters because it changes how we see our identity. We didn’t arrive here as a formal mission project sent by a foreign power. Instead, several ordained ministers emigrated from Ireland and simply started doing the work. They were joined by some New Englanders, and together they built the house we live in today. Understanding that we are “Irish” in our immediate parentage helps us appreciate the grit and independence that have always been part of the American Presbyterian spirit.
“It is common to represent our church as having derived its origin from the Church of Scotland; and remotely this was the fact; but its immediate origin was from the Presbyterian church of Ireland, whence came most of the fathers who laid the foundation of that system.”
God Prefers Pursuing the Runaways
Another surprising insight from the Alexanders involves the character of the people who first settled in Northern Ireland. We like to think of our ancestors as a group of pious pilgrims seeking a holy land. However, the first colonists from Scotland were often “adventurers” or people fleeing debt and broken fortunes. They were described as an irreligious group who seemed to be running away from God rather than following Him.
This is a massive encouragement for any pastor or layperson who feels like their community is “too far gone.” The history of the Ulster church shows that God followed these people when they fled from Him. The mercy of God tracked down a group of debt-dodging adventurers and turned them into a community of vibrant faith. It reminds us that our church didn’t start with the “best and brightest,” but with those who were pursued by an unrelenting grace.
“Even the Scottish people, who flocked in great numbers to Down, Antrim, Londonderry, &c, are represented to have been an irreligious people, who seemed to engage in this enterprise rather to fly from God, than to follow their own mercy. But God followed them when they fled from Him.”
The Revival That Started with a Weak Link
Perhaps the most shocking part of the book is the account of the Great Revival in the 1620s. We usually expect revivals to start under the ministry of a theological giant. But this awakening began under the preaching of James Glendinning. He was not a solid or powerful man; in fact, the other ministers found him so “weak” that they advised him to leave the city and move to the country.
Yet, God used this “half-deranged” man to preach the terrors of the law to a careless people. Multitudes were seized with such a deep conviction of sin that they were found crying out for salvation. This shows that the Spirit of God is not limited by the “wisdom of man.” The work was so clearly divine because the instrument was so obviously fragile. It serves as a permanent wake-up call to any of us who think we have to be “perfect” before God can use us to change a heart.
“Here God made use of the ministry of this pious, but half-deranged man to begin a glorious work of grace; so that it was evident to all men that it was not by might, nor by power, nor by the wisdom of man, but by the Spirit of the Lord, that this awakening and reformation were produced.”
A Church That Found Its Form in the Army
Most people assume that church organization is a slow, quiet process that happens in committee rooms. But the actual birth of the first presbytery in Ireland was a military event. After a massive rebellion and massacre in 1641, Scottish troops were sent to occupy Ulster. These regiments didn’t just bring swords; they brought chaplains and kirk-sessions.
The very first Irish presbytery was formed in 1642 by these army chaplains. It is a wild thought to consider that a military invasion was the vehicle used to formally organize our mother church. Each regiment essentially became a local congregation with its own spiritual leadership. This part of our heritage teaches us that God can use even the “eater” to bring forth meat and the “strong” to bring forth sweetness. Our order and discipline were forged in a time of intense conflict and trial.
The Terrible Weight of the Black Oath
The book also reminds us of the high cost our ancestors paid for their convictions. Under the rule of men like Wentworth and Laud, Presbyterians were forced to take what was known as the “Black Oath.” This was a promise of unconditional obedience to the king in all matters. There was no room for “just” or “legal” commands; it was a demand for total submission of the conscience to the state.
The stories of families being ruined, dragged to prison, and chained in dungeons for refusing this oath are heartbreaking. It helps us understand why our forefathers were so protective of the “spiritual keys” of the church. They knew what it was like to have the government try to sit in the place of Christ. This history gives us a deep appreciation for the liberty we often take for granted and explains why our Confession of Faith is so careful about the limits of civil authority.
Why You Should Read This Book
You should read Our Irish Presbyterian Heritage because it will help you find your place in a story that is much bigger than your own local church. It is a necessary read for anyone who wants to see how God’s providence works through “unlikely” people and “strange” circumstances to protect His truth. Whether you are a pastor looking for historical depth or a layperson who wants to understand why we do what we do, the Alexanders provide a clear and insightful map of our family’s journey.
Reading this work will help you realize that you aren’t standing on a foundation built by human cleverness, but on a “tender vine” that God planted and protected through fire and storm. It turns our history from a dry list of dates into a living testimony of God’s faithfulness to every generation.
If our church heritage was built by debt-fleeing adventurers, organized by army chaplains, and revived through the preaching of the “weak,” what does that tell us about God’s plan for us today? The story of the Ulster church ensures that we keep looking to the Spirit rather than ourselves for our future strength.