American Presbyterians and WLC 142

[Reformed Covenanter]

I came across this article on the OPC's website, and noticed the following comment on revisions to the Westminster Standards:

When the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America was formed in 1788, it adopted the Westminster standards, as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures. However, it revised chapters 20.4, 23.3, and 31.2 of the Confession, basically removing the civil magistrate (i.e., the state) from involvement in ecclesiastical matters. It also removed the phrase "tolerating a false religion" from the list of sins forbidden in Answer 109 of the Larger Catechism, and replaced "depopulations" in Answer 142 with "depredation." [Emphasis added]

Chad Van Dixhoorn, in his recent book on the Westminster Confession, claims that this change was made owing to the fact that the Larger Catechism's condemnation of depopulations would condemn their treatment of the Native Americans. Is this assertion accurate? Does anyone here know of any books/articles that address this subject?

 

[NaphtaliPress]

I sent my copy of CVD off for a review; so I don't have him to see his statement. In 2003 I have a note from Peter J. Wallace saying the OPC rejected the change to depredation as never having been an official one. The only official 1788 change to the LC was dropping "tolerating a false religion" in 108. So if that is true it is difficult to presume to state a reason and I'm suspicious of reading our current sensibilities back to that time. See this explanation from 1907.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

I'll PM you with the background; since they are emails I don't want to presume permission to post publicly.

 

[RamistThomist]

I came across this article on the OPC's website, and noticed the following comment on revisions to the Westminster Standards:

When the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America was formed in 1788, it adopted the Westminster standards, as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures. However, it revised chapters 20.4, 23.3, and 31.2 of the Confession, basically removing the civil magistrate (i.e., the state) from involvement in ecclesiastical matters. It also removed the phrase "tolerating a false religion" from the list of sins forbidden in Answer 109 of the Larger Catechism, and replaced "depopulations" in Answer 142 with "depredation." [Emphasis added]

Chad Van Dixhoorn, in his recent book on the Westminster Confession, claims that this change was made owing to the fact that the Larger Catechism's condemnation of depopulations would condemn their treatment of the Native Americans. Is this assertion accurate? Does anyone here know of any books/articles that address this subject?

I'm trying to think of this historically. This was before Andy Jackson depopulated the Seminoles, so it can't really refer to that. True, the Roman communion basically enslaved the Indians, and such a historical factor would have given American Presbyterians ample ammo against Rome. The Indians wouldn't really have objected to the backwoods colonial tomahawk style warfare with the Pale Face, since the Indians had been doing that to each other (and other far more grisly acts) long before the Pale Face came to America.

 

[One Little Nail]

It also removed the phrase "tolerating a false religion" from the list of sins forbidden in Answer 109 of the Larger Catechism, and replaced "depopulations" in Answer 142 with "depredation." [Emphasis added]

I just checked my Westminster Seminary, California Christian Creeds & Reformed Confessions Ipad App and have noticed that they have the 2 changes in the Larger catechism, unfortunately. I take it that depopulations is the old term for genocide.

 

[MW]

An 1849 Committee for the Revision of the Standards under the General Assembly of the PCUSA explains the change to "depredation" as an inaccuracy. It notes the only constitutional change in the Larger Catechism related to "tolerating a false religion." Available here: Minutes - Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (New School) General Assembly - Google Books. Pp. 197-199.

 

[MW]

B. B. Warfield's article, The Printing of the Westminster Confession, mentions the change five times, and considers its restoration to "depopulations" as an American corruption. On p. 102 he intimated that he would not stop to inquire whether it was right or not to change back to the British term. Full text of "The Printing of the Westminster Confession". In a footnote on p. 78 he refers to the Life of Ashbel Green, which indicates the only proper change made to the Larger Catechism pertained to "tolerating a false religion."

 

[MW]

The following explanation is given in "The Presbyterian digest of 1898: a compend of the acts, decisions, and deliverances of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America 1706-1897," p. 19. https://archive.org/stream/presbyteriandige1898pres/presbyteriandige1898pres_djvu.txt.

(The word employed by the Westminster divines was " depopulations," and it was appropriately used in thickly settled Britain. In this country, however, which was sparsely settled, the word "depredation" appears in the Princeps, and, beyond doubt, was the term designed by the Synod. The change to "depopulations"' was made subsequent to the year 1842, doubtless to bring the Catechism into conformity with the original Westminster.)