Read an Excerpt
This book is for Presbyterians. I hope others besides
Presbyterians will read it, but the book is for Presbyterians
who want to know more about our Christian
faith. I have spent my life in the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.), so the book is specially written to those people
in this communion. I offer a look at important theological
beliefs we share as Presbyterians and what they
can mean for our lives. We share these beliefs with others
in our Reformed family and with most Christians
throughout the world.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is part of the
Reformed theological tradition. This tradition is rooted
in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation and is
associated with reformers such as Huldrych Zwingli,
Heinrich Bullinger, Martin Bucer, and most especially,
John Calvin. I have most often quoted Calvin in these
pages. He was a leading voice, and his legacy to us
endures. Other voices join the chorus. Presbyterians
have inherited a rich theological heritage. We have
many important theologians and confessional documents
within our family circle. They speak with different
accents and emphases, but they witness to a
Reformed faith with significant theological emphases
that, historically, have distinguished it from other Reformation
theologies and ecclesiastical traditions as
well as from Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
church traditions.
We are, first of all, Christians—disciples of Jesus Christ. This is our
primary identity. We express this identity through our
ecclesiastical and denominational traditions. Here in
the United States, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is
one Presbyterian denomination. There are others. All
Presbyterians are part of the larger Reformed family,
which includes churches that do not have "Presbyterian"
as part of their names but that hold Reformed
theological convictions in common with Presbyterians.
Some examples are the United Church of Christ,
the Reformed Church in America, and the Christian
Reformed Church. The Reformed family has many
branches in the United States and throughout the
world. As we reflect theologically in relation to one
denomination, we realize that there is a greater body—
and a greater unity—that is represented by the terms
"Presbyterian" and "Reformed."
This book is meant for those without formal theological
education, as well as seminary students and
pastors. Much more documentation could have been
provided, but I hope this has been written accessibly
and can be read easily. The intention is to take a look at
some important theological themes and how they have
been understood and emphasized in Reformed and
Presbyterian theology. These theological insights guide
our churches and affect the whole of the church's life.
The book does not try to prescribe answers to issues
that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) faces in these
days. It does try to provide some foundational understandings
that can broaden and deepen the faith of
church members and provide theological nourishment
for a Presbyterian faith that lives today.
