Readings

Supplementary Readings

There are Supplementary Readings supplied for each of the three modules. Readings are numbered and grouped either by themes or by the weekly topic. Some readings are relevant to more than one weekly topic. Guidance about readings and sections of readings is given in the weekly emails.

There are links to other resources for each week in Lessons.

Module One: Reformed Foundations

In this module the Supplementary Readings are grouped under three headings: Reformed Christianity, the Reformation and the Westminster Confession of Faith. The Readings are numbered 1 to 9.

Week One: What does Presbyterianism look like?

Reading 2. John Roxborogh, “Presbyterian Churches” in George Kurian, ed., Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization, Blackwell, 2010.

Reading 4. Lukas Vischer, "The Reformed Tradition in its multiple facets," pages 1-4.

Week Two: The Celtic and Medieval Background

Reading 1. Donald E. Meek, ‘Surveying the Saints: Reflections on Recent Writings on “Celtic Christianity”’, Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology 15, no. 1 (1997): 50–60.

Textbook: Glenn Sunshine, The Reformation for armchair theologians, 1-18.

Week Three: The Reformation to 1564

Reading 5. Claire Kellar, "Protestant Alliances: the Privy Kirks and the Marian Exile" in Scotland, England and the Reformation, Oxford, 2003, 149-183.

Textbook: Glenn Sunshine, The Reformation for armchair theologians, 19 to 36 (Luther), 177 to 196 (Calvin) and 119 to 138 (England and Scotland).

Week Four: The Reformation to 1622

Reading 6. Graeme Murdoch, "Religious life and culture" in Beyond Calvin, Palgrave, 2004, 102-124, 156-164.

Textbook: Glenn Sunshine, The Reformation for armchair theologians, 139 to 157.

Week Five: Confessions and Covenants

Reading 7. Edward A Dowey, “Confessional Documents as Reformed Hermeneutic” in Journal of Presbyterian History 79:1 (Spring 2001), 53-58.

Reading 8. James Torrance, "Strengths and weaknesses of the Westminster theology," in A Heron, ed., The Westminster Confession in the Church Today, 1982, 40-53.

Reading 9. D W Wright and I Hamilton, "Confessions of Faith" and "Subscription, Confessional" in Nigel Cameron, Dictionary of Scottish Church History and Theology, IVP, 1993, 203f, 805f.

Module Two: Towards a Global Tradition

Week Six: Revival and Party 1690 to 1796

Reading 1. J H S Burleigh, "Divisions and reunions of the Scottish church, 1690-1929." In A Church History of Scotland, Oxford University Press, 1960. (pdf)

Reading 2. D E Meek, "Revivals in M de S Cameron, ed., Dictionary of Scottish Church History and Theology, 1993, 711-718 (pdf)

Week Seven: Renewal and Disruption 1796 to 1843

Reading 3. John Roxborogh, "The legacy of Thomas Chalmers" International Bulletin of Missionary Research, 23(4) Oct 1999, 173-176.

Week 8: Merchants, Migrants, Missionaries and Converts

Reading 4. "Women and the Foreign Missionary Movement," in Leslie Orr Macdonald, A unique and glorious mission. Women and Presbyterianism in Scotland 1830 to 1930, John Donald, Edinburgh, 2000, 104-166.

Reading 5. John Roxborogh, "The Presbyterian Church in Malaysia" in Robert Hunt, Lee Kam Hing and John Roxborogh, Christianity in Malaysia. A Denominational History, Pelanduk, 1992, 75-106.

Week 9: Presbyterians in New Zealand to 1901

Reading 6. Alison Clarke, "Days of heaven on earth," Journal of Religious History, 2002 26(3) 274-297. (there is a misplaced page from the previous article between pages 277 and 278)

Reading 7. Allan Davidson, "Presbyterian beginnings: John Macfarlane" and "Apostle of Northern Presbyterianism: David Bruce" in Pious energy, Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, 1989, 7-22.

See also Dennis McEldowney, ed., Presbyterians in Aotearoa 1840-1990, particularly Peter Matheson, "1840-1870, The Settler Church," and Ian Breward, "1871-1901, Clamant Needs, Determined Battlers"

Week 10: Presbyterians in New Zealand to 2000

Reading 8. Laurie Barber, "1901-1930. The expanding frontier" in Dennis McEldowney, ed., Presbyterians in Aotearoa 1840-1990, 1990, 74-102.

Reading 9. Vivienne Adair, Women of the Burning Bush, Wellington, Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, 1991, 1-7.

Reading 10. James Veitch, “Fundamentalism and the Presbyterian experience,” in Bryan Gilling, ed., “Be ye separate” Fundamentalism and the New Zealand Experience, Waikato Studies in Religion, 3, University of Waikato, Colcom Press, 1992, 24-45.

Also Dennis McEldowney, ed., Presbyterians in Aotearoa 1840-1990.

Module Three: Diversity and Renewal

Week 11: Leadership for ministry and mission

Reading 1. Charles, D. Cashdollar “Leadership, Power, Governance,” in A Spiritual Home : Life in British and American Reformed Congregations, 1830-1915. University Park. Pa.: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000, 13-31, 247-253.

Reading 2. John Roxborogh, “LOMs, NOMs and CEOs” Candour, 2005.

Week 12: Sacraments and Ceremonies in the Mission of the Church

Reading 3. Rice, Howard L., and James C. Huffstutler. “The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper” in Reformed Worship. Louisville: Geneva Press, 2001, 69-77.

Reading 4. A K Robertson, “The individual cup; its use at Holy Communion,” Liturgical Review 8(2), Nov 1978, 2-12.

Reading 5. Karen E Spierling, “Infant Baptism in the sixteenth century: Doctrine and Liturgy” in Infant Baptism in Reformation Geneva : The Shaping of a Community, 1536-1564, Aldershot: Ashgate, 2005, 31-60.

Reading 6. Westminster Confession chapters 27-29: Sacraments, Baptism, Lord’s Supper.

Week 13: Worship: Word and Song across cultures and generations

Reading 7. Seong-Won Park, “Worship in the Presbyterian Church of Korea” and Gerson Correia de Lacerdia, “Reformed Worship in Brazil” in Lukas Vischer, ed., Christian Worship in Reformed Churches Past and Present. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2003, 194-207, 234-245.

Reading 8. Rice, Howard L., and James C. Huffstutler. “Music” in Reformed Worship. Louisville: Geneva Press, 2001, 95-110.

Graham Redding, Scottish Seeds in Antipodean Soil.

Week 14: Community, change, controversy and mission

Reading 9. Keith Furniss, “Moray Place Congregational Church: a social history, 1862-1966,” in Stenhouse, John, and Jane Thomson. Building God's Own Country : Historical Essays on Religions in New Zealand. Dunedin, N.Z.: University of Otago Press, 2004, 75-83.

Reading 10. Ronald R. Stockton, "You Are in This Place. A Strategic Analysis of a Congregation at Risk: The Case of Littlefield Church." Conference paper, Reformed congregations engage a changing world, Edinburgh 2003.

Reading 11. Jemaima Tiatia, Caught between cultures. A New Zealand-born Pacific Island perspective, Auckland, Christian Research Association, 1998, 6-16.

Week 15: Theology and mission into a new era

Reading 12. Donald K McKim, “A Reformed perspective on the mission of the Church in society,” in Major Themes in the Reformed Tradition. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1992, 361-371.

Reading 13. Laslo Medgyessy, “Mission or proselytism? Temptations, tensions and missiological perspectives in Eastern European Christianity. A case study of Hungary.” in Christine Lienenmann-Perrin, H. M. Vroom, and Michael Weinrich. Contextuality in Reformed Europe : The Mission of the Church in the Transformation of European Culture . Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2004, 99-120.

Reading 14. Jürgen Moltmann, “Theologia Reformata et Semper Reformanda” in Willis, David, Michael Welker, and Matthias Gockel. Toward the Future of Reformed Theology : Tasks, Topics, Traditions. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1999, 120-135.

Reading 15. David Peel, “The Christian Hope,” in Reforming Theology: Explorations in the Theological Traditions of the United Reformed Church. London: United Reformed Church, 2002, 295-300.