Presbyterian Faith That Lives Today eBook

This book is for Presbyterians. I hope others besidesPresbyterians will read it, but the book is for Presbyterianswho want to know more about our Christianfaith. I have spent my life in the Presbyterian Church(U.S.A.), so the book is specially written to those peoplein this communion. I offer a look at important theologicalbeliefs we share as Presbyterians and what theycan mean for our lives. We share these beliefs with othersin our Reformed family and with most Christiansthroughout the world.The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is part of theReformed theological tradition. This tradition is rootedin the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation and isassociated with reformers such as Huldrych Zwingli, Heinrich Bullinger, Martin Bucer, and most especially, John Calvin. I have most often quoted Calvin in thesepages. He was a leading voice, and his legacy to usendures. Other voices join the chorus. Presbyterianshave inherited a rich theological heritage. We havemany important theologians and confessional documentswithin our family circle. They speak with differentaccents and emphases, but they witness to aReformed faith with significant theological emphasesthat, historically, have distinguished it from other Reformationtheologies and ecclesiastical traditions aswell as from Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodoxchurch traditions.We are, first of all, Christians--disciples of Jesus Christ. This is ourprimary identity. We express this identity through ourecclesiastical and denominational traditions. Here inthe United States, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) isone Presbyterian denomination. There are others. AllPresbyterians are part of the larger Reformed family, which includes churches that do not have "Presbyterian"as part of their names but that hold Reformedtheological convictions in common with Presbyterians.Some examples are the United Church of Christ, the Reformed Church in America, and the ChristianReformed Church. The Reformed family has manybranches in the United States and throughout theworld. As we reflect theologically in relation to onedenomination, 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 theologicaleducation, as well as seminary students andpastors. Much more documentation could have beenprovided, but I hope this has been written accessiblyand can be read easily. The intention is to take a look atsome important theological themes and how they havebeen understood and emphasized in Reformed andPresbyterian theology. These theological insights guideour churches and affect the whole of the church's life.The book does not try to prescribe answers to issuesthat the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) faces in thesedays. It does try to provide some foundational understandingsthat can broaden and deepen the faith ofchurch members and provide theological nourishmentfor a Presbyterian faith that lives today.