The Kingdom of Matthias: A Story of Sex and Salvation in 19th Century America

Finneyite Edward Norris Kirk first arrived in New York in 1828 when the Reverend James Chester, leader of the Second Presbyterian Church, invited him to speak and offered him a post. The appointment was short-lived. Kirk shocked the congregation by revealing he was a Finneyite. He railed against the Calvinist doctrine of predestination, insisting that people are responsible for their own salvation and that nothing is predestined. His declarations offended the conservative, mostly-poor congregation, and Kirk was dismissed from his post. Undeterred, Kirk took a few followers with him and established the Fourth Presbyterian Church, which met at the North Dutch Church. He held very long Sunday services, and his dedicated followers actively promoted his teachings, which significantly increased church membership, especially among women. Matthews became attracted to Kirk’s message, but rumors about Matthews’s wife-beating, his erratic mood swings, and his unsteady work habits led Kirk to reject his formal application to join his congregation. Humiliated, Matthews tried to redeem himself, but when he appeared unannounced at Kirks church for service, he was thrown out. At this time, Matthews claimed that he was experiencing prophetic visions, a claim that foreshadows the establishment of his own church a few years later.