Reformed and Evangelical across Four Centuries: The Presbyterian Story in America

Reformed and Evangelical is not a book whose name rolls off the tongue. However, it is a fantastic overview and condensation of hundreds of years of Presbyterian history into one manageable, readable, and helpful volume. This be the one-volume work that I recommend to anyone who wants an overview of Presbyterianism without needing to read six different works addressing different periods of our history.The book begins with the English Reformation, and about 70 pages of the book are spent mostly setting the stage for what comes later. Without these essential chapters focusing on our European origins one would struggle to understand many of the concerns that later presbyterianism felt it needed to address upon arriving in the New World. The authors do an excellent job of making the reader feel as though he can follow along. They never spend too much time on any one issue, and so the pace of the book is brisk.A perusal of the titles of the 19 chapters of the book give the reader an idea of the focus and direction of the narrative: Presbyterianism in America - how did it arrive, how was it established, how did it fare through the divisions of the Revolutionary and Civil wars, and how did it survive its encounter with modernism and the pressures that came after the two world wars?Nearly every part of American Presbyterian history feels like it receives some reference, but once the narrative shifts to America, it doesn’t return to the England or Scotland again. Those looking for presbyterian history in Scotland post-America will be very disappointed - sorry, Free Church of Scotland. In spite of the definitive scope of the book, it seems like none of the subjects receive disproportionate attention. Although the reader will not know all of the ins and outs of say - J. Gresham Machen’s conflict with the mainline church, you /will/ get a paragraph explaining what happened, and then the narrative will move on to the next piece of the puzzle and how Machen’s ouster led to the founding of Westminster Seminary. A chapter is given to the conflict between darwinists and evangelicals which cannot be omitted when it comes to the encroach of modernism upon the church in the 19th and 20th century. Once that encounter with modernism happens, the narrative shifts to the resulting transformations and divisions that took place. Ultimately the book ends with an overview of the conservative resurgences and exits that took place. There is nary a reference to the OPC, and much more attention given to the PCA. The EPC and ECO receive close attention as well, and I found those parts of the narrative to be helpful in filling in my own blind-spots.This quick overview-style approach may sound like a negative to some who would favor an in-depth discussion of some issues. Most presbyterians I know have their favorite turning points in presbyterian history that they tend to focus on and hope others will care more about. That approach would make for a longer book that misses the point of this type of book. I would say that the effect of this sort of quick approach is to weave a whole tapestry that fits the disparate episodes of presbyterian history into a single whole. Even if you know a lot about presbyterian history, you will almost certainly appreciate the chance to see the tapestry of our history as a whole.One result of the tapestry approach of this book is to help the reader to see, at once the features that have unified presbyterians, but also the areas in which there has been longstanding diversity. The authors argue that presbyterians and evangelicals have held a mutual allegiance to five key subjects: biblical authority, spiritual renewal, missionary impulse, theological seriousness, and cultural transformation. The authors also suggest that as Presbyterians look to the future, they should observe the areas where there is a need for renewal. Among those areas they target a few areas for serious focus in the future:1) Biblical literacy seems to be on the decline in the church just as it is declining in the culture. More than a verbal assent to the authority of the Bible, we need to know and understand the Bible’s actual teachings.2) There is a great need for a national religious awakening. They point out how very important presbyterians and evangelicals were in showing leadership in previous religious awakenings. The need for such an awakening continues.3) Evangelical presbyterian denominations such as the PCA are experiencing growth, but this is mostly due to transfer growth from those fleeing the declining mainlines or theologically anemic churches. “Church growth by direct evangelism is at best modest” (494).4) It takes missionary candidates in presbyterian churches far too long to raise support. This is due to a decline in sacrificial giving by Presbyterians across the board. The training of missionaries has also largely fallen to the sending agencies instead of being trained in seminaries. “The actual teaching of missionary subjects by seminary faculty members who are designated ‘professors of mission’ has declined markedly over a generation” (494).5) While Presbyterians are quick to write and are theologically astute, a) their work tends to be iterative and focused on maintaining theological positions rather than developing our theology further. b) Confessionalism and catechesis seems to have fallen by the wayside even among otherwise dedicated Presbyterians.Some may disagree with these evaluations, but one thing is certain: it would be a great challenge to find a better single volume on this subject.

This is a review of Adam Parker's review. It's very good and helpful, except it annoys me when Americans say "the English Reformation" when they should say (as the book does), "the British Reformation." Scotland is not part of England, but it is part of Britain and is more the home of Presbyterianism than England, where Presbyterianism never really took root.