Thread by @Protestia

🧵Top 10 Oldest Protestant Churches in America: How Many have Stayed Faithful vs Become Progressive and Woke? (Part 1)

Graphic designer Joshua Barzon recently shared a countdown of the top 10 oldest Protestant churches in America. Given that they all would have been founded by godly men and women with conservative ideals and a biblical foundation, we wanted to see how many of them have remained in the faith after hundreds of years, or how many have gone off the rails into rank heresy and progressivism.

# 10 – Christ Church (Old North), Boston (1723)

Boston's oldest standing church became iconic in 1775 when Paul Revere's "one if by land, two if by sea" lanterns shone from its steeple. The city's oldest Episcopal (Anglican) Church, Old North's congregation numbers "about 150 parishioners, reflecting the makeup of downtown Boston with young professionals, a sizeable LGBTQ+ community, and families with young children."

Led by the Rev'd Dr. Matthew Cadwell and the Rev'd Holly Hartman, their website notes that "recent research revealed that some early parishioners had been slave ship captains, leading to a renewed emphasis on racial justice."

#9 – St. George’s Episcopal (1741) Founded in Fredericksburg, VA.

An Episcopal church that George Washington's mother once attended, it is led by Rev. Joseph H. Hensley Jr.

Their church website explains that "We love our traditions and are committed to our faith in Christ, but we welcome people from any tradition to be with us. We hope tradition, race, gender identity, nationality, and sexual orientation are not barriers here."

We also read:

"We publicly renounce the sins of racism and white supremacy in all their forms, subtle and overt, even as we are still coming to understand what those sins are and how they operate in our lives. We confess that the histories of The Episcopal Church, the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, and St. George’s all contain numerous examples of collaborating with and benefiting from systematic oppression based on race."

# 8 – Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) (1677, bldg. 1700)

Built by Swedish Lutherans in Philadelphia, Old Swedes became Episcopalian in 1845. Though part of a progressive denomination, it is unclear how progressive the church and congregation are.

Led by DR. Chris Micklewright, their website splash page lists a sparse congregation with pictures from COVID times, and they do fundraisers by having scary movies in their cemetery.

#7 – First Dutch Reformed Church, Albany (1642)

Founded by settlers of New Netherland, this Albany congregation is the oldest Reformed church in North America, rooted in Dutch Calvinism.

They became affiliated with the reformed Church in America (RCA), a progressive denomination which is in full communion with the ELCA and PCUSA. They are fully LGBTQ affirming.

Despite having a large church, they have a small congregation that has been shrinking for years. At present, they have no senior minister and their associate minister just stepped down.

In the summer, the minister preaches outside in the church parking lot, while congregants sit in their vehicules and lawn chairs.

# 6 – First Baptist Church in America (1638)

Founded by Roger Williams in Providence, RI, it’s the birthplace of Baptist life and religious liberty in North America. The oldest Baptist church in the United States, First Baptist Church in America, is presently affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA, a progressive mainline denomination.

This church is part of the the LGBTQ advocay group AWAB (Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists) and is led by Rev Dr. Jamie Washam, below, who recently wrote an op-ed about the dangers of Christian nationalism.

They are also very proud of their church signs, which change frequently.

Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow