This abridgement of Ford lewis Battles' Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion provides an introduction to the seminal work in Reformed theology. In a concise format, McKim follows the main development of calvin's thought, accentuating his positive convictions without lingering over matters of only dated importance. The sheer bulk of the Institutes can be intimidating. This concise edition of only 220 pages should help to fulfil the demands of anyone who desires to become acquainted with the authentic texts of the Reformed tradition. It includes an interpretive introduction and notes by an established scholar of Reformed theology.

Using case studies of authentic congregations--diverse Presbyterian congregations that are responding creatively and effectively in their social contexts--William Hopper draws insights for all congregations desiring more vital worship, service, and witness. He offers wisdom for congregations about how to engage controversial issues and develop faithful ministries in challenging times.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) often seems to relish its division more that it celebrates the unity that exists within the denomination. In "What Unites Presbyterians," Clifton Kirkpatrick and William Hopper compellingly call attention to the ties that bind Presbyterians together as a community of faith.

Offering an overview of the history and development of Congregationalism in the United States, Youngs chronicles the denomination from its origins in Europe through its colonial beginnings to the recent merger of many of its members with other groups to form the United Church of Christ. He carefully summarizes basic information about the church, provides original interpretations of particular episodes in the church's history, and offers new ideas about particular issues within the church. Demonstrating Congregationalism's close relationship to Puritanism, Youngs also shows how the Puritan way of seeing God, humanity, and salvation has continued to influence Americans and how the unique spiritual sensibility of the early Puritans endured throughout the colonial period and long afterwards. This student edition, ideal for classes in American Religion, Protestantism, Denominational History, and American social and cultural history, includes a chronology of significant events in the history of the church in the U.S., and concludes with a bibliographic essay intended as a guide for further reading in the history of Congregationalism.

Drawing from his experience as longtime pastor of Preachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, W. Frank Harrington says that if the church is to flourish in this time, it must return to its primary purpose--the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind. To be successful, proclamation must be rooted in faith, and faith has to be lived out in the real world of need and evil.

John Calvin's first catechism--originally written in French in 1537 and then in Latin in 1538--provides a valuable, clear, and concise introduction to his thought. Now for the first time, readers have available Ford Lewis Battles' English translation of the 1538 Latin edition and a current discussion of it in the same volume. This commentary on the first catechism also utilizes other sources such as Calvin's "Commentaries" and "Institutes," as well as the latest Calvin research. This volume is an excellent introduction to Calvin's theology and will be useful as a text for college and seminary courses as well as church discussion groups.

The Columbia Series in Reformed Theology represents a joint commitment by Columbia Theological Seminary and Westminster John Knox Press to provide theological resources from the Reformed tradition for the church today. This series examines theological and ethical issues that confront church and society in our own particular time and place.

For centuries, countless Christians have turned to the Westminster Standards for insights into the Christian faith. These renowned documents--first published in the middle of the 17th century--are still considered by many to be some of the most beautifully written summaries of the Bible's teaching ever produced.

Church historian John Fesko walks readers through the background and theology of the Westminster Confession, the Larger Catechism, and the Shorter Catechism, helpfully situating them within their original context.

Organized according to the major categories of systematic theology, this book utilizes quotations from other key works from the same time period to shed light on the history and significance of these influential documents.

A Brief History of the Presbyterians offers laity and clergy a succinct and thorough introduction to the history of Presbyterianism. James Smylie reaches into the past and vividly recounts the story of a faithful people known as Presbyterians. He chronicles the origins of the Reformed tradition and carries the saga through each subsequent era up to the eve of the twenty-first century, focusing on Presbyterianism in North America. All the major figures in the history of Presbyterianism such as John Calvin, Francis Makemie, and John Witherspoon are included, as well as a host of others. Smylie provides a fresh look at the uniquely Presbyterian contribution to American history and culture. Contemporary insights from ecumenists, laity, women, and minorities that reflect recent changes in the Presbyterian family are included.

Mainline Protestant churches have been seriously impacted by the conflict in belief systems embodied in the opposing worldviews of conservatives and liberals. In this book, Jack Rogers contends that for mainline churches to remain relevant in today's world, they must make an active effort to claim the center--an authentic and balanced Christian worldview.

According to the commonly held view, early Christianity was a time of great harmony, and heresy emerged only at a later stage. To the contrary, Gerd Ludemann argues that the time from the first Christian communities to the end of the second century was defined by struggle by various groups for doctrinal authority. Drawing on a wealth of data, he asserts that the losers in this struggle actually represented Christianity in its more authentic, original form. Orthodoxy has been defined by the victors in this struggle and it is they who subsequently silenced alternative views and labeled them heretical. Ludemann's findings are important as well as liberating for the understanding of both Christianity and the Bible. Readers will gain a new understanding of Jesus and the early church from this compelling and controversial book.

Lawrence Kessler uses the Jiangyin mission station in the Shanghai region of China to explore Chinese-American cultural interaction in the first half of the twentieth century. He concludes that the Protestant missionary movement was welcomed by the Chinese not because of the religious message it spread but because of the secular benefits it provided. Like other missions, the Jiangyin Station, which was sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church of Wilmington, North Carolina, combined evangelism with social welfare programs and enjoyed a respected position within the local community. By 1930, the station supported a hospital and several schools and engaged in anti-opium campaigns and local peacekeeping efforts. In many ways, however, Christianity was a disruptive force in Chinese society, and Kessler examines Chinese ambivalence toward the mission movement, the relationship between missions and imperialism, and Westerners' response to Chinese nationalism. He also addresses the Jiangyin Station's close ties to, and impact upon, its supporting church in Wilmington. |Western interpretations of the Cold War have erred by exaggerating either the Kremlin's pragmatism or its aggressiveness, argues Vladislav Zubok. Explaining the interests, aspirations, illusions, fears, and misperceptions of the Kremlin leaders and Soviet elites, Zubok offers a Soviet perspective on the greatest standoff of the twentieth century. In a new preface for this edition, the author adds to our understanding of today's events in Russia, including who the new players are and how their policies will affect the state of the world in the twenty-first century.

A newly revised edition of a helpful study guide that assists Presbyterians in understanding the creeds of the church. Updated to include an analysis of A Brief Statement of Faith, which became part of the Book of Confessions in 1991, this book is used in the training program for church officers of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Written by a pastor experienced in officer training, it will help Presbyterian especially current and future church officers, understand more fully the creeds that are part of their faith. This concise easy-to-use guide explains the ten documents now included in the Book of Confessions adopted by the General Assembly in 1983. Harry Eberts presents each document in outline form, discusses its meaning, and provides historical context. The documents are grouped into four chapters: the two creeds from the early church the confessions and catechism from the Reformation church; those from the Westminster Assembly: and the two twentieth century documents.

The first and second Presbyterian congregations of Belfast, in Rosemary Street, owned a collection of palls, cloaks and hats which were hired out for funerals. They were used by most of the better-off inhabitants of Belfast, regardless of religion, and many of the gentry, clergy and substantial farmers in the surrounding countryside. This register, which covers the years 1712 to 1736, is a record of the hiring of this funeral gear for about 2,000 funerals which took place in the town, and as far afield as Counties Londonderry and Tyrone. In this period both the population and trade of Belfast were growing rapidly and the town was well established as the social and economic centre of Ulster. Much of the original register has been printed here together with an index of names, making it immediately accessible for research. To this has been added a series of biographical notes on many of the merchants, gentry, clergy and tradesmen whose funerals are noted. The register is the single most important genealogical source for Belfast in this period but this book will fascinate anyone with an interest in local history. Finally, the transcript retains the phonetic spelling of the original enabling, us to hear the authentic voice of eighteenth century Belfast.

This volume demonstrates a central conviction of the Reformed tradition--that theology must honor the historic witness of the church as catholic while being faithful to the new tasks of the present-day church. It offers selections from Reformed theology, creeds, confessions, and church documents of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

This edited volume discusses the contribution of Thomas Charles of Bala (1755-1814) to the life of Wales on the occasion of the bicentenary of his death. Comprising the latest research by twelve experts in their fields, it covers his work in education, religion, literacy, scholarship, lexicography and culture. Thomas Charles was one of the architects of modern Wales and this book, the most detailed work on the subject to be published for over a century, will be of great interest to cultural historians and literary critics alike.

Longfield explores a bitter theological controversy that wracked the Presbyterian Church in the 1920s and 30s. By examining the lives and thought of six of the major protagonists he seeks to provide a fuller understanding of the religious and cultural issues in the struggle.

This book challenges American Presbyterians to remember their calling as Christians. The author believes that Presbyterians are summoned to a character of life that will awaken and address the religious questions of today with powerful and persuasive Christian perspectives and answers. By recognizing again the message of the good news of the gospel and by speaking directly to our world, the authors tell how American Presbyterians can recover their identity as Reformed Christians and continue to make a creative contribution to the witness of the church in the world.

Through its examination of American Presbyterianism, the Presbyterian Presence series illuminates patterns of change in mainstream Protestantism and American religious and cultural life in the twentieth century.

This excellent resource presents short, meaningful selections from major Reformed theologians of Europe, the British Isles, and America during the classical period, 1519-1799. Arranged thematically according to major doctrines, it identifies significant theological points that illustrate both the distinctiveness and diversity of Reformed thought.

A book about women who have deepened the faith of others. The contributors tell of neighbours, friends, missionaries, deaconesses and others, whose lives have had a profound influence upon them. Not only contemporary women, but women of the past, are remembered for their lives of service in these concise snapshots - Dr Elsie Inglis, the ardent suffragist, Annie Hunter Small, pioneer of the training of missionaries, Mary Slessor, the dedicated missionary of Calabar and St Margaret, the 11th century Queen of Scotland.

This helpful resource provides extensive information about each hymn in The Presbyterian Hymnal (1990)--background detail about hymn origins, publication history, authors, translators, composers, and arrangers. Stories about some of the hymns are also included. An excellent handbook that supplies information useful for a variety of purposes.

In this insightful commentary, John Mulder explores the meaning and message behind the seal of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Mulder explains the parts of the seal in a way that connects the symbol to the theological foundations of the church. Pastors, church officers, and the lay reader will find this commentary fascinating and enlightening.