Reformed and Evangelical across Four Centuries


Book Description

Choice Outstanding Academic Title (2022) A definitive history of evangelical Presbyterianism in America Reformed and Evangelical across Four Centuries tells the story of the Presbyterian church in the United States, beginning with its British foundations and extending to its present-day expression in multiple American Presbyterian denominations. This account emphasizes the role of the evangelical movement in shaping various Presbyterian bodies in America, especially in the twentieth century amid increasing departures from traditional Calvinism, historic orthodoxy, and a focus on biblical authority. Particular attention is also given to crucial elements of diversity in the Presbyterian story, with increasing numbers of African American, Latino/a, and Korean American Presbyterians—among others—in the twenty-first century. Overall, this book will be a bountiful resource to anyone curious about what it means to be Presbyterian in the multidimensional American context, as well as to anyone looking to understand this piece of the larger history of Christianity in the United States.




Seeking a Better Country


Book Description

The first American presbytery was founded in 1706. In the following years, Presbyterians grew to form one of the largest and most eminent denominations in the United States. Now, more than three hundred years later, that church is dwindling. What has happened? Lively, bracing, and informative, Seeking a Better Country takes an honest look at the rise and decline of American Presbyterianism, giving context to Presbyterians of all stripes.




The Evangelical Mind and the New School Presbyterian Experience


Book Description

"The passing of reformed theology as a major influence in American life during the nineteenth century was not a spectacular event, and its mourners have been relatively few. Calvinism, when it is mentioned, is still often portrayed as a dark cloud that hovered too long over America, acting as an unhealthy influence on the climate of opinion. Nonetheless, the transition from the theologically oriented and well-formed Calvinism characteristic of much of American Protestantism at the beginning of the nineteenth century to the nontheologically oriented and often poorly informed conservative Protestantism firmly established in middle-class America by the end of the same century remains a remarkable aspect of American intellectual and ecclesiastical history. The twentieth-century attitude, itself a product of this transition, has placed strong emphasis on nineteenth-century Protestant activities - their organizations, their revivals, and their reforms. The mind of American Protestantism in these transitional years deserves at least equal consideration." -from the Introduction




Dictionary of the Presbyterian & Reformed Tradition in America


Book Description

Expanding on the highly regarded Dictionary of Christianity in America, this work, edited by D. G. Hart and Mark Noll, covers the ideas, events, people, movements, practices, institutions and denominations of the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition.




Presbyterians and American Culture


Book Description

This book provides a history of Presbyterians in American culture from the early eighteenth to the late twentieth century. Longfield assesses both the theological and cultural development of American Presbyterianism, with particular focus on the mainline tradition that is expressed most prominently in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He explores how Presbyterian churches--and individuals rooted in those churches--influenced and were influenced by the values, attitudes, perspectives, beliefs, and ideals assumed by Americans in the course of American history. The book will serve as an important introduction to Presbyterian history that will interest historians, students, and church leaders alike.




Princeton Seminary in American Religion and Culture


Book Description

The story of Princeton Theological Seminary, the Presbyterian Church's first seminary in America, begins in 1812, shortly after the United States had entered into its second war against Great Britain. Princeton went on to become a model of American theological education, setting the standard for subsequent seminaries and other religious higher education institutions. Princeton's story is uniquely intertwined with American religious and cultural history, the history of theological education, the Presbyterian church, and conceptions of ministry in general. Thus, this volume will interest not only those with links to Princeton but also historians of religion, Presbyterians, leaders within seminaries and Christian colleges, and all who are interested in the history of Christian thought in America.




For a Continuing Church


Book Description

The first full scholarly account of the theological and social forces that brought about the creation of the Presbyterian Church in America, using primary archival, newspaper, and magazine material.




Ten Myths about Calvinism


Book Description

Historian of Christianity Ken Stewart is intent on setting the record straight about Reformed theology. He identifies ten myths held by either or both Calvinists and non-Calvinists and shows how they are gross mischaracterizations of that theological stream. Certain of these persistent stereotypes that defy historical research often present a tr...




The Five Points of Presbyterianism


Book Description

Thomas Dwight Witherspoon lays out five peculiar principles of Presbyterian church government, as well as five ways in which these principles demonstrate the beauty and excellence of Presbyterianism.




The Presbyterian Enterprise


Book Description