Finis Ewing (July 10, 1773 – July 4, 1841) was the primary founder of the

Cumberland Presbyterian The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening.Matthew H. Gore, The History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Kentucky to 1988, (Memphis, Tennessee: Joint Heritage Committee, 2000). ...

Denomination on February 4, 1810.

Biography

Originally ordained by

Transylvania Presbytery Transylvania Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), as it was established in 1786 from part of Abingdon Presbytery, encompassed all of Kentucky, settlements on the Cumberland River in Tennessee, and later the settlements on the Great Mia ...

of the

Presbyterian Church (USA) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PC(USA), is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the US, and known for its liberal stance on doctrine and its ordaining of women and ...

in 1803, Ewing became one of the leading ministers in the

Second Great Awakening The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival during the early 19th century in the United States. The Second Great Awakening, which spread religion through revivals and emotional preaching, sparked a number of reform movements. R ...

Great Revival The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival during the early 19th century in the United States. The Second Great Awakening, which spread religion through revivals and emotional preaching, sparked a number of reform movements. R ...

that took place on the American frontier in the early 19th century. When Kentucky Synod turned against the revival movement and moved to discipline what it considered to be rebellious presbyteries, in 1805, Ewing found himself with the outcasts. The synod believed that it was protecting the integrity of the ministry by requiring a classical education prior to ordination. Frontier presbyteries protested that they had an immediate need for ministers and that frontier preachers could hardly be expected to attend Princeton Theological Seminary. Between 1805 and 1810, the Presbyterian outcasts operated as the Council of Revival Ministers. They tended to their congregations as best they could while attempting to reconcile themselves with the Presbyterian Church (USA). By 1810, it was obvious that a reunion would not happen in the near future. Ewing, along with ministers

Samuel McAdow Samuel McAdow (1760–1844), a Presbyterian minister. One of the founders of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1810. McAdow was born April 10, 1760, in North Carolina, the son of a farmer. He and his family were members of the Buffalo Presbyte ...

and Samuel King, constituted an independent Cumberland Presbytery on February 4, 1810. Ewing, in particular, hoped that the

Cumberland Presbyterian Church The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening.Matthew H. Gore, The History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Kentucky to 1988, (Memphis, Tennessee: Joint Heritage Committee, 2000). ...

and the Presbyterian Church (USA) one day would reunite. Ewing was among several Protestant ministers who in 1831 helped to inspire the mobs that drove the

Mormons Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

from

Jackson County, Missouri Jackson County is located in the western portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 717,204. making it the second-most populous county in the state (after St. Louis County). Although Independence retains ...

. He wrote in a local newspaper, "The Mormons are the common enemies of mankind and ought to be destroyed." Ewing was the father of Ephraim Brevard Ewing, who twice served as a justice of the

Missouri Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Missouri is the highest court in the state of Missouri. It was established in 1820 and is located at 207 West High Street in Jefferson City, Missouri. Missouri voters have approved changes in the state's constitution to give ...

.L. C. Krauthoff, ''The Supreme Court of Missouri'', in

Horace Williams Fuller Horace Williams Fuller (June 15, 1844 – October 26, 1901) was an American lawyer and editor who served as the first editor of ''The Green Bag'', a late-19th- and early-20th century legal news and humor magazine. Life and career Born in Aug ...

, ed., '' The Green Bag'' (1891), Vol. 3, p. 180.

Sources

*''The History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Kentucky to 1988'' by

Matthew H. Gore Matthew H. Gore (born 1962) is a British historian, popular culturist, and educator residing in Memphis, Tennessee. He is best known for his book ''The History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Kentucky to 1988'' (2000), but has published ...

. Published by the Joint Heritage Committee of Covenant and Cumberland Presbyteries (Memphis, Tennessee), 2000. *''Shakers, Mormons, and Religious Worlds: Conflicting Visions, Contested Boundaries (Religion in North America)'' by Stephen C. Taysom, Indiana University Press, 2011, p. 59.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ewing, Finis 1773 births 1841 deaths American Presbyterian ministers Cumberland Presbyterian Church Latter Day Saint movement in Missouri Religious leaders from Missouri