A Companion to the Mercersburg Theology

A Companion to the Mercersburg Theology PDF Author: William B. Evans
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1498207456
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 115

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Book Description
This volume tells the story of a mid-nineteenth-century theological movement emanating from the small German Reformed Seminary in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, where John Williamson Nevin and Philip Schaff taught. There they explored themes--such as the centrality of the incarnation for theology, the importance of the church as the body of Christ and the sphere of salvation, liturgical and sacramental worship, and the organic historical development of the church and its doctrines--that continue to resonate today with many who seek a deeper and more historically informed expression of the Christian faith that is both evangelical and catholic.

A Companion to the Mercersburg Theology

A Companion to the Mercersburg Theology PDF Author: William B. Evans
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1498207456
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 115

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Book Description
This volume tells the story of a mid-nineteenth-century theological movement emanating from the small German Reformed Seminary in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, where John Williamson Nevin and Philip Schaff taught. There they explored themes--such as the centrality of the incarnation for theology, the importance of the church as the body of Christ and the sphere of salvation, liturgical and sacramental worship, and the organic historical development of the church and its doctrines--that continue to resonate today with many who seek a deeper and more historically informed expression of the Christian faith that is both evangelical and catholic.

The Mercersburg Theology

The Mercersburg Theology PDF Author: James Hastings Nichols
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1556353162
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 393

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Book Description
The Mercersburg theology was a protest against many of the Ã’Puritan tendencies dominant in American religion in the mid-nineteenth century. Its spokesmen emphasized the catholic heritage in Protestantism and fostered the ecumenical hope of a reunion of Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, and Orthodoxy. They presented a high church sacramental conception, as opposed to the predominant revivalistic, individualistic, and sectarian habit of mind. The movement was generally disapproved as Romanizing and its popular influence was accordingly minimal. The two creative writers were John Williamson Nevin, the theologian, and Philip Schaff, the historian and liturgical scholar, who taught together at the college and seminary of the German Reformed Church at Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. Their books, tracts, and periodical articles had only a limited circulation and are no longer generally accessible, having been little regarded in the intervening years. The general stance of the Mercersburg men was parallel to that of the high church Lutherans of Germany and the Tractarians in the Church of England. The movement was the chief American counterpart to these developments, since the American Episcopalian disciples of the Tractarians could scarcely be compared to Nevin and Schaff in theological stature. The Americans were more philosophically oriented than the Anglo-Catholics, utilizing the concepts of Schelling and Hegel to interpret the classical doctrines of the Trinity and Incarnation and to define the relation of private judgment to Church tradition. They were also mediators to America of much of the mid-nineteenth-century German theological scholarship. The Americans were also more conscious than the Tractarians of the implications for theology of the new historical consciousness prevalent in Germany. Schaff set forth the idea of the historical development in the same year as Newman's famous essay on the subject. But while the conception undercut the Tractarian position for Newman, the Mercersburg theology was built upon a parallel view. The evangelical catholicism of Mercersburg was most widely influential through the liturgy produced under Schaff's leadership, which has maintained a limited local continuity to this day.

A Treatise on Mercersburg Theology

A Treatise on Mercersburg Theology PDF Author: Samuel Miller
Publisher: Forgotten Books
ISBN: 9780331588927
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 134

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Book Description
Excerpt from A Treatise on Mercersburg Theology: Or, Mercersburg and Modern Theology Compared To dispel this notion, if it really existed to any ex tent, and to bring the subject fresh in review before the mind of the Church, we felt induced to write out a clear, condensed and convincing statement of the manifold and important points of difference between the two systems referred to. To do this successfully, so as to present the whole in one comprehensive view to the popular mind, and carry conviction at every point, was not an easy task. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

A Treatise on Mercersburg Theology

A Treatise on Mercersburg Theology PDF Author: Samuel Miller
Publisher: Nabu Press
ISBN: 9781293623572
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 146

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Book Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. 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.

The Mercersburg Theology

The Mercersburg Theology PDF Author: John I Swander
Publisher: Legare Street Press
ISBN: 9781018738383
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

A Treatise on Mercersburg Theology

A Treatise on Mercersburg Theology PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780461669671
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Book Description


The Mercersburg Theology and the Quest for Reformed Catholicity

The Mercersburg Theology and the Quest for Reformed Catholicity PDF Author: W. Bradford Littlejohn
Publisher: Pickwick Publications
ISBN: 9781498252409
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Description: In the mid nineteenth century, Reformed churchmen John Nevin and Philip Schaff launched a fierce attack on the reigning subjectivist and rationalist Protestantism of their day, giving birth to what is known as the ""Mercersburg Theology."" Their attempt to recover a high doctrine of the sacraments and the visible Church, among other things, led them into bitter controversy with Charles Hodge of Princeton Seminary, as well as several other prominent contemporaries. This book examines the contours of the disagreement between Mercersburg and Hodge, focusing on four loci in particular-Christology, ecclesiology, sacramentology, and church history. W. Bradford Littlejohn argues that, despite certain weaknesses in their theological method, the Mercersburg men offered a more robust and historically grounded paradigm for the Reformed faith than did Hodge. In the second part of the book, Littlejohn explores the value of the Mercersburg Theology as a bridgehead for ecumenical dialogue, uncovering parallels between Nevin''s thought and prominent themes in Anglican, Catholic, and Orthodox theology, as well as recent debates within Reformed theology. This thorough study of one of the most creative movements in American theology offers an alluring vision of the quest for Reformed catholicity that is more relevant today than ever. Endorsements: ""For an increasing number of Protestants, the dismemberment of Protestantism is a scandal, an oozing wound in the body of Christ, leaving behind a twisted Christ as painful to behold as the Isenheim altarpiece. But what is a Protestant to do? The Reformation was itself a rent in the vesture of Christ, so how can Protestants object to the tin-pot Luthers and Machens who faithfully keep up the Reformation tradition of fissure and fragmentation? . . . We need an American Reformation that recovers the original catholic vision of Protestantism, and in pursuing this, American Protestants do well to take a page from early twentieth-century Catholics and embark on a program of ressourcement, and to this program Littlejohn''s book is a valuable contribution . . . Here he explains the Mercersburg Theology fairly and thoroughly, and shows how Mercersburg interacts not only with nineteenth-century Reformed theology but with the developments in Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican churches over the past two centuries. Above all, Littlejohn is deeply conscious that historical theology is never an end in itself, never an exercise in mere antiquarianism. We remember so that we can know how to go forward, and we seek to recover lost resources so that we can pave a fresh future. [Littlejohn] demonstrates how Mercersburg, and especially Nevin, can assist in forming an American Protestant churchliness."" --from the foreword by Peter J. Leithart. ""Deeply sympathetic to the Mercersburg theologians, Nevin and Schaff, Littlejohn presents a plea for Reformed theology to take Church, sacraments, and apostolic succession seriously as divine means of salvation. By linking Mercersburg to the Oxford Movement, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Catholic movement of nouvelle theologie, this book contributes toward a renewal of Reformed theology. Littlejohn''s ressourcement of the Mercersburg Theology is courageous and stands as a model of solid ecumenical theology."" --Hans Boersma, author of Violence, Hospitality, and the Cross and Nouvelle Theologie & Sacramental Ontology ""Littlejohn has joined a growing number of fine scholars who have recently discovered the Mercersburg movement. Long overdue, research into this unsung and brilliant faculty of philosophers, theologians, church historians, and pastors has begun to reveal one of America''s most accomplished yet neglected schools of thought. With his focus on John W. Nevin, the school''s theologian, Littlejohn''s contribution is most welcome for the new and relatively untreated areas he opened up, namely Mercersburg and the Oxford movement and Mercersburg and Eastern Orthodoxy. H"

A Treatise on Mercersburg Theology

A Treatise on Mercersburg Theology PDF Author: Samuel Miller
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781530993215
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Book Description
What of Mercersburg and Modern theology is presented in these pages, is given as it appeared to our mind in the course of our reading and studying for the last twenty years. We hold no one but ourself responsible for what may be peculiar in their subjective apprehension and reproduction. But we are not aware that we have misconstrued or misrepresented the one or the other at a single point. The attempt to fix such a charge on our production, especially in reference to modern theology, when it first appeared in a series of articles in the GERMAN REFORMED MESSENGER, is admitted on all sides to have proved a signal failure.

The Development of the Church

The Development of the Church PDF Author: Philip Schaff
Publisher: Wipf and Stock
ISBN: 9781498287890
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Philip Schaff, the founder of church history in America, was widely celebrated in his later career. Soon after his arrival from Germany, however, his Principle of Protestantism (1845) was stiffly denounced for its favorable attitude toward Roman Catholicism, harsh critique of denominationalism, and theory of historical progress leading to a church that would be both Evangelical and Catholic. Charles Hodge's review of the book provided the most cogent analysis of its implications for American Christianity. Schaff further clarified his understanding of progress in What Is Church History? (1846) and ""German Theology and the Church Question"" (1853). Together, these early writings of the Mercersburg theology set forth the parameters of what later generations would call the ecumenical movement. This edition carefully preserves these texts while providing extensive introductions, annotations, bibliography, and a glossary of key names to orient the reader and facilitate further scholarship. The Mercersburg Theology Study Series presents attractive, readable, scholarly, modern editions of the key writings of the nineteenth-century theological movement led by Philip Schaff and John Nevin. It aims to introduce the academic community and the broader public more fully to Mercersburg's unique blend of American and European, Reformed and Catholic theology. ""Philip Schaff is well known for his organic view of church history that he hoped would free American Protestants from anti-Catholicism and encourage them to embrace a vision of the church's progress toward union. The writings collected in this edition support that reputation, and reveal the relevance of Schaff in both his day and ours. This volume is a must-read for those discovering the origin of the ecumenical movement."" --Sam Hamstra, Jr., Affiliate Professor of Church History and Worship, Northern Seminary; Author of What's Love Got to Do With It?: How the Heart of God Shapes Worship Philip Schaff (1819-93) was a professor at Mercersburg Seminary and Union Theological Seminary, and nineteenth-century America's leading church historian. David R. Bains is the Armstrong Professor of Religion at Samford University. Publications of his histories of theology and worship include The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to World Christianity. Theodore Louis Trost is Professor of Religious Studies and New College at the University of Alabama. His writings include Douglas Horton and the Ecumenical Impulse in American Religion.

Christocentric Reformed Theology in Nineteenth-Century America

Christocentric Reformed Theology in Nineteenth-Century America PDF Author: Emanuel V. Gerhart
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1725250861
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 480

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Book Description
Knowledge of the ideas of the theologian Emanuel V. Gerhart is essential for understanding nineteenth-century American theology. Gerhart was one of the first to introduce a complete systematic Christocentric theological system to Americans. His Institutes of the Christian Religion developed the ideas of European theologians and promoted the effort to systematize Mercersburg theology. Gerhart embraced German idealism rather than Scottish philosophy in his scholarship. As a mediating theologian, he attempted to reconcile historical Christianity with modern culture. His lectures, essays, and texts addressed the religious challenges and intellectual issues of his day from a Christocentric perspective. Together they were a major contribution to the Mercersburg Movement in particular and American theology in general from the antebellum period to the progressive era. His publications were devoted to a range of disciplines that included education, philosophy, and theology. This volume portrays Gerhart’s core theological ideas as found in his main texts and offers introductory commentaries and gives the historical background for his intellectual contributions.