This first volume of a series on the Scottish church dealing largely with the church's relationship with the secular community and with the nature of Scottish nationhood after the country had been deprived of its parliament in 1707. The book makes out a case for those much abused but tolenrant men, the Moderates, who turned their backs on disputes, and tried to commend the Christian faih in the period of the Enlightenment.

This title provides an upper-level introduction to the doctrine of justification which triggered the Reformation and is still high up on the agenda in Ecumenical dialogue. The core of the book is an historical survey of the doctrine of justification as it has developed within the Western church - a somewhat simplified version of McGrath's Justitia Dei, but with a more outspoken assessment of the various moves that are taken at various stages in the discussion. Attention will is paid to the context or prevailing world view in which such a doctrine is deemed significant. Although the focus is on a number of principal theologians there are some reference to their peers or followers. Only at the end the Pauline texts are examined. The conclusion considers what part a doctrine of justification can have within a modern worldview in which the concept of divine judgement has generally been marginalised. Continuum's Guides for the Perplexed are clear, concise and accessible introductions to thinkers, writers and subjects that students and readers can find especially challenging - or indeed downright bewildering. Concentrating specifically on what it is that makes the subject difficult to grasp, these books explain and explore key themes and ideas, guiding the reader towards a thorough understanding of demanding material.

This is the first book length assesment in English of the impact of Karl Barth's theology in Britain. Beginning with the essays of Adolf Keller and H.R. Mackintosh in the 1920s, it analyses the interplay between Barth's developing thought and different strands of English, Scottish and Welsh church history up to the 1980s. Barth's impact on British perceptions of the German Church Struggle during the 1930s is discussed, along with the ready acceptance that his theology gained among the English Congregationalists, Welsh Nonconformists and theologians of the Church of Scotland. Half forgotten names such as John McConnachie and Nathaniel Micklem are brought to light along with better known representatives of British Barthianism like Daniel T. Jenkins and T.F. Torrance. Barth and the secular theology of the 1960s are assessed, along with the beginnings of the Barthian renaissance linked with Colin Gunton and others during the 1980s. Barth Reception in Britain is a contribution to modern church history as well as the history of doctrine.

This book explores the organic motif found throughout the writings of the Dutch Calvinist theologian Herman Bavinck (1854-1921). Noting that Bavinck uses this motif at key points in the most important loci of theology; Christology, general and special revelation, ecclesiology and so forth; it seems that one cannot read him carefully without particular attention to his motif of choice: the organic. By examining the sense in which Bavinck views all of reality as a beautiful balance of unity-in-diversity, James Eglinton draws the reader to Bavinck's constant concern for the doctrine of God as Trinity. If God is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Bavinck argues, the creation must be more akin to an organism than a machine. Trinity and organism are thus closely linked concepts. Eglinton critiques and rejects the 'two Bavincks' (one orthodox and the other modern) hermeneutic so commonplace in discussions of Bavinck's theology. Instead, this book argues for a reunited Herman Bavinck as a figure committed to the participation of historic orthodox theology in the modern world.

Ashley Cocksworth presents Karl Barth as a theologian who not only produces a strong and vibrant theology of prayer, but also grounds theology itself in the practice of prayer. Prayer and theology are revealed to be integrally related in Barth's understanding of the dogmatic task. Cocksworth provides careful analysis of a range of key texts in Barth's thought in which the theme of prayer emerges with particular interest. He analyzes: Barth's writings on the Sabbath and uncovers an unexpected theology of contemplative prayer; the doctrine of creation of the Church Dogmatics and explores its prioritization of petitionary prayer; and the ethics of the doctrine of reconciliation in which a 'turn to invocation' is charted and the final 'resting place' of Barth's theology of prayer is found. Through the theme of prayer fundamental questions are asked about the relation of human agency to divine agency as conceived by Barth, and new insights are offered into his understandings of the nature and task of theology, pneumatology, sin, baptism, religion, and sanctification. The result is a rich engagement with Barth's theology of prayer, an advancements of scholarship on Karl Barth, and a constructive contribution to the theology of prayer.

The French Revolution was the scene of much intellectual and social upheaval. Its impact touched a wide range of subjects: the relationship of the church to the state, social relationships, science, literature, fashion, philosophy and theology. Although the French Revolution's momentum was felt across Europe and North America, it met a particularly interesting response in the Netherlands, at that time the scene of a burgeoning neo-Calvinist movement. In that context, the likes of Groen van Prinsterer, Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck responded to the French Revolution's ideals and influence in a variety of intellectual and practical ways.This book approaches that Dutch response from a range of historical and theological perspectives, and in so doing explores the relationship between the French Revolution and the development of neo-Calvinism. Beginning with historical portraits of Bavinck and Kuyper in relation to the Revolution, the perspectives offered also include, amongst others, the place of multilingualism in neo-Calvinism and the Revolution, neo-Calvinist and Revolutionary approaches to fashion, a dialogue between Kuyperian theology and Kieslowski's Three Colours trilogy, and a contemporary neo-Calvinist critique of French laicite. This book forms part of a wider Project neo-Calvinism supported by the Theologische Universiteit Kampen and the VU University Amsterdam.

This is the first comprehensive study of Gangraena, an intemperate anti-sectarian polemic written by a London Presbyterian Thomas Edwards and published in three parts in 1646. These books, which bitterly opposed any moves to religious toleration, were the most notorious and widely debated texts in a Revolution in which print was crucial to political moblization. They have been equally important to later scholars who have continued the lively debate over the value of Gangraena as a source for the ideas and movements its author condemned. This study includes a thorough assessment of the usefulness of Edwards's work as a historical source, but goes beyond this to provide a wide-ranging discussion of the importance of Gangraena in its own right as a lively work of propaganda, crucial to Presbyterian campaigning in the mid-1640s. Contemporary and later readings of this complex text are traced through a variety of methods, literary and historical, with discussions of printed responses, annotations and citation. Hughes's work thus provides a vivid and convincing picture of revolutionary London and a reappraisal of the nature of 1640s Presbyterianism, too often dismissed as conservative. Drawing on the newer histories of the book and of reading, Hughes explores the influence of Edwards's distasteful but compelling book.

Timothy Dwight (1752-1817) was the grandson of Jonathan Edwards. He was both brilliant and godly. This is the first volume in his Magnum Opus: THEOLOGY: EXPLAINED & DEFENDED in a Series of Sermons. "Dwight's theological sermons are worthy of careful study. Their clear, scriptural guidelines and experiential warmth promote practical Christianity. Read with discernment, they will still feed the soul today and challenge us to godly living in Christ Jesus." Joel R. Beeke, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary Volume One contains 38 sermons on the Existence, Attributes, Decrees and Works of God. Each sermon stands complete in itself, but they together exalt the glory of God in a way intended to humble and bless. Volume Two contains sermons 39-86 with the main focus on Christ our Mediator, and the Doctrines of Justification and Regeneration.

From its inception the Christian Church thought of worship and prayer in Trinitarian terms. At the heart of this Trinitarian concept lay the doctrine of the priesthood of Christ, which in its liturgical expression, presented Christ not merely as the object of prayer, but also as its mediator - prayers were directed to the Father through Christ.;The author traces the idea of the priesthood of Christ, and its effects on Christian worship and prayer, to its origins with the earliest Christians and through the Arian and Apollinarian debates. He then focuses on the Reformed tradition, and the influences of John Calvin, John Knox, John Craig, John McLeod Campbell, William Milligan, Theodore Beza, William Perkins, federal theology and the Westminster tradition, through to the present day.;The book is a history of an important doctrine, but it also shows in a remarkable way how the doctrinal struggles within the church have been reflected in the actual worshipping life of the church and how they continue to be reflected today.;Redding concludes with a number of key affirmations for a reformed understanding of prayer and also a critique of some modern tendencies and practices in the church.

In 1786, the Reverend James MacGregor (1759-1830) was dispatched across the North Atlantic to establish a dissenting Presbyterian church in Pictou, Nova Scotia. The decision dismayed MacGregor, who had hoped for a post in the Scottish Highlands. Yet it led to a remarkable career in what was still the backwoods of colonial North America. Industrious and erudite, MacGregor established the progressive Pictou Academy, opposed slavery, and promoted scientific education, agriculture, and industry. Poet and translator, fluent in nine languages, he encouraged the preservation of the Gaelic language and promoted Scottish culture in Nova Scotia. Highland Shepherd finally bestows on MacGregor the recognition that he so richly deserves. Alan Wilson brings MacGregor and his surroundings to life, detailing his numerous achievements and establishing his importance to the social, religious, and intellectual history of the Maritimes.