Yes. Presbyterians are very main stream. I am no student of the doctrinal nuances between the protestant sects, though the whole subject fascinates me. My understanding is that Presbyterians hold the same doctrinal views as the Congregationalists, however are governed differently, the Presbyterians by the Presbytery and the Congregationalists each by their own congregation.

I tend to view the different protestant sects on a “feeling” basis. My mother was a Methodist and my father an Episcopalian. My childhood take away was Methodists were homey and really liked songs you can belt out, like Rock of Ages. Episcopalians were stuffy and liked their cocktails (wherever two or three are gathered together, there is always a fifth). Presbyterians were somewhere in between, not so stuffy, but with a more classical taste in hymns and less booze.

Some of my relatives were Quakers. I wished we were Quakers. They seemed really cool. I wanted to go to Quaker school, but my mother said, “No way. They are pacifists. They didn’t fight in the war.” Ah well.

I have a Pentecostal friend and she and I see eye to eye on so many things. She is, without a doubt, the most truly Christian — as in really following the example of Christ in her interactions with others— person I know. I can see parallels with the workings of that method of faith and the shamanic experiences of our ancestors. I have no problem with speaking in tongues and casting out evil.

This might strike you as odd, but I do believe in the existence of spiritual forces. I think the Devil is indeed around every corner, but maybe not in the way your Nigerian friends might describe. If it helps someone to envision the force of evil as a being called “the Devil,” if that’s what works in your life, who am I to object. And as for the Devil taking people in church, this seems true to me, but perhaps in a completely different way than your friends intend.