HIST 701 Week 3 - Presbyterian Pastor in Prison!
When one considers the political and religious landscape today, it is not uncommon to find Christians on all sides of the sociopolitical spectrum. Despite the religious freedoms enjoyed by modern Americans, such freedom was not always so; and even Christians did not always find themselves on the “right side of the law.” One only has to consider the persecution and imprisonment of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement to realize that being a “law abiding citizen” and standing firm for one’s beliefs are not always one & the same. However, this was not just an issue in the 20 th or 21 st Centuries. In fact, even before the founding of the American nation, the “father of American Presbyterianism,” Francis Makemie, was imprisoned for preaching the gospel—much like the apostle Paul! History is not as far removed as one might think! Who was Francis Makemie? He was considered one of the founders of American Presbyterianism, and one of...