Product Description
This classic treatment of infant baptism, first published in 1940, rearticulates the historic Presbyterian view. With many Presbyterians neglecting infant baptism or emptying it of meaning, Lewis Bevens Schenck makes a compelling case for the doctrine of children in the covenant.

The author also identifies factors in the church’s history that have affected this doctrine, reveals that a divergent conception of this doctrine has surfaced, and demonstrates that this conception involves a different idea of the church, the covenant, and children’s place in the covenant.

Frank A. James III, professor of historical theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, has contributed an introduction to this reprint edition. The book was originally published by Yale University Press.

"We heartily recommend this splendid work. Dr. Schenck has rendered us a great service. . . . We hope that through it the Presbyterian Churches may once more acquire a true insight into the real meaning of the covenant and into the significance of infant baptism."—Louis Berkhof (1940) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great history and defense of church membership for children
While there are many good books that defend the doctrine of infant baptism from the perspective of covenant theology, there are very few that relate the doctrine of infant baptism to the position of baptized children in the church and their relation to the Lord.This particular question is answered in different ways by Presbyterian and other Reformed churches that practice infant baptism and agree on its overall significance.

Recently the Federal Vision debate has reopened this discussion.According to the FV, baptism actually regenerates the infant infallibly.The baptized child is not only presumed to be regenerated by his baptism, he actually is regenerated.He has all spiritual graces in Christ (except the grace of perseverance).There is no difference in the spiritual state of a regenerated child who remains faithful and dies in the Lord and a child who later apostatizes and ends in hell.

This view of the FV, a virtual denial of the doctrine of Christian perseverance, has provoked reactions in Presbyterian churches.Most react by saying that grace is conveyed only to the elect in baptism, not to all.The time that that grace is conveyed may be before, during, or after the actual time of baptism.Further, the grace of regeneration may be given to children who are not baptized at all.On these points most traditional Presbyterians agree.However, they are divided over another, related question.What is the spiritual state of baptized children?Assuming that we cannot know certainly the elective decree of God, and we do not know who is actually regenerated and who is not, and we do not believe that baptism infallibly guarantees regeneration to anyone, how are we to regard the baptized children of the church?

These questions affect our pastoral practice and the attitudes and actions of parents in our churches.Are the children to be regarded as unsaved, needing conversion, still in the devil's power until we can lead them to a conversion experience?Or, on the other side, are they to be regarded as already regenerated by God, and therefore receptive to the teaching and nurture they receive from their parents and the church?Along the same line, are they members of the church and under its oversight and discipline?Or, are they still outside the church, not subject to its discipline until they "join" the church by their own profession of faith?

It is with these questions that this book provides real help and guidance.Lewis Bevens Schenck (1898-1985) graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary (Th.M.) and from Yale University (Ph.D).For thirty-nine years he served as J. W. Cannon Professor of Bible and Religion at Davidson College in North Carolina.This extensively researched and detailed book is based on his doctoral dissertation at Yale.It is the major literary achievement of his scholarly career.

Schenck was disturbed because many Presbyterian churches of his acquaintance took what he considered to be a more baptistic view, that baptized children were still spiritually unregenerate, and had no special standing in the church other than their being exposed to its teaching and example.They needed to be born again.Only after their conscious conversion could they be admitted to the church as believers.

Schenck believed this common way of thinking was not properly biblical or Presbyterian.Rather, he believed that children of believing parents belong to the Lord as his own children and that we should treat them as already regenerated by God, but in need of teaching and nurture, so that they would learn the truths they were to believe and know God as he is revealed in Scripture.An unregenerate child would reject the gospel teachings; a regenerate child would receive and welcome these teachings.Parents and the church needed to recognize baptized children as members of the church, not as hostile to it.The presumption that their children were already regenerated by the Lord should serve as an encouragement to parents that their teachings would not fall on deaf ears.If a child should grow older and reveal an unregenerate heart by disbelief or scandalous sin, it is the duty of the church to exercise its discipline.It is important to note that "presumptive regeneration," the traditional Reformed view that Schenck espouses, is not the same as "actual" or "necessary regeneration"; we do not know if an individual child is regenerate; we only presume him to be and treat him as such.This differs significantly from the FV position.Schenck wrote this book to demonstrate that his view was the traditional view of Calvin and the early Reformed church, the Westminster Assembly, and the bulk of Presbyterians until the revivalistic movements of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

This book concentrates on the history of the Reformed and Presbyterian churches since the time of the Reformation.It does contain some biblical arguments for infant baptism and its meaning, but these arguments are not a major thrust of the book; they are intermingled with the theological discussions through the various historical eras.

In his first chapter Schenck provides detailed and extensive quotations from the early leaders in the Reformed tradition, along with commentary and discussion, interacting with scholars who agree with and who oppose his understanding of these leaders.He discusses at length Calvin, Zwingli, Oecolampadius, Bullinger, Olevianus, Ursinus, and Knox, giving the longest discussion to Calvin.He also examines the Reformed creeds, including the Gallican Confession of Faith, the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Westminster Standards.Likewise, he traces this doctrine through the theologians most responsible for the origin and development of covenant theology, Cocceius and Witsius.This chapter also contains a lengthy delineation of the adoption of this theology by the early Presbyterians and its codification in the Westminster Standards and in the regulations and practices of the early Presbyterian churches in Britain and America.

Calvin and the early Presbyterians agreed that we baptize our infants, not in order that they may be regenerated (as the FV asserts), but because we are to regard them as already regenerated by God.They have a right to the seal of baptism as much as any adult who confesses Christ.We are to receive into the fellowship of the church infants of believers with that same confidence that we receive adults who profess the true religion.We receive adults on the basis of their profession; we receive their children on the basis of God's promise.Schenck demonstrates conclusively that this was the position of Calvin, the other Reformed leaders, the Westminster divines, and the early Presbyterians.

The second chapter of the book shows how laxity in church teaching and discipline led to the inclusion of a large number of Presbyterian church members who did not appear to have the saving graces.A partial cause of this decline was the theology of the "half-way covenant."While this unfortunate view did not gain a majority status among Presbyterians, it led to an overreaction in the revivalistic movements, which demanded a discreet "conversion experience," often including massive guilt and the emotionally powerful change to relief and joy at the point of conversion.Those church members who believed in Christ, led orderly Christian lives, but could not remember such a personal experience were accused of being hypocrites and lost until they could have it.This conflict produced the Old Side - New Side division in the eighteenth century, and many divisions surrounding the nineteenth century revivals as well.The extraordinary measures taken during these revivals tended to replace the more ordinary process of infant baptism and Christian nurture as the most desirable way to make disciples and build churches.

The third chapter continues the development of this conflict into the nineteenth century.Schenck provides ample documentation to show how the pro-revivalist Presbyterians tended to associate baptism, not with the eternal covenant of grace, but with an ecclesiastical covenant made with Abraham.Baptized children were taken under the general guidance of the church, but were not presumed to be regenerate; in fact, they were presumed to be unregenerate (unless they died in infancy, in which case they were regenerate).In general the Southern theologians favored the revivalist view, while the Northern theologians favored the traditional view that baptized children were presumed to be regenerate.This conflict of perspective produced an extended theological argument between Charles Hodge and J. H. Thornwell, which Schenck traces in some detail.The particular issue that brought the conflict to the fore was the attempt to amend the Presbyterian Book of Discipline so that baptized children were removed from the discipline of the church session.This was the natural consequence of considering them to be unbelievers until they gave their own professions of faith.In this regard Thornwell had very harsh words regarding the spiritual state of the church's baptized children (pp. 94-95).When the Presbyterian Church divided during the Civil War, the Southern church continued to consider this change, finally adopting it in 1879.

The fourth chapter defends the doctrine that covenant children are to be considered as regenerated by God on the basis of God's promise, and therefore are entitled to receive baptism and be under the care and discipline of the church.Schenck provides a detailed examination of the Princeton theology regarding infant salvation and baptism, comparing the writings of several of its professors to those of Calvin and the early Reformers and contrasting them from later schools of thought, such as the New England theology.His careful analysis exposes and avoids the extremes that some have taken on one side or the other of this issue.He also includes a valuable discussion of the relation of the promise that God would save our children to the responsibilities of the parents and the church in bringing up their children in the nurture of the Lord.God uses means in bringing faith and sanctification; we cannot expect him to work apart from those means.While we "presume" their regeneration, and "consider" them as saved, we still have the obligation to teach the saving truths to them in time; indeed, this doctrine encourages that teaching.If we fail in this task, we cannot presume on God that he will save them anyway.The same principle applies as with preaching the gospel to adults.

In his final chapter Schenck decries the modern tendency to regard children in the church as unsaved and thus to make infant baptism a merely formal entrance into the visible church.It becomes a kind of "wet dedication ceremony."Rather, by understanding baptism as a sign and seal of the covenant of grace and as a means of grace along with the Word and prayer, we recognize the true importance and value of water baptism.Also, we restore the importance and centrality of Christian nurture of covenant children in our Christian families and in the church.

This book has the added benefit today of helping in the conflict over the Federal Vision theology.FV proponents observe and capitalize on the weakening of the doctrine of baptism in many Presbyterian and Reformed churches.They also recognize the faulty model of a conscious "conversion experience" being required for covenant children.They know that many true believers cannot remember such an experience, that they can never remember a time when they did not believe in Christ.To answer these deficiencies in the churches, they present their doctrine of baptismal regeneration and teach that all their baptized children are undoubtedly saved (they are ambiguous about unbaptized children); however, they must remain faithful or they will fall away.Some have sought to answer this challenge from the FV by presenting a greatly weakened, baptistic doctrine on the meaning of baptism and the status of covenant children.Schenck provides a better way.We can presume our children to be saved, consider and treat them as saved, without asserting that they are for sure--something only the Lord knows.If in time they show themselves to be unsaved, the church can and should discipline them, even excommunicate them.However, in the mean time, we teach and train our children in faith, believing them to be the Lord's and therefore receptive to this teaching and training.If they die at a young age, we assume they are with the Lord; if they live, we assume that the time will come when they will confess Christ themselves; but we regard them as saved before then.In this regard we have the exact same confidence that they are the Lord's as we have for adults who come into the church by their own confession of faith.On the basis of God's promise we presume them to be saved and teach them as such, but only God knows their hearts.

The new printing of the book has a valuable introduction by Frank A. James III, introducing the reader to this little-known Presbyterian scholar, and summarizing the book's contents and importance for today.The book has an excellent bibliography and is well indexed.I highly recommend this book for pastors, elders, and all Presbyterians who desire to be faithful in the treatment and nurture of our covenant children.

Strong and weak at the same time
Lewis Bevens Schenck's work on this subject must be commended for his exhaustive detail on what some of the Reformers taught, what many of the Westminster divines and others of their era thought, and what a large group of Reformed churches teach on the status of children of Christians in the Church.Are they members of the church or not?Are they God's children or not?According the Schenk and the multitude of great theologians he cites, they are God's children and members of the church and, presumably, Christians.

However, Schenk's chapter entitled, The Defense of the Doctrine of Children in the Covenant, didn't cut it.The only biblical basis he really gave was God's covenant with Abraham as binding on the children of believers in all generations since then.However, he gave almost no evidence (except Peter's words in Acts 2 about the promise being for our children, too) from the New Testament to defend this position.He points to revivalism as the cause for the view that people must trust Christ as Savior to enter the Body of Christ, but the New Testament is full of this idea and nowhere assumes that our children are Christians until they stop acting like it.The Apostle John wrote, "Yet to all who recieved Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).Paul wrote that it is "through faith" (Ephesians 2:8) that we are saved.Faith is simple trust, but only those who recieve Christ trust Him.It is a dangerous assumption to make that someone is a Christian without a profession of faith AND the fruit of the Spirit.It is this very assumption that fills our churches with people who rely on their baptism, their traditions, and their parents faith rather than their Savior resulting in dead churches.Schenk leans more on Calvin and other amazing men of God rather than on the teachings of scripture; the words of God Himself.

Children are special to Jesus.He said as much (Matthew 19:14).Thus we can be confident that those who do not live to an age where they can understand are among the elect. God did and does make a covenant with families (Genesis 17:7) to be a God to them.However, faith is required and a reception of Jesus as Lord to know Him in this covenant relationship.

In my search for answers to the question of whether I should have my covenant children baptised Schenk's book, although well written and thoroughly argued, is a strike against paedobaptism.

Required Reading for Professing Presbyterians
This book is so fundamental for my Bapti... I mean my (cough, cough) Presbyterian brothers to read.We have to come back to our Biblical / historical / creedal roots on the issue of infant baptism.Revivalism and the theology of crisis conversion has left us in mass confusion over the matter of where our covenant children stand within the church.We believe our covenant children are presumptively regenerate because of God's covenantal promises to them, not because we embrace "ex opere operato."We don't seek their conversion as if they were unbelieving pagans, we seek their nurture and growth in the faith.If you don't think this is the historic and confessional Reformed position, then please read this book - and stop the silly Presbyterian schisms over this issue.

WOW! Frank James again shows his genius
WOW! Frank James again shows his genius, and in what for his many fans on both sides of the Atlantic is a new field. Every seminary professor ought to get all his students to read this brilliant and highly important book. ... Read more

Product Description
General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1877Original Publisher: "Valley sentinel" officeSubjects: Presbyterians in PennsylvaniaPresbyteriansCarlisle (Pa.)Biography ... Read more

Product Description
General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1908Original Publisher: Hodder and StoughtonSubjects: Presbyterian ChurchReligion / Sermons / ChristianReligion / Christianity / PresbyterianNotes: This is an OCR reprint of the original rare book. There may be typos or missing text and there are no illustrations.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Introductory Text on Historic Reformed Liturgy
Baird's book is one of the classics of Reformed liturgical literature from the 19th century. Although surpased by more recent works (Thompson, Liturgies of the Western Church; Old, The Patristic Roots of Reformed Worship), it remains a valuable introductory survey for those interested in our liturgical heritage and practice. Baird surveys the liturgies of Geneva (following the now-defunct idea that Calvin was the source of all Reformed liturgy), France, Scotland, the Engllish Puritans, the Netherlands, and Heidelberg.

One of the benefits of this volume, besides its narrative style of writing, is that it helps to cure the main problem of liturgy in Reformed churches--we have been led to think we are anti-liturgical, and that only Rome, Constantinople, Canterbury, and Wittenburg are liturgical. Baird goes back to the sources (ad fontes) and shows that we have always been a liturgical people, and that high Calvinist liturgy is not an oxymoron. It is only under the influence of Pietism, Puritanism, and Revivalism, that we have left our roots and become Baptist in our liturgics.

Of special note to those in the Dutch Reformed tradition (e.g., Reformed Church in America, Christian Reformed Church, United Reformed Churches, Canadian Reformed Churches, Free Reformed Churches, Heritage Netherlands Reformed Churches), is how Baird traces the daily "Morning and Evening Prayers" to be used in family worship from Geneva, through the Netherlands, into Scotland, and into America. These treasures need to be recovered in our personal and family piety. They can be found, for example, in the Psalter Hymnal (Grand Rapids: Christian Reformed Church, 1959), 188-9.

Baird also reflects upon the Dutch Reformed in his day (mid-19th century) and says, "...of all the Calvinistic Churches represented in these United States, the Dutch Reformed denomination [RCA] alone has faithfully retained her ancient forms of worship" (207).

All seminarians, pastors, and laypeople in our churches ought to read Baird. For in so doing, our worship will be strengthened and our witness emboldened. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Book of Confessions Superb Resource
For anyone serious in their study of theology and, especially as historical resources apply to Presbyterianism, the "Book of Confessions" is a must read.The history leading up to each confession or creed is presented, which sets the stage for the resulting work and a number of important confessions or creeds are all in one collective edition, which is nice.

A sort of autobiography of Presbyterianism
As a nondenominational Christian, I've become interested lately in the actual theology of the Church.I've been reading/searching for general histories and expositions, primarily from a Protestant point of view.Although this book is specifically a Presbyterian publication, beginning basically with the Scottish Reformation, it does a nice job of explaining the historical circumstances/motivation behind each document.The result is a very logical presentation of how Presbtyerian beliefs have gone from A to B over the past 300+ years.

The major theological confessions...in one volume
Regardless of denominational affiliation, this book is a winner!The "Book of Confessions: Study Edition" takes most of the major Reformed theological treatises (and then some) and puts them in one handybook.Although this book was written by PC(USA) (of which I am a member)and therefore contains some of its theological biases in it (femaleordination, "A Brief Statement of Faith," &c.) those in moreconservative Presbyterian denoms (such as the PCA, Cumberland P.C.,Covenanters, et al.) will find this book equally useful.This is a greatresource in truly *knowing* the Presbyterian Christian faith. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

start here for your study of the New School
I feel a little bit like Goldlocks, i had 3 must write book reviews that i had promised myself to get done today, well it is 2AM the next day and before i can comfortably call it a day i ought to finish them.

Well, North's Crossed Fingers was just too conservative.
Weston's Presbyterian Pluralism was just too liberal.
At last, Marsden's Evangelical Mind and the NS Presbyterian Experience is just right.

First i really like Marsden's writings, clear, interesting, well research history. Careful objective analysis where he takes a position but doesn't seem to let it influence his studies unduely. I've this little list of good conservative Presbyterian historians that i can be sure i'll like reading their books: G. Marsden, David Wells, Mark Noll.

The book is his PhD thesis, perhaps a bit rewritten, but it reads much better than the majority of thesis i've read. At this point, i will be teaching a class on the history of American Presbyterianism and i think this book alone is my recommendation for advanced reading on the New School versus Old School split. It's good readable history, well organized, rememberable, simply the first in Marsden's long line of excellent books.

Second, what is it about?
From the preface- "is the Church's persistent tendency to embrace American nationalism and American middle-class mores in the name of Christianity".
and from page 2-"the transition from the theologically oriented and well-informed Calvinism characteristic of much of American Protestantism at the beginning of the nineteenth century to the nontheologically oriented and often poorly informed conservative Protestantism firmly established in middle class America by the end of the same century remains a remarkable aspect of American intellectual and ecclesiastical history."

These are really the two big themes of the book, how the second one happened, and trying to explain why the first started and is so persistent.
Other themes worth remembering are:
voluntary nature of the church in the wake of disestablishment after the Revolution of 1776.
New School as the theology of revivalism/experientialism/emotional appeal.
the moral failure of Protestantism to solve the moral problem of Southern slavery, because of its deference to Southern sentiments, and overwhelming desire to preserve unity.
the increased theological and denominational thought in the NS after separation as a result of struggling with a new set of issues.
Chapter 8 on the mediating theology of Henry B. Smith is the chapter i would recommend if you have the book in hand and wish to decide whether or not to read the whole thing. It contained perhaps 1/2 of the new insights for me from the whole book.
Chapters 9 and 10 are the crucial ones for understanding the confusion of church and nationalism, especially in the light of the Civil War.

So like Goldilocks said "this one is just right, and with that fell fast asleep on the little bear's bed".
If you have any interest in the topics outlined or church history in the 1800's this is my top recommendation for a starting point. ... Read more

Product Description
This easy-to-carry and very practical devotional resource will help all individuals, congregations, families, and small groups looking for assistance in prayer and in leading groups in prayer. It includes all the material from The Book of Common Worship. Features rubrics, and blue and maroon ribbons. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Wonderful Resource for Spiritual Growth
This is an outstanding resource for anyone who would like to enjoy the daily practice of the ancient "liturgy of the hours" praying the Psalms, other scriptures combined with contemporary prayers of thanksgiving and intercession.

It is truly an ecumenical resource-- you pray for different church traditions each day and the collection of prayers comes from diverse background as well.A Benedictine monastery is using this Presbyterian resource so you know it appeals to people who wants a biblically grounded resource.

I mentioned this resource in passing when I preached on Mary's song in an Advent sermon.People had never heard of this version of Daily Prayer.We ordered ten copies for folks who might want it.They sold out, we ordered another ten.We ended up selling forty copies in our church and people continue to use them daily-- they and our church are enriched by their prayers.

Surf around the online excerpts and you will this is an amazing resource and a bargain for its price.

Grace and Peace,
Bruce Gillette
Co-Pastor, Limestone Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, DE

One of the best daily prayer books
Over the years, I've tried many books that reflect the historic discipline of the "daily office" or "liturgy of the hours." For about 20 years that was the 1979 Book of Common Prayer (BCP); actually, I started with the trial-use "Blue Book" a few years earlier. I experimented with all four volumes of the Roman Catholic "Liturgy of the Hours," but it was much too complicated for practical use. And I've used "The New Century Psalter" published by the Pilgrim Press.

All of these resources are derived from the historic pattern of Christian daily prayer. I've been testing the "Book of Common Worship Daily Prayer" for three months now and I love it. It's portable and the design is both user-friendly and elegant. The book's editors were committed to inclusive language, but that has been a rock on which other office books have foundered, and if not done with sensitivity can make the psalms -- the heart of Christian daily prayer -- almost unreadable. This is not the case with BCW Daily Prayer. The editors wisely chose an adaptation based on the psalter from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer: the result is perhaps one of the most "singable" (and therefore readable as prayer-poetry) of any inclusive-language version of the psalms in English. Since the historic discipline of daily prayer involves the recitation of a fair number of psalms -- and that practice can become tedious or distracting if the translation is stylistically awkward -- this is a significant advantage.

The approach to inclusive language in BCW Daily Prayer is somewhat more conservative than alternatives like The New Century Psalter: the word "Lord" is used frequently not only in reference to Christ but also as the translation of "Adonai" or "YHWH" in the psalter. Otherwise, "king" is replaced by "sovereign" and male pronouns are seldom used in reference to God.

One oddity is that the historic "Gloria Patri..." -- which gives the office a Trinitarian shape and is traditionally used to conclude psalms and canticles on a specifically Christian note -- appears nowhere. "Psalm prayers" (an equally ancient Christian tradition) are provided for each psalm but these tend to break up the rhythm of recitation in a way that the trinitarian doxology doesn't. I wish the editors had provided the Gloria Patri and an inclusive-language alternative like the Eastern Orthodox "Glory to the holy...and life-giving Trinity...." Oddly, the daily office in the new "Evangelical Lutheran Worship" has also dropped the doxology for some reason. It can't be for the sake of historical authenticity: the Gloria Patri has been a part of the Hours since the fourth century. One especially misses the doxology at the beginning of the office after the opening versicle and response.

One might also wish that instead of long, discursive intercessory prayers the book had provided a selection of short litanies. Apart from its ancient origin, the litany-form also permits greater congregational participation. And a more generous selection of propers for holy days would have given the book greater ecumenical reach.

Still, the reader can supply a Trinitarian doxology whenever s/he wants, and this is just one flaw in a book that otherwise makes the ancient pattern of Christian daily prayer accessible to the contemporary church. I'm delighted it's still in print.

One final note: the two-year lectionary is an adaptation of the 1979 BCP. BCW Daily Prayer was published before the ecumenical "Daily Readings"--based on the Revised Common Lectionary's three-year cycle--was published. Users of this book who want their daily lectionary to flow seamlesslytowards the RCL Sunday readings can download "Daily Readings" from a number of sites, including this site: http://tr.im/readings.

Prayer
Anyone wanting to have a structured prayer life I highly recommendBook of Common Prayer.It is a beautiful book andpraying the psalms helps deepen one^s spiritual life.The Lectionary gives you the daily readings of the church.It is an ecumenical book with many beautiful and inspiring prayers.This is a book that will give you much thought for meditation.I highly recommend it. The book is for morning and evening prayer.

Prayer
Anyone wanting to have a structured prayer life I highly recommendBook of Common Prayer.It is a beautiful book andpraying the psalms helps deepen one^s spiritual life.The Lectionary gives you the daily readings of the church.It is an ecumenical book with many beautiful and inspiring prayers.This is a book that will give you much thought for meditation.I highly recommend it. The book is for morning and evening prayer.

Prayer
Anyone wanting to have a structured prayer life I highly recommendBook of Common Prayer.It is a beautiful book andpraying the psalms helps deepen one^s spiritual life.The Lectionary gives you the daily readings of the church.It is an ecumenical book with many beautiful and inspiring prayers.This is a book that will give you much thought for meditation.I highly recommend it. The book is for morning and evening prayer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Forty Compelling Stories
Forty Individual Stories of warmth and blessing that cover the history and growth of the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgendered movement within the Presbyterian Church (USA).Told from the point of view of those who havelived it, one cannot help but find God's Love and Blessing in each of theirlives.All too often, only one side of this complex issue of inclusion isheard, without the fairness of balance.This book makes and excellentattempt at telling the other side.It is non-judgmental, nor is itdefensive.The words written and shared here are done so in love. ... Read more

Product Description
William Ramsay surveys the growth and development of the Christian church from the New Testament era to the present day. Placing special attention on the experiences of Presbyterians in America, he highlights key events and profiles prominent individuals who had an impact on the church's life. This brief review of the history that led Presbyterians to America serves as a valuable introduction for new member classes, adult study groups, and all those eager to learn more about church history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A solid, well- researched overview of the history of the Christian church
Though intended especially for Presbyterians, Church History 101: An Introduction for Presbyterians is a solid, well- researched overview of the history of the Christian church from the era when Jesus Christ walked the earth to the present. Written by a retired Presbyterian minister, Church History 101 draws on a wide variety of scriptural, historical and archaeological resources to reconstruct the daily lives of Christian faithful as well as the monumental impacts of rulers, persecutions, crusades, alleged heresy, and attempts at reformation. The text reads fluidly, and is highly accessible especially to lay readers and study groups. Discussion questions such as "To what extent does the church in our country reflect the ideas of the Puritans? To what extent should it do so?" and "What has caused Presbyterians to divide in the past? How helpful have schisms proved to be? What has helped bring many of us back together?" follow each chapter, to better stimulate contemplation and the exchange of ideas. A highly recommended resource and history refresher.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A MUST FOR Every Presbyterian Elder.
Insightful information on Church polity and proceedure.It allows one to use the Book of Order to further the ends of the particular Church with confidence and prayerful surety. I am buying this copy for a newly ordained elder. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
The Columbia Presbyterian Guide to Surgery is the definitive resource for anyone whose physician has recommended surgery.Like having the best surgeons in the world give you a second opinion--for free, almost--this book gives you an arsenal of options and alternatives so you can participate fully and responsibly in this major health decision.Sometimes surgery isn't the best option, and Dr. Eric A. Rose clearly explains the steps and proceses involved in determining what is right for you.

If you decide to have surgery The Columbia Presbyterian Guide to Surgery gives you the best, most current information, fully illustrated, concerning forty-give of the most common surgical procedures, including:

Parts of the body being operated on
Reasons for having the operation
Basic steps of the operation
What can happen if you don't have the operation
Factors that increase your risk of complications
Tests you may have to undergo
What to expect when it's over
Checklist of important questions to ask your doctor
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