The Presbyterians

Subjects:

• Religious Studies » Comparative Religion

Reviews:

• This comprehensive survey describes the history of the Presbyterian Church in America and includes a biographical dictionary of its most influential figures. Part I is a narrative history of its European origins in terms of the role that Zwingli, Calvin, and Knox played in developing Reformed and Prebyterian theology. The spread of the movement in America was as dramatic as its European birth. Many Scots-Irish Presbyterians came to America in the early 1770s seeking economic opportunity and met with persecution as they moved south into Virginia, where the Church of England predominated. In the colonies, the Presbyterian Church disagreed over doctrine and, most decisively, slavery, eventually splitting into two factions. A final account is included on the involvement of the church in today's ecumenical movement. Part 2 features profiles of Presbyterian leaders like Weatherspoon, Finney, McGready, Hodge, and Warfield. The authors are non-Presbyterians but effectively capture the essential characteristics of the tradition. This is an indispensable research tool for anyone interested in American religious history. Recommended for academic and seminary collections.
  —Library Journal
• Students will find this book a convenient starting point for research, and will be aided by the extensive bibliographic notes. Recommended for undergraduates.
  —Choice
• . . . But attention to Presbyterian revival traditions, Presbyterian mission efforts, ambiguities in New Side/Old Side relations, and current ecumenical relationships make the narrative worth reading. The brief, accurate biographical sketches are very valuable. It is, certainly worth the reading.
  —
  The Presbyterian Outlook
• Offers a sweeping history of Presbyterianism in America and a biographical dictionary of important Presbyterians. [The authors] bring their broad knowledge of general American religious history to bear on this work and overcome the pitfalls of earlier denominational historians by placing their particular subject matter in its larger cultural, intellectual, and theological context.
  —Koinonia
• The Presbyterians should be indispensable for any student of American religion who would understand the distinctive genius of one of this country's most influential American denominations.
  —Church History
• ...Balmer and Fitzmier provide a commendable introduction to the role of Presbyterians in American life.
  —Journal of Church and State

• Endorsement From
  Ronald C. White, Jr.
  
  
  The Huntington Library
  
  
  U.C.L.A.
  
  : Balmer and Fitzmier give us The Presbyterians in the rich diversity of their American family traditions. The lively narrative style will make this compact volume especially suitable for students and teachers in colleges and seminars.
• Endorsement From
  John F. Wilson
  
  
  Collord Professor
  
  
  Department of Religion
  
  
  Princeton University
  : This is a concise and lively account of the Presbyterian tradition in America. Balmer and Fitzmier explore its old world roots, and new world branchings, including the contribution to ecumenical discussions in the 20th century. The authors provide a manifestly useful introduction, a decidedly valuable summary.

Table of Contents:

• Series Foreword
• Preface
• Part One: The Presbyterian Tradition in America
• Reformed Theology and the Development of Presbyterianism
• The Colonial Era
• Northern Presbyterianism in the Nineteenth Century
• Southern Presbyterianism in the Nineteenth Century
• American Presbyterianism to the Mid-Twentieth Century
• American Presbyterianism in an Ecumenical Age
• Part Two: A Biographical Dictionary of Presbyterian Leaders
• Abbreviations Used in This Volume
• A Chronology of American Presbyterianism
• Bibliographic Essay
• Index