“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not tangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1)
Unashamed of Protestantism
Recently, I had a conversation with a Christian who refused to identify as a Protestant. In one sense, I could understand her position, as her view of Protestantism was shaped largely by the sectarian and political tensions associated with Northern Ireland. I explained, however, that this reflects a misunderstanding—not only on her part, but one shared by many who identify culturally as Protestant within Loyalism. Such confusion, though widespread, does not justify abandoning the term altogether. Rather, it calls us to recover its true meaning. Properly understood, Protestantism and Christianity are not in opposition but are mutually inclusive. It is for this reason that we must not be ashamed of the name Protestant.
While we write from within the Presbyterian tradition, we contend that Protestantism is not merely a denominational identity, but the re-emergence of New Testament Christianity itself.
What is Protestantism?
The Free Presbyterian Church has always emphasised its Protestant nature in identity and ministry. It is important that we pause and ponder exactly what Protestantism is because it has been both misunderstood and misrepresented by its friends and critics.
Protestantism is not a culture. While a culture has developed out of Protestantism, it is infinitely deeper than a culture. Protestantism is not a nationality or a political ideology. There are sound reasons why Protestantism in Ulster embraces the United Kingdom but it runs deeper than Unionism. Protestantism is not an organisation. There are Protestant organisations which do good work but Protestantism itself cannot be organised. Protestantism is not even a church because it exists across a large swathe of spiritual bodies.
J.A. Wylie in introducing his magnificent work detailing the development of Protestantism captured its spirit perfectly:
“It is true, no doubt, that Protestantism, strictly viewed, is simply a principle. It is not a policy. It is not an empire, having its fleets and armies, its officers and tribunals, wherewith to extend its dominion and make its authority be obeyed. It is not even a Church with its hierarchies, and synods and edicts; it is simply a principle. But it is the greatest of all principles. It is a creative power. Its plastic influence is all-embracing. It penetrates into the heart and renews the individual. It goes down to the depths and, by its omnipotent but noiseless energy, vivifies and regenerates society. It thus becomes the creator of all that is true, and lovely, and great; the founder of free kingdoms, and the mother of pure churches. The globe itself it claims as a stage not too wide for the manifestation of its beneficent action; and the whole domain of terrestrial affairs it deems a sphere not too vast to fill with its spirit, and rule by its law.”[1]
Protestantism rightly understood is a principle. It is a principle which works out from the heart, which has influenced the doctrines of Churches, and which has transformed the course of nations. It is ultimately a principle which has transformed lives and changed the world. In this chapter we will identify the key aspects of what has been the most revolutionary principle in the history of the world since the emergence of New Testament Christianity.
The Religion of the Bible
In 1637 the English Protestant apologist William Chillingworth coined this phrase which has become very famous:
“The Bible, I say the Bible only is the religion of Protestants.”[2]
At its very heart, the kernel and the core of Protestantism is the Word of God. Where Rome depends upon the traditions of the Church, the writings of the Fathers, the dogmas of the Papacy – the Protestant takes the plainness of Scripture as his sole authority. We do this on the authority of God himself.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”[3].
All scripture from Genesis to Revelation is inspired and as such is the very breath of God. Therefore, our Lord Himself in His retort to Satan said:
“It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”[4]
All that we need about God and mankind is found in Scripture. We dare not subtract or add to its sacred contents. The Scriptures alone enable us to regulate family life, they are the basis upon which a successful society can be established. The doctrine of the Church and the preaching from the pulpit must be Bible based or Ichabod must be written across the door, “the glory has departed”.
The Restoration of Christianity
In 1517 we commemorated the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Roman Catholicism argues that this betrays the weakness of Protestantism. She insists that Protestantism is something new; a rather novel movement that has separated Christians away from the true body of Christ. They claim to be the true Church because they alone can claim apostolic succession.
This is a serious charge which we must respond to. If Roman Catholicism is correct; if Protestantism is something new, then there ought to be a return to Rome. The breaches in the Church opened up at the Reformation more than 500 years ago need to be restored. This is the premise behind ecumenism. The Pope, as one who claims to be the successor of Peter and the sole representative of Christ on earth, believes that he has authority over every professing follower of Christ – Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox. Therefore, he sees it as his duty to promote unity among the Churches. But it is a unity aimed at restoring his headship over all every fellowship which claims to be Christian. This is the true purpose of ecumenism.
But – is Protestantism really a new idea? Is the Roman Church the true Church? Is the Pope the successor of Peter and the vicar of Christ on earth?
We must get back to the Bible to find an answer. If the Bible is at the heart of true religion, why did the Church take the Bible away from the people?
What happened more than 500 years ago was not an innovation, it was a Reformation. To reform is not to fashion something new, it is to reshape and improve something old. The primary drive of the Protestant Reformers was to give the people back the Bible. The Church believed that the common people could not be trusted with Scripture. They were right to be afraid. When the ordinary people read the Scriptures they discovered that the Church had departed from the faith; that Popes and Priests, that masses and confessions, that penances and rosaries were not found in Scripture. It was not what the Priest, the Bishop, the Archbishop, the Cardinal or even what the Pope said which counted. It was what the Bible said. Protestantism restored Christianity to its roots by giving the people back the Bible.
Let us remember that the struggle to restore the Scriptures to the people was a battle, it was one of the greatest battles ever fought. The Bible is stained with blood. The first man to translate the Bible into English from the original languages was William Tyndale. He was forced to leave England. He lived and worked as an outlaw in Europe sending his precious contraband to his homeland. The church bought up his bibles, burned them in London, but this only gave him money to print more. Eventually he was captured in Belgium, strangled at a stake and burned to death. He sacrificed his life in order that we might have the Bible in the English language.
Protestantism restored Christianity to the true religion and faith of the apostles. This faith can be traced through the ages. Martin Luther was not the first man to preach these doctrines. We find them in the preaching of Jan Huss, the Czech priest, in John Wycliffe, the English scholar, in Peter Waldo of Lyons, the founder of the Waldensians, in the ministry of Augustine of Hippo, the Fourth Century Church Father who influenced the later ministry of John Calvin, and in Patrick of Ireland whose ministry was Bible based and who was more like the later Protestants, who were yet 1,000 years in the future, than the movement that we recognise as the Church of Rome.
I have no difficulty in charging the Church of Rome with being an imposter into Christianity. That true Christianity is discovered only within the Protestant Reformation.
Therefore rather than being a break within Christianity – Protestantism is a recovery of Christian truth. The Reformation recovered individual access to God through Christ without the mediation of the Pope and his Priests. The Scriptures were recovered and accorded their central place in the life of the Church. Vitally – Justification by faith alone in Christ alone was recovered as the heart of the gospel. The five solas of the Reformation define how much was lost during the dark ages and the light which brought these precious truths back:
Sola Scriptura (Scriptures Alone). The Church and the individual believer are to be governed by the principles and truth of Scriptures. The writing of men must be subservient to the Bible; they are never its equal.
Sola Gratia (Grace Alone). Salvation is not earned through human merit. It is the gift of God.
Sola Fide (Faith Alone). Receiving grace comes through faith. Faith is not a work but is rather trusting the One who has accomplished the work. Jesus Christ said “It is finished” – the work was completed.
Solus Christus (Christ Alone). At the heart of the Gospel is Christ. He is our only Mediator who as God and man intercedes – our Prophet, Priest and King.
Sola Dei Gloria (the Glory of God Alone). All that God does is for His glory, His honour. Of Him, through Him and to Him are all things.
The Grace of the Gospel
The message that lies at the heart of Protestantism is the Gospel truth found in the Bible.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”[5]
Martin Luther, the German monk, was searching for peace. He did not have peace with God. He was as faithful and as devoted to the church as he could be but still he was plagued with his sin. It was only when he discovered the Bible and especially the writings of Saint Paul that peace flooded his heart and he was born again. The truth that changed him and which lay at the heart of the Reformation was justification through faith in Christ in alone.
He was troubled by his guilt. Then he learned that Christ became guilty of our sin, in order that we might be justified, made righteous before God. He described it as the great exchange; Christ took our sin that we might have His righteousness. And this righteousness is not earned through our good works – it is received by faith in Christ alone.
This is the Gospel. If a minister does not preach justification by faith in Christ alone, the Gospel is not presented.
The Mother of Freedom
Protestantism is a movement which recognised the value of the individual in the sight of God. Luther developed a doctrine from Scripture called the priesthood of all believers. The Reformers would emphasise the importance of the congregation of assembled people gathered for worship as opposed to the authority of an external structure known as the Church.
This was revolutionary. For centuries Europe was dominated by a Church which lorded over the people and they were expected to slavishly follow every edict from above without questions. This characteristic permeated the state as well as the Church. The kings of Europe believed that they had a divine right to govern their nations as God, just as the Pope governed the Church as God. It is always dangerous when people act and rule as if they are God almighty. The last king of England who believed in this foolish and dangerous notion was James 2nd. It has been said the Prince of Orange commented that the doctrine of the divine right of kings was buried where it belongs – in the bottom of the Boyne.
When William III and Mary took the throne in 1688 Parliament passed the Bill of Rights, which is the first human rights document of the modern era. It guaranteed rule by Parliament which is rule by the people and for the people. Without Protestantism the peoples of the free world would not enjoy democracy. Protestantism has been to forefront of many great struggles for freedom in world history, from the freeing of the African peoples from slavery to arguing for better conditions for the poor in Victorian England.
Protestants were the original liberals in world history. Liberalism is about equality based on love, a core Christian value. But Satan has taken a good word and twisted it today into meaning anarchy and rebellion. Liberty which takes out the parameters of scripture is rebellion against God and this is what we are seeing today.
The so-called liberals of today are abusing the liberty given to them, because of Protestantism, as an excuse for living as they please. While we resist this trend, we do right to emphasise the Protestant principle of freedom which has brought innumerable benefits to the peoples of the world.
The Creator of Industry
In 1904 Max Weber coined the phrase “Protestant Work Ethic”, when he argued that Protestantism marked the beginnings of capitalism. The Protestant Work Ethic is a studied and controversial concept; it is well known not only in theology and history but in sociology and in economics. It is seen as the engine behind the expansion of the British Empire, the remarkable skill and engineering of the Germans and especially of the place that the United States occupies as the wealthiest nation on earth.
Protestantism recognised the importance of the individual. The individual was taught that he was valued with amazing God given abilities. He had a responsibility to use those abilities and realise his full potential because the scriptures teach us to do all to the glory of God. Religion was not just about going to Church. Rather it was about serving God everyday – on the farm, in the workshop, and on the building site.
Most Protestants in Northern Ireland are plantation Protestants. When our ancestors arrived here 400 years ago Ulster was an impoverished economic wasteland. It had been decimated by years of rebellion against English rule. The plantation was a settlement plan aimed at creating a place of prosperity. Our ancestors came to Ulster draining bogs and clearing forests. They struggled with the constant fear of an uprising and there was one in 1641 when 100,000 Protestants were slaughtered. But here they remained. The land is their legacy.
While Christians may debate the advantages of Capitalism versus Socialism, and while both systems when taken to extremes are equally dangerous, all must agree that hard work, energy and commitment are the bedrock of success and will generate economic growth:
I am absolutely convinced that this great principle of Biblical Protestantism offers the best and only hope for ourselves as individuals, for our nation, and for the world.
The great Protestant nations have led the world into freedom and prosperity. Communism as a social and economic experiment has been largely discredited. Even China which continues to embrace the authoritarian communist political model has recognised that the capitalist economic model alone is the path to prosperity. China was influenced significantly by the economic models developed in historically Protestant nations, with their emphasis upon individual responsibility. The Islamist nations in the world are seed beds of oppression and intolerance and their evil ideology has brought carnage and destruction wherever it goes. Protestantism by contrast is seedbed of freedom for all.
To understand how Protestantism can change the world we must look beyond the results of the Reformation to the heart of the Reformation itself. Society can only be transformed when individuals are changed by the power the Gospel; this alone will impact families, churches and businesses.
The periods which brought about the greatest positive social change in our history, were times of Protestant and Gospel revival. The evangelical awakening in the Britain during the 18th Century prevented a French style violent revolution. The 1859 revival in Ulster saw 100,000 souls converted and brought numerous spiritual and social benefits. We should long for such an awakening in this uncertain age. Such a move of the Spirit of God alone will transform our nation and society today, bringing lasting transformation.[7]
Confessing Christians
The term Protestant was born of a desire to confess. In modern parlance there was a lifting up of the voice of Protestant against error. But the word denoted a willingness not merely to resist error but to advocate positively for truth to the point of death.
As a Church we are Protestant not only in terms of the truth we preach but in our practice. We are a confessing church, being bound together and held accountable to the Westminster Confession of Faith, which ministers and elders must sign at ordination.
Protestantism is not merely a protest against Rome, nor a tradition rooted in the 16th century. It is the reassertion of divine truth—the Word of God restored to its rightful place, the Gospel recovered in its purity, and the individual brought directly before God. Wherever these truths are found, there the spirit of Protestantism lives.
[1] The History of Protestantism, J.A. Wylie, Mourne Missionary Trust Edition, 1985 (first published in 1878).
[2] The Religion of Protestants, William Chillingworth, 1637.
[7] The following book is most helpful in researching this subject; Protestants, The Radicals Who Made the Modern World, Alex Ryrie, Harper Collins, 2017.
Clogher Valley Free Presbyterian Church 
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