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In May of 1789, Washington received a letter from the Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The address was signed on behalf of the church by Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury, founders of the denomination in America. In it, they asked that Washington be impartial toward "genuine, vital religion." Washington replied in kind: "After mentioning that I trust the people of every denomination, who demean themselves as good citizens, will have occasion to be convinced that I shall always strive to prove a faithful and impartial Patron of genuine, vital religion."
The notion of a "genuine" religion would recur in many of Washington's responses. Debate continues today as to what Washington meant by "genuine" and "vital." The diplomat Washington was careful not to identify any religion as more genuine than the other.
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Bishop Francis Asbury (1745-1816) This church, an offshoot of the Church of England (Anglican) and originally led by John Wesley, established its first American congregation in Baltimore, Maryland in 1784. The Methodists were often middle-class tradesmen, but women constituted the majority of congregants in the Baltimore congregation. Services were led by men or women, and slaves were able to participate in highly emotional and demonstrative services. |
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