The Black Robed Regiment – Part Three

In Parts One and Two of this series, we learned that during the Founding Era of our country, the Black Robed Regiment was the name that the British gave to the courageous and patriotic American clergy. In fact, the British largely blamed the Black Regiment for American Independence, for modern historians have documented that, because of their strong leadership, ministers played a leading role in securing American independence as well as in the formation of the new government. 

This article contains excerpts from a dissertation by David Barton of Wallbuilders citing the tremendous influence of ministers during the Revolutionary period.

It is true that the American clergy were faithful advocates of the fullness of God’s Word, applying its principles to every aspect of life, thereby shaping America’s institutes and culture. They were at the forefront of proclaiming liberty, resisting tyranny, and opposing any encroachments to God-given rights and freedoms. 

American pastors consistently opposed intrusions on civil and religious liberties. For instance, when the British forced on Americans the Stamp Act of 1765, leading the opposition to that act were the Reverends Andrew Eliot, Charles Chauncey, Samuel Cooper, Jonathan Mayhew, and George Whitefield. Whitefield even journeyed with Benjamin Franklin to the British Parliament to protest the act and contend for colonial rights. In fact, one of the reasons that American resistance to the Stamp Act became so broad was because the “American clergy fanned the fire of resistance to the Stamp Act into a strong flame.”

Christian ministers were not only the bold advocates of the principles which led to American independence, they also literally took part on the battlefield to secure that independence. One of the numerous examples is the Rev. Jonas Clark. 

When Paul Revere set off on his famous ride, it was to the home of the Rev. Clark in Lexington that he rode. Patriot leaders John Hancock and Samuel Adams were lodging (as they often did) with the Rev. Clark. After learning of the approaching British forces, Hancock and Adams turned to pastor Clark and inquired of him whether the people were ready to fight. Clark immediately replied, “I have trained them for this very hour!” When the alarm sounded in Lexington to warn of the oncoming British menace, citizens gathered at the town green, and according to early historian Joel Headley: “There they found their pastor [Rev. Clark] who had arrived before them…the church, the pastor, and his congregation thus standing together in the dim light [awaiting the Redcoats]…”

When the British troops left Lexington, they fought at Concord and then headed back to Boston, encountering increasing American resistance. Significantly, many who awaited the British along the road were local pastors such as the Rev. Phillips Payson and the Rev. Benjamin Balch who had heard of the unprovoked British attack on the Americans, taken up their own arms, and then rallied their congregations to meet the returning British. 

As word of the attack spread, pastors from other areas also responded. For example, when the Americans fought the British at Bunker Hill, American ministers again delved headlong into the fray. When the Rev. David Grosvenor heard that the battle had commenced, he left from his pulpit, rifle in hand, and promptly marched to the scene of the action, as did the Rev. Jonathan French. 

Moreover, the ranks of resistance to the British swelled through the efforts of Christian ministers who, said one historian, “were far more effective than army recruiters in rounding up citizen-soldiers.”

In summary, history demonstrates that America’s elective government, her educational system, and many other aspects of American life and culture were the product of Biblical-thinking Christian clergy. Today, however, as the influence of the clergy has waned, many of these institutions have come under unprecedented attack and many of our traditional freedoms have been significantly eroded. It is time for America’s clergy to understand and reclaim the critical position of influence they have been given. 

America once again needs the courageous ministers of the Black Robed Regiment.

Tim Lewis can be reached at timlewis1@windstream.net.