"P" is for Presbyterians

"P" is for Presbyterians. Presbyterianism is a movement within Christianity that traces its distinctive character to the Swiss Reformation and in particular to the theological and social thought of John Calvin. Presbyterianism in South Carolina presents a complex interaction of this distinctive religious tradition with the social and cultural lives of the state over centuries. By the time of the Revolution, the Presbyterian Church was the largest denomination in the colony.  While losing its numerical leadership to Methodists and Baptists, the denomination grew rapidly after the war. From 1865 to 1945 Presbyterianism n South Carolina was marked by significant social cohesion and theological conservatism. In 1983, a union of the “Northern” United Presbyterian Church and the “Southern” Presbyterian Church in the U.S. brought together into the Presbyterian Church (USA), the great majority of Presbyterians in the state.