In the New Testament, Prebuteros, refers to the custom of choosing leaders and advisors from among the wisest members of the church. The Greek word "presbuteros" meaning "elder," has provided the Presbyterian church with a name. (encyclopedia Presbyterianism The Presbyterian church, like all Christian churches, trace its roots back to the early church in Jerusalem. This is why some people consider Presbyterianism to be a rebirth of the early church of the New Testament. The history of the Presbyterian church begins with the Protestant Reformation in Europe. With the help of Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, Francis Makene, the Westminster Assembly, the American Revolution, and along with several other people and events, Presbyterianism has developed. It has gone through rapid expansion and now has been well established on every continent. Much of the American Presbyterian history has been because of the American emphasizes and the Scotish-Irish influences. American Presbyterianism emphasized piety, experience, and experimentation, while the Scotish-Irish influence was of rationalism, order, and authority. These two impulses have characterized much of the Presbyterian history, which enables many churches like the CHRIST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, in New Haven Connecticut, to continue the long and sacred tradition while also continuing to make history.
             In the beginning, western Europe was under the authority of the Roman Catholic Church until the Renaissance in the fifthteen century. This is when people began to discover the religious thinkers who bravely questioned the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. Martin Luther, a German priest, was one of those religious thinkers who questioned their authority. (About 1517) The Protestant Reformation moved forward when Luther nailed his Ninety five theses, which was in Latin, on the door of a castle church in Wittenberg Germany. (Luther encyclopedia) The Theses began with a attack on Rome,...