Who's for What

"There is a time to pray and a time to fight," proclaimed Pastor Peter Muhlenberg, 29. Then, before his astonished flock in Woodstock, Virginia, he tore off his vestments to reveal the uniform of a militia officer. That was last January. Now Muhlenberg is colonel of the regiment he raised himself, the 8th Virginia. But the country's main Lutheran leader, his father Henry, follows Martin Luther in mistrusting revolutions. Other churches are also taking sides:

CONGREGATIONALISTS (estimated at 749 churches). America's leading denomination, located almost totally in

New England, firmly supports independence. It is led by the "New Light" wing, which backed the revival enthusiasms of the "Great Awakening" and has long promoted egalitarian ideas. PRESBYTERIANS (495). These Calvinists, who began organizing early in the century and are centered in the Middle Colonies, mostly favor independence, though many Scots in the south remain loyal to the King. BAPTISTS (457). This group was minuscule till the Great Awakening, but that and later revivals have spread the Baptists' popularity. Though much harassed by hostile mobs and even by local authorities, they favor an independent America.

ANGLICANS (406). They are in an awkward spot, since their English-led clergy is tied by oath to the Crown. Their Toryism runs strong in the new Methodist movement and in the New England cities, less so in the Middle Colonies. Anglicans in the south generally favor independence. FRIENDS (307). The "Quakers," powerful in Pennsylvania, oppose all wars, including the Revolution. Their January meeting insisted on obedience to the King. Patriots distrust their pacifism but so far have done little against them. LUTHERANS (240). Located mostly in the Middle Colonies, these Germans, like Peter Muhlenberg, generally want to split from England.

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