Course Reader
The Reader used is the 2005 edition. There are some pages bound incorrectly noted below (we will fix these in a new edition). There have also been some changes to the introductory sections since. Please use the links below for current versions. There are links to other resources for each week in Lessons.
Key readings are marked with an *
Web addresses in the 2005 Reader generally no longer apply.
Updated links are given below.
Introduction
Page 5: this has been superseded by this website.
Page 7: now
How to study Presbyterianism in a post-denominational
age
Why study Presbyterianism in a post-denominational
age?
Module One: Foundations
Week One: The Celtic and Medieval Background (was week two)
Introduction on page 13: Celtic Scotland and Medieval Scotland
The article by Donald Meek is no longer available online. Supplied separately.
Week Two: The Reformation to 1564 (was week three)
Introduction on page 15: The Reformation ; The Reformation to 1546 and The Reformation to 1564
The pink readings cover sheet for weeks three and four, page 25, should come after the article by Lukas Vischer.
*David Ferguson "The Reformed Churches" in Paul Avis, ed., The Christian Church, SPCK, 2002, 18-48.
Readings from Diarmid MacCulloch, Reformation, Penguin, 2004. Supplied separately.
Claire Kellar, "Protestant Alliances: the Privy Kirks and the Marian Exile" in Scotland, England and the Reformation, Oxford, 2003, 149-183.
Week Three: The Reformation to 1622 (was week four)
The Reformation to 1572 and The Reformation to 1622
*Graeme Murdoch, "Religious life and culture" in Beyond Calvin, Palgrave, 2004, 102-124, 156-164.
Week Four: Confessions and Covenants (was week five)
Introduction on page 17: Reformed Confessions and Covenants and Covenanters
*"Confessions of Faith" and "Subscription, Confessional" in Nigel Cameron, Dictionary of Scottish Church History and Theology, IVP, 1993, 203f, 805f.
Jan Rohls, "The development of the old Reformed confessional writings," in Reformed Confessions, 1998, 9-28.
*James Torrance, "Strengths and weaknesses of the Westminster theology," in A Heron, ed., The Westminster Confession in the Church Today, 1982, 40-53.
Week Five: What is Presbyterianism? (was week one)
Introduction on page 11: now Describing a Presbyterian Church
Readings follow page 21 (pink) (the pages 23 and 25 are misplaced)
*Lukas Vischer, "The Reformed Tradition in its multiple facets." in J J Bauswein and L Vischer eds., The Reformed Family Worldwide, Eerdmans, 1999, 1-33.
This is a long but useful historical and geographical survey which serves as an introduction to the whole course. It should be read sometime during module one.
Module Two: Towards a Global Church.
Contents and list of readings, p. 3
Introduction, p. 5
Week Six: Revival and Party 1690 to 1796
Introduction, p.7f. now
Revival
and party in the 18th century Scotland
Reformed
Churches in the 18th century.
Readings follow p.19
*J H S Burleigh, "Divisions and reunions of the Scottish church, 1690-1929." In A Church History of Scotland, Oxford University Press, 1960. (also as pdf)
Ian D L Clark, "From protest to reaction: the Moderate regime in the Church of Scotland, 1752-1805" in N T Phillipson and Rosalind Mitchison, eds., Scotland in the Age of Improvement, Edinburgh, University Press, 1970, 200-224.
*D E Meek, "Revivals in M de S Cameron, ed., Dictionary of Scottish Church History and Theology, 1993, 711-718 (see pdf if copy in reader difficult to read)
Week Seven: Renewal and Disruption 1796 to 1843
Introduction, p.9f. now
Thomas
Chalmers and the background to Scottish settlement in New Zealand
and Scotland
Reading follows yellow insert p.21.
*John Roxborogh, "The legacy of Thomas Chalmers" International Bulletin of Missionary Research, 23(4) Oct 1999, 173-176.
It is suggested you re-read Ian D L Clark, "From protest to reaction: the Moderate regime in the Church of Scotland, 1752-1805" (week 6) to help identify some of the ecclesiastical politics contributing to the Disruption of 1843 and the formation of the Free Church of Scotland.
Week 8: Merchants, Migrants, Missionaries and Converts
Introduction p.11f. Agents in the
global spread
Readings follow yellow insert p.23.
"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.
*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
Introduction, pp13-15. Presbyterianism in 19th century New Zealand
Readings follow yellow insert p25
*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)
*Allan K Davidson, "Apostle of Northern Presbyterianism: David Bruce," in Pious Energy, Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, 1989, 15-22.
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
Introduction, p.17f. Presbyterianism in New Zealand 1900 to 2000
Readings follow yellow insert p.27.
*Vivienne Adair, Women of the Burning Bush,
Wellington, Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, 1991, 1-7.
Robert Evans and Roy McKenzie, “Revivals and Presbyterian
Life in New Zealand” in Evangelical Revivals in New Zealand,
ColCom Press, 1999, 52-75.
Geoff King, “Reforming the Reformation down-under.
The pivotal, paradoxical place of John Dickie,” in I Breward, ed.,
Reforming the Reformation. Essays in honour of Principal Peter Matheson,
Melbourne, Australian Scholarly, 2004, 197-212.
J S Somerville, “To the Hill. Politics and policy,”
in Jack in the pulpit, an autobiography, John McIndoe, 1987,
124-138.
*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
Module Three: Diversity and Renewal.
Diversity and RenewalWeek 11: Leadership for ministry and mission
Introduction, p. 9
Leadership
Readings follow p.19.
Allan J Jansen, Constitutional
Theology. Notes on the Book of Order of the Reformed Church in America,
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000, 1-7.
*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.
*John Roxborogh, “LOMs, NOMs and CEOs” Candour,
2005
Week 12: Sacraments and Ceremonies in the Mission of the Church
Introduction, p.12. Sacraments and Ceremonies in MissionReadings follow p.21.
*Rice, Howard L., and James
C. Huffstutler. “The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper” in Reformed
Worship. Louisville: Geneva Press, 2001, 69-77.
*A K Robertson, “The individual cup; its use at
Holy Communion,” Liturgical Review 8(2), Nov 1978, 2-12.
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.
*Westminster Confession
chapters 27-29: Sacraments, Baptism, Lord’s Supper.
Week 13: Worship: Word and Song across cultures and generations
Introduction, p.13. Worship across
cultures and generations
*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.
*Rice, Howard L., and James C. Huffstutler. “Music”
in Reformed Worship. Louisville: Geneva Press, 2001, 95-110.
Week 14: Community, change, controversy and mission
Introduction, p.15. Community change conflict and mission*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.
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.
*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
Introduction, p.17. Theology and Mission into a new era
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.
*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.
*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.
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.