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A helpful resource for all those hoping for a multicultural and global future in which God's love and justice are available to all people. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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This extensive reference work, hailed by the Journal of Religion as "a book long needed by historians of American religion", offers "a unique contribution to this often-told story by providing an in-depth analysis of seven persons intimately involved in the controversy" (Theology Today). 13 halftone illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A sad story, but not to be forgotten
I wish that every Christian in the United States would read this book. The story of the downfall of the Presbyterian Church USA is one of the most compelling cases for the practical importance of sound doctrine, and it comes through clearly in Longfield's account, even though he is not particularly sympathetic to the one character, Machen, who more clearly than any other saw the consequences of the perfidious doctrines of liberalism. Longfield tells the story primarily through short biographies of six of the most prominent figures of the controversy, which I think is helpful because it presents the family background as well as the theological roots of each of them. The book is also extensively documented.

No one should read this book without reading Machen's "Christianity and Liberalism" first, which is the classic statement of Biblical Christianity against liberalism. Longfield tells the story of Machen and his allies' fight for this Biblical Christianity. They fought both against the liberals and against the moderates who were mostly theologically conservative, but primarily by accident, since if their commitment to the historic doctrines of Christianity had sprung from a deep conviction of their truth they would have stood up for those convictions. As it was, they didn't care, and the battle was lost as a result.

It is very interesting to read Longfield's take on the current situation in the mainline denominations, as he is obviously not sympathetic theologically to conservatives, but concedes they were right in forseeing the inexorable consequences of jettisoning the historic doctrines of the faith. In the last paragraph of the book, he suggests that perhaps the church needs to "affirm a normative middle theological position with clear boundaries." One wonders where any such normativity or boundaries could even conceivably come from once it has already been decided that it will most certainly not come from the Bible as the normative revelation of God. The infinite morass of subjectivity to which religion then immediately descends does not seem likely to be balanced out by "affirming a normative middle theological position" that would necessarily be every bit as subjective as any other potential position.

I enjoyed reading this book immensely, and I think Longfield does a reasonable job of at least trying to be sympathetic to all sides. Obviously, when the sides are so fundamentally opposed ideologically it is impossible to be truly sympathetic to all sides, and I think the picture he paints of Machen is not altogether fair. For instance, he suggests that Machen's joy on the final split from the PCUSA was a joy over schism for its own sake, which is nonsense: if all Machen wanted was a split he wouldn't have had to fight for his life for twenty years to do that. His joy was due to finally being free from an apostate church. I also highly recommend listening to Prof. Godfrey's lecture after reading this book. It is available at an org site called radioapologia, and it balances this book brilliantly.

A Look At The Past Toward The Future
With the rise of the so called "emergent church" movement, we are beginning to see the seeds of the seeker movement coming to fruit.Liberalism has a new name, a new face, and a new title.But historically where did it come from?What laid the roots long before Bill Hybells or Rick Warren introduced the church to their deadly doctrines?

The answer lies in the early 20th century with the divisions seen in one of the United States oldest denominations, the Presbyterian Church.While the Presbyterians were not 100% united in the 19th century, there were basic tenets from the Westminister Confession that they held to.While they might disagree over immersion, infant baptism, and church polity, they each held the Westminister Confession and the Scriptures dear.

In the 20th century, the fruits of liberal teachings from Europe begin to seep into the Presbyterian churches.From Princeton to the average church, the Presbyterians found themselves in a battle over which direction they would take.In the end, the churches split with the liberals joining the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the conservatives joining the Presbyterian Church in Ameirca (PCA) and the Associate Reformed Presbyterians (ARP).But the battle continues.

With the rise of the emergent church, its good to learn from history.I fear that the emergent church is nothing more than liberalism with a new name.We can learn from what took place in the Presbyterian Church at the turn of the 19th century.We can learn to stand against error by staying true to the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-4:6).I pray that we will learn from the past and resist the errors of this age (1 Timothy 4:1-16).I highly recommend every disciple of Jesus to read this informative book.

A Diplomatic Attempt
Longfield attempts to fairly and finely balance the most pivotal denominational split of 20th century America.He does so by briefly biographing and documenting the interaction of the PCUSA's main players at that time.The documentation is excellent.The problems enter when Longfield interprets and implies motives.The main problem is Longfield succumbing to the whole problem Machen was fighting against in the modernist contrversy: historical consciousness.As a result the reader is not given an objective account.Machen is categorized as a fundementalist in the same category with William Jennings Bryan.Anyone familiar with Machen's intense new testement scholarship and political stances know otherwise.And to someone like myself who greatly admires Machen, such a depiction is borderline blasphemy.Machen was a brilliant and faithful standard bearer, not a demagogue or reactionary (as implied by fundementalist label).I recommend this book with serious reservations to discerning readers.'Toward a Sure Faith' by Chrisope serves as an excellent account setting the stage for Machen's latter battles.

Key insights for Mainline decline.
An insightful and enjoyable survey of the people and ideas which split the Presbyterian Church in the 1930s.Through careful research and a captivating style, Longfield studies indepth the main characters of theFundamentalist/Moderist controversary in the Presbyterian Church. Sympathetic to both sides, he shows how relaxing theological standardsbegan to blunt the church's ability to speak to its members and society. Important reading for anyone trying to discover the roots of decline inmainline churches in America today. ... Read more

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In "The Bread of Life," Ron Byars provides a clear and concise understanding of what the Lord’s Supper means for Presbyterians. His fresh insights explain the significance of the words we hear and pray when we come to the Lord’s Table, why the Lord’s Supper is a celebration of thanksgiving that extends beyond these words, and why this joyful feast compels us to look toward God’s promised future. This immensely helpful guide, which includes questions for individual reflection or group discussion, is ideal for church school classes and new member classes eager to learn the biblical, theological, and practical aspects of the Lord’s Supper. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
Dabney (1820-1898) taught theology at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia and at Austin Theological Seminary. His systematic theology text was used at Union well into the twentieth century. Eight of his books have been reprinted during recent years, testifying to his ongoing importance and influence. Lucas's biography of Dabney is extensively documented and is the first in more than one hundred years. This is the first volume in a new series that feeds the increasing interest in biographies of prominent Christians of the past. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

An outsider doen't truly understand the southern people
I began this biography on Robert Lewis Dabney with mixed emotions. On one hand I was glad a new biography was written on Dabney. I view Dabney as one of the more heroic Christian leaders of the American church. There should be a plethora of material on him. For this reason, Lucas is to be praised. On the other hand, sadly, if one is not a Southron--and I mean one who is in sympathy with the Confederacy's cause, it is hard to understand Dabney. This proved to be true in Lucas' case. Lucas' thesis--with which I agree--is that Dabney is far from unusual or aberrant, but rather represents the 19th century Southern Presbyterian Church and Southern Conservative Tradition (217). By understanding Dabney's mind, we have a window in which to see the minds of an entire sociological group--the modern-day Southern conservative.

Lucas develops his thesis in 8 chapters, all alliterated: Preparation, Pastor, Professor, Patriot, Presbyterian Partisan, Passing, and Perspective. The last two chapters were top-notch. The chapters on Presbyterian Partisan and Patriot were not very well-done. I will take particular issue with Lucas on those two chapters. I will briefly note some of Dabney's distinctives in the other six chapters. Dabney held to a conservative, doctrinal Presbyterianism that found strict adherence to the Westminster Standards. His epistemology, Common-Sense realism, allowed him a unique plank to attack unbiblical thought, namely "The Sensualist Philosophy."

Patriot
Was Dabney a hero or coward concerning his military performance? Lucas sets the stage with a scene from Ivanhoe. This book helped define the Southern ideal as one of true courage and the desire (and demand!) of the Christian knight to seek glory (especially) in the face of death. Continuing this line of thought Lucas says that Dabney struggled to embrace the Southern manhood concerning the war because he, by virtue of his position as a chaplain, could not participate in the fighting. At this point Lucas engages in intense pyschologizing of Dabney. Objectively, Lucas is right. Dabney, being a minister, didn't do much fighting (although he was a key player in a few battles). Subjectively, I don't think this bothered Dabney like Lucas said it bothered Dabney. In fact, I don't recollect Dabney saying this bothered Dabney.

And then there is the strong counter-evidence from General Stonewall Jackson himself. Jackson said Dabney was one of the finest officers he knew. (This is the type of evidence that wins the discussion). Lucas recognizes this strong statement by Jackson and tries to dismiss it by quoting other historians and officers of the war who criticize Dabney as not being a professional soldier and not staying long enough in the campaigns (Dabney was forced to the home-front because of extreme illness). Even granting their points (and I don't), this doesn't prove that Dabney was indecisive as a soldier. I, with General Jackson, believe that Dabney was a competent man in the military who did what he was called to do.

Lucas then tries to point out inconsistencies in Dabney's ethic: How could Dabney support war as a minister of the gospel? The argument is that Dabney should have seen the inconsistency in being a chaplain on one hand (the saving of souls) and fighting as an officer on the other hand (the killing of men). I maintain, to the contrary, that Dabney exercised the "Two Kingdoms" ethic in the most consistent manner. Dabney, like all of us who are aliens in this commonwealth, are called to seek the prosperity of "the City (Jeremiah 29)." Therefore, Dabney, prophetically seeing the destruction of a Christian civilization that a Northern victory would bring, urged men to defend "the City." This was his "civic" or secular duty. This in no way contradicted his "sacred" duty. If it does, then the Two Kingdoms ethic falls (which few in Reformed circles would be willing to grant).

Presbyterian Partisan
I admit that Dabney warranted much criticism in this chapter. But we should be cautious in these criticisms. Dabney was wrong to forbid the ordination of African-Americans. Also, much of Dabney's opposition to the Northern church was wrong-headed (although his overall perspective and position is correct). While Dabney was correct to point out that the Bible, either Old Testament or New Testament, does not forbid slavery and the Bible cannot be used as an argument against slavery, he should have seen that the Bible has provisions for the long-term freeing of slaves.

But let's get to the heart of the issue. Dabney's rhetoric and refusal to forgive can only be understood in the context of Reconstruction. If one does not understand the nightmare of Reconstruction (drive through downtown Natchez, MS today), then one cannot understand Dabney's fight. Dabney saw that Reconstruction was the overturning of constitutionalism and the rule of law in the land. Dabney could not just "forgive and forget" a people who raped his homeland, destroyed the finest of a civilization, and in many cases, attacked the Christian faith. Perhaps he should have forgiven some (not all!) of the Northern crimes.

Evaluation
In all honesty I think Lucas damned Dabney with feigned praise. He overplayed Dabney's faults and did not do justice to Dabney's ideal of "Christian heroism." I do not believe we should whitewall Dabney. Dabney made some statements that cannot be justified biblically. He could have fought (and won) the same battles had he fought them on biblical and doctrinal lines. The last chapter, Perspective, was quite good. Lucas did some good, hard thinking on this part. He makes a very good comparison to Abraham Kuyper and notes that both Kuyper and Dabney developed, more fully than anyone else, the idea of a "Public Theology." Lucas hints that both Kuyper and Dabney have "theonomic" tendencies (241). I agree.

Is the Book worth getting? Yes. It incorporates new material and employs good, technical scholarship. I do wish that Lucas had been more sympathetic to Dabney. I understand why he kept his distance in this book. This book is written in the context of professional scholarship and "the academy." Dabney's ideas, obviously, are not that popular. We hope one day they will be.

The Man Behind the Myths
This is a carefully researched and written book about a controversial figure in American church history. The text is fully documented and was a pleasure to read. Some of Dabney's outdated ideas on race were disturbing to read. His service before, during, and after the Civil War as a leading academic in the U.S. was interesting and insightful.

Answered questions I had for years
The review above is very helpful.

I became a fan of Lucas from his excellent pieces in the Westminster Theological Journal.He has really mastered his material, understands the broader context and writes in a very clear and concise style.

This is a critical engagement with Dabney, that tries very hard not to judge him unfairly by 21st century standards.Still it had the effect of diminishing my appreciation for Dabney.

While I share alot of his basic theological values (commitment to Reformed orthodoxy, Westminster-style, etc.), I concluded that Dabney does not have alot of significance for me as a pastor. As I've observed from his systematic theology text, Dabney really has nothing distinctive to offer that can't be found in better form elsewhere (Hodge, Warfield, John Frame, etc.)

All that is left to get from him is a window into an era of Southern conservative Presbyterianism.Even on that score you can find smarter proponents (Thornwell) and more sensible ones (Moses Hoge; Walter Moore; Adgar), so why go through the misery with Dabney?

Some things I learned: 1. He was intensely provincial.Only left the South (if you include TX) 3 times in his whole life -- twice to go to NY for Presbyterian business before the War and once for a short visit to Europe in his dottage.Compare that to a guy like Hodge -- 20 years older but spent 2 years of study in Europe, traveled around the country, had good friends all over the world.
2. Dabney's racism was not just typical of the South, it was worse than average.When his own PCUS denomination, at the peak of their pain in 1866, decided to move forward with ordaining black men, Dabney published a heated jeremiad against it.See pp. 145-6.He says that he finds it horrible that his collegues would extend love to blacks, as "I, for one, make no professions of special love for those who are, even now, attempting against me and mine the most loathsome outrages.......... to teach and rule over white ppeople, and make (a black man) a co-equal member with myself in West Hanover Presbytery, to sit in judgment on the affairs of white churches..I oppose........(blacks are) a subservient race..made to follow and not to lead..."
3.He argued in writing that a major reason the South was poorer than the North was because they spent all their money on taking care of their slaves!
4. His angry campaign against Union Sem.'s move is comical and sad.

I won't be reading any more Dabney.I will read more Sean Lucas.

Important and Accessible
P&R is to be commended for introducing the American Reformed Biographies series.These works should be of great interest to the Reformed Community, particularly in those denominations that have a high view of Scripture.The series is being edited by D.G. Hart and Sean Michael Lucas - who is the author of this volumn.

Lucas, who did Doctoral work on Dabney, has a clear and confident grasp of both the primary and secondary sources surrounding the life of Robert Lewis Dabney. Nevertheless, this work is geared toward pastors, seminary students and informed lay people and not primarily toward professional historians. Anyone interested in the Reformed faith in America would benefit from reading this book.

Lucas covers Dabney's life in eight chapters which span successive periods in his remarkable life. Through these chapters we gain an understanding not only of the man, but of a generation's struggles to cling to a way of life that was being torn from their grasp.While Dabney was a pastor and theologian, the Civil war was central to his life's work and central to Lucas' narrative as well.

As Lucas unfold's Dabney's fascinating life, we are reminded that many of his struggles in terms of the nature of confessional subscription, the relationship between theology and science, and the spiritual nature of the church are still with us today.Understanding Dabney's struggles in these areas can help us be more effective churmen in our own era.

While I hope this book finds a wide reading audience, I do have two suggestions that I think would have made this an even better biography:

1.Lucas provides a very helpful chapter of evaluations at the end of the book entitled "Perspective".I would have preferred that he limited his evaluative comments more to this section.Earlier in the book, particularly in dealing with Dabney's views on slavery, the author's perspectives and comments intrude a bit too much (for my taste) into the narrative.I suspect that this is due to Lucas being a relatively new author who is carrying over the academic desire to show the "prof" how thoroughly he has wrestled with the material.Future books from his pen, and we can hope that they are many, would be even better if Lucas learned to trust the narrative more.
2.Lucas does not bring out how horrendous some of the war crimes committed by the North were during the civil war.This background would have made Dabney's reluctance to embrace the North after the war seem far less idosyncratic than he might appear to those unfamiliar with these atrocities.It is always difficult to know what to include and what to exclude in such a work.I simply fear that many readers in the book's target audience will not already have this background understanding.

You should note that I offer these more as suggestions than criticisms, because to a large degree they are a matter of taste and literary judgment.

This work is well worth reading and I commend it to all who stand in the Reformed tradition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Deepen your worship experience
As a lifelong Presbyterian, I guess I thought I didn't need this. On a recommendation from a friend, though, I read it and am so glad I did. Many aspects of worship have become more meaningful to me. I think any Presbyterian could benefit from Dr. Chapman's insights. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images from the Cornell University Library New York State Historical monographs collection. ... Read more

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Out-of-print book in acceptable condition. Contents include Preparation for Worship, Orders for the Public Worship of God, Litanies, The Christian Year, Special Days, Lectionary for the Christian Year, Other Prayers for Christian Worship, Prayers for Use at Home, and Indexes. Each chapter has several sub-chapters. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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This unique book provides a comprehensive, chronological anthology of the most essential documents on Presbyterian and Reformed church government, including many out-of-print selections and several new English translations. Beginning with the earliest testimonies to God's plan for church order and proceeding through the development of Western civilization, the thirty-nine entries in this volume detail the historical foundation of church polity. The editors have compiled a mini-library of the most biblical, the best historical, and the most classical theological articles--all of which help to illumine the important question: How does Scripture speak to the issue of church government? ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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The Presbyterian Church Welcomes You provides an excellent introduction to the Presbyterian Church, USA. This is an ideal book for a person who is becoming a member of a Presbyterian congregation, or who has been a Presbyterian for a number of years and has questions about what the church believes and teaches. The book provides brief and comprehensible chapters on the church's history and theology. Readers will have a better understanding of how and why Presbyterians worship the way they do and will have a deeper appreciation of the broad ministry of this great church. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Shmorgasboard of information!
This is a wonderful resource!At our church we give this as a gift to all new members.It provides them with not only a quick summary of historical and theological nuts and bolts in the PCUSA, but answers a lot of questions folks from other denominations have regarding worship, marriage, and structures in our churches.A lot of new members page through and say, "Oh, I have always wanted to know that!"From understanding what Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is, to One Great Hour of Sharing, to the Presbyterian News Service, this is a shmorgasboard of good information. Two drawbacks...there is no index or table of contents.

Great Introduction To The Presbyterian Church
This book is a nice, brief intro to the Presbyterian Church (USA).It begins with a chapter on how to become a Christian, and ends with a chapter on how to become a Presbyterian.In between is a well done description on what the Presbyterian Church is all about.There is an excellent history section.The doctrines are explained through the church's symbol or seal, and are well connected with the Bible and the Book of Confessions.There is also a wealth of material about the worship and ministry of the Presbyterian Church. ... Read more