The Presbyterians

by Randall H. Balmer, John Fitzmier

Overview

In a brief, narrative survey, Balmer and Fitzmier trace the history of the Presbyterian tradition, from its roots in Europe to its manifestations in contemporary America. The six chapters cover the European origins of Presbyterianism; the growth of Presbyterianism in the Northern and Southern states during the nineteenth century; and the development of Presbyterianism in twentieth-century America. Concluding with a Chronology and Bibliographic Essay, this is an ideal text for courses in Church History, American Religious History, or American social and cultural history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275948474
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/23/1994
Series:	Religious Traditions in American Culture Series , #5
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

RANDALL BALMER is Associate Professor of Religion at Barnard College, Columbia University. He has published numerous articles in scholarly journals, and is the author of A Perfect Babel of Confusion: Dutch Religion and English Culture in the Middle Colonies (1989) and Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into Evangelical Subculture in America. (1989).

JOHN R. FITZMIER is Associate Dean of Vanderbilt University Divinity School. An authority on American religious history, his special interests include the separation of Church and State and Jonathan Edwards. He has contributed to several books, and his articles have appeared in journals such as the Religious Studies Review.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface
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
A Chronology of American Prebyterianism
Bibliographic Essay
Index

Editorial Reviews

This comprehensive survey describes the history of the Presbyterian Church in America and includes a biographical dictionary of its most influential figures. Part 1 is a narrative history of its European origins in terms of the role that Zwingli, Calvin, and Knox played in developing Reformed and Presbyterian 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.-- Ravonne A. Green, Emmanuel Coll. Lib., Franklin Springs, Ga.

Library Journal

This addition to the Denominations in America series begins with a narrative survey of the history of the Presbyterian tradition from its roots in Europe to its manifestations in contemporary America. The biographical dictionary that follows contains alphabetically arranged profiles of traditional clergymen, along with sketches of leaders who were instrumental in shaping the American Presbyterian tradition. The reference concludes with a chronology and bibliographic essay. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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