Sean Michael Lucas

As I have been doing this work, the questions that I have kept in the forefront of my mind are: How did the PCA come to be the way it currently is? What is the connection between the way the conservative movement in the old southern Presbyterian church developed and the way the PCA lives and breathes as a church of God doing kingdom business today? These historical questions have led me to a more pressing question which I have faced as a teaching elder in the PCA: Do conservative Presbyterian churches, as represented in my denomination, embrace their Presbyterian identity? Or do other ideas, practices, and narratives serve to shape them? In other words, one could read the history of the PCA as an attempt to answer the question: What does it mean to be a (conservative) Presbyterian in the postmodern age? - Preface.

Our Beliefs, Practices, and Stories

On Being Presbyterian

Stephen J. Nichols

Darryl G. Hart

Three hundred years after Edwards' birth, experts on Edwards examine the vision, theology, and legacy of this theological giant. Scholars contributing essays include Harry S. Stout, George M. Marsden, Gerald McDermott, and Douglas Sweeney. The first part of the book focuses on the vision of Jonathan Edwards, discussing how Edwards understood Native American mission, preaching, and Christian spirituality. A second section looks at Edwards' theology and its relevance for contemporary church issues, including the crisis of character and open theism. The third section examines how Edwards' legacy was carried on by later church leaders. And the final section offers personal reflections by long-time Edwards scholar George S. Claghorn and a survey of the best literature on Edwards.

American Religion and the Evangelical Tradition

The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Edwards was a preacher, pastor, revivalist, and theologian. This volume unpacks his magnificent theological vision, which starts with God’s glory and ends with all creation returning to that glory. Sean Michael Lucas has converted his years of teaching on Edwards into this valuable work, which places Edwards’s vision in an accessible, two-part framework. Part one focuses on Edwards’s understanding of redemption history—God’s cosmic, grand work from eternity past to eternity future, where all things are united in Christ. Part two examines Edwards’s perspective on “redemption applied”—how that gracious, divine work unfolds in space and time to personally transform individuals, stirring their affections, illuminating their minds, and moving their wills to form new habits and practices. This overview of Edwards’s theology will prove to be a thought-provoking, encouraging guide to contemporary believers at every stage of their spiritual journey.

Sean Michael Lucas

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