Puritans did not find a life free from tyranny in the New World-they created it there. Massachusetts emerged a republic as they hammered out a vision of popular participation and limited government in church and state, spurred by Plymouth Pilgrims. Godly Republicanism underscores how pathbreaking yet rooted in puritanism's history the project was. Michael Winship takes us first to England, where he uncovers the roots of the puritans' republican ideals in the aspirations and struggles of Elizabethan Presbyterians. Faced with the twin tyrannies of Catholicism and the crown, Presbyterians turned to the ancient New Testament churches for guidance. What they discovered there-whether it existed or not-was a republican structure that suggested better models for governing than monarchy. The puritans took their ideals to Massachusetts, but they did not forge their godly republic alone. In this book, for the first time, the separatists' contentious, creative interaction with the puritans is given its due. Winship looks at the emergence of separatism and puritanism from shared origins in Elizabethan England, considers their split, and narrates the story of their reunion in Massachusetts. Out of the encounter between the separatist Plymouth Pilgrims and the puritans of Massachusetts Bay arose Massachusetts Congregationalism.

In Ordained Ministry in Free Church Perspective Jan Martijn Abrahamse presents a constructive theology of ordained ministry by returning to the life and thought of the English Separatist Robert Browne (c. 1550-1633). This study makes a substantial contribution not only by solving one of the most thorny problems in congregational ecclesiology, but also by recovering the legacy of this ecclesial pioneer. Through an in-depth analysis of Browne's literature, the author provides a covenantal theology of ordained ministry in conversation with present-day authors Stanley Hauerwas and Kevin Vanhoozer. Inspired by the emerging trend of 'theology of retrieval' Abrahamse offers a methodologically innovative way of doing systematic theology in a manner in which voices from the past can be made fruitful for today.

In this historical study, Jonathon D. Beeke considers the various sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Reformed expressions regarding the duplex regnum Christi (the twofold kingdom of Christ), or, as especially denominated in the Lutheran context, the "doctrine of the two kingdoms." While a sampling of patristic and medieval sources is considered, the focus is on select magisterial Reformers of the sixteenth century and representative intellectual centers of the seventeenth century (Leiden, Geneva, and Edinburgh). A primary concern is to examine the development of these formulations over the two centuries in question, and relate its maturation to the theological and political context of the early modern period. Various conclusions are offered that address the contemporary "two-kingdoms" debate within the Reformed tradition.

Concepts of predestination and reprobation were central issues in the Protestant Reformation, especially within Calvinist churches, and thus have often been studied primarily in the historical context of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In Versions of Election: From Langland and Aquinas to Calvin and Milton, David Aers takes a longer view of these key issues in Christian theology. With meticulous attention to the texts of medieval and early modern theologians, poets, and popular writers, this book argues that we can understand the full complexity of the history of various teachings on the doctrine of election only through a detailed diachronic study that takes account of multiple periods and disciplines. Throughout this wide-ranging study, Aers examines how various versions of predestination and reprobation emerge and re-emerge in Christian tradition from the Middle Ages through the seventeenth century. Starting with incisive readings of medieval works by figures such as William Langland, Thomas Aquinas, and Robert Holcot, and continuing on to a nuanced consideration of texts by Protestant thinkers and writers, including John Calvin, Arthur Dent, William Twisse, and John Milton (among others), Aers traces the twisting and unpredictable history of prominent versions of predestination and reprobation across the divide of the Reformation and through a wide variety of genres. In so doing, Aers offers not only a detailed study of election but also important insights into how Christian tradition is made, unmade, and remade. Versions of Election is an original, cross-disciplinary study that touches upon the fields of literature, theology, ethics, and politics, and makes important contributions to the study of both medieval and early modern intellectual and literary history. It will appeal to academics in these fields, as well as clergy and other educated readers from a wide variety of denominations.

This research guide introduces scholars to the field of Reformed theology, focusing on works of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in the English language. After a brief introductory section on the debates about what counts as "Reformed theology," Martha Moore-Keish explores twenty-one major theological themes, with attention to classical as well as current works. The author demonstrates that this stream of Protestantism is both internally diverse and ecumenically interwoven with other Christian families, not just a single clearly defined group set apart from others. In addition, this guide shows that contemporary Reformed theology has been rethinking the doctrines of God, humanity, and their relationship in significant ways that challenge old stereotypes and offer fresh wisdom for our world today.

College Voices tells the story of Christ's College Aberdeen, a theological college of the Church of Scotland, from its beginnings in the 1840s to the present day. This is a rich and colourful story, vividly told, and peopled with many fascinating characters and stories. Hundreds of young men, and later women, have passed through the doors seeking to meet the demands of the College and authorities to become ministers for the Free Church, the United Free Church and, since 1929, for the Church of Scotland. Written by the College's administrator, who saw how the personalities of teachers and students alike shone through the formal language of minute books and other records, College Voices relates how the College grew and evolved alongside the history not only of Scotland but of the world. It demonstrates the effects on ministerial training of two world wars, and is honest about times when the College was threatened by closure and scandal.

John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion is a defining book of the Reformation and a pillar of Protestant theology. First published in Latin in 1536 and in Calvin's native French in 1541, the Institutes argues for the majesty of God and for justification by faith alone. The book decisively shaped Calvinism as a major religious and intellectual force in Europe and throughout the world. Here, Bruce Gordon provides an essential biography of Calvin's influential and enduring theological masterpiece, tracing the diverse ways it has been read and interpreted from Calvin's time to today. Gordon explores the origins and character of the Institutes, looking closely at its theological and historical roots, and explaining how it evolved through numerous editions to become a complete summary of Reformation doctrine. He shows how the development of the book reflected the evolving thought of Calvin, who instilled in the work a restlessness that reflected his understanding of the Christian life as a journey to God. Following Calvin's death in 1564, the Institutes continued to be reprinted, reedited, and reworked through the centuries. Gordon describes how it has been used in radically different ways, such as in South Africa, where it was invoked both to defend and attack the horror of apartheid. He examines its vexed relationship with the historical Calvin--a figure both revered and despised--and charts its robust and contentious reception history, taking readers from the Puritans and Voltaire to YouTube, the novels of Marilynne Robinson, and to China and Africa, where the Institutes continues to find new audiences today.

This superb collection of Samuel Rutherford's letters includes a biographical account of his life, together with a copious arrangement of notes and an appendix. As one of Scotland's foremost theologians and authors in the 17th century, Samuel Rutherford was a gifted and busy wordsmith. Throughout a career spanning decades, he wrote a series of valued books on both religious topics and Presbyterianism in the political sphere. A lively and engaged thinker, Rutherford's life and thoughts offers a good portrayal of the evolution in both church and state in his era. Although most known for his ideas on constitutionalism and on military principles, Samuel Rutherford in the day-to-day lived for ordinary men and women believers who frequented his church in Kirkcudbrightshire, Galloway. He would often pay visits to the sick, correspond with their families, and offer emotional comfort and reassurance in times of difficulty.

There are few things more joyous in a congregation than the presentation of a new baby or small child for baptism. But even lifelong Christians can lack an understanding of the theology and terminology surrounding baptism. The Baptism of Your Child answers common questions new parents and new members with small children may have about having their children baptized, and it includes prayers and ideas for helping children grow in their faith.

What is the church to make of the many new expressions of worship springing up across the nation and the world? A gathering of academic theologians, New Worshiping Community practitioners, and leaders from within Presbyterian councils met at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary to start the conversation. New Worshiping Communities documents those discussions and provides theological and biblical foundations to the 1001 New Worshiping Communities movement in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The participants in this conversation have sought to put flesh on the bones of what a New Worshiping Community is, by defining it as: New Seeking to make and form new disciples of Jesus Christ Taking on varied forms of church for our changing culture Worshiping Gathered by the Spirit to meet Jesus Christ in Word and sacrament Sent by the Spirit to join Gods mission for the transformation of the world Community Practicing mutual care and accountability Developing sustainability in leadership and finances