1. The Presbyterian Presence: The Twentieth-century Experience -- Looking Backward: Religion And American Culture ; The American Religious Landscape ; The Three Disestablishments Of Religion In America ; American Civil Religion ; The Divisions Of Protestant Evangelicalism ; The American Cultural Landscape ; The Compartmentalization Of America ; The Changing Demographics Of The American Population ; Cultural Diversity ; Individualism ; Science ; The Modern University -- Whither The Mainstream Protestants? Membership Growth And Decline: Historical Background ; Religious Preference In Contemporary America ; The Demographics Of Mainstream Protestantism Since World War Ii ; Switching Between Denominations ; Conservative-to-liberal Switching ; The Characteristics Of Switchers ; The Backdoor Exit ; The Disaffiliated ; Mental Members ; Nonmember Participants ; No Religious Preference ; Membership Decline And Denominationalism -- The Organizational Revolution: Denominationlism And Leadership ; American Presbyterians And The Colonial Church ; The Rise Of The Denomination ; The Age Of Incorporation ; The Organizational Revolution ; The New Denomination -- The Predicament Of Pluralism: Theology And Confessions ; The Critical Period And Protestantism's Civil War ; After The Battle: A Neo-orthodox Consensus ; The Rise Of Theological Pluralism -- The Varieties Of Witness: The Debate Over Evangelism ; Evangelism ; Structures Fro Revival ; The New Life Movement And Person-to-person Evangelism ; New Questions For Evangelism ; Programs ; Theological Reformulations Of Evangelism ; New Church Development ; Ministries On College Campuses ; Media Ministries ; A Division Of Parallel Allegiances -- The Diversities Of Discipleship: Mission, Racial Ethnic Ministries, Ecumenism, And Social Justice ; From Foreign Missions To Global Mission ; Ministries With Racial Ethnic Minorities ; The Ecumenical Movement ; From Old To New Agendas -- The Ecology For Nurturing Faith: Education, Disciplines, And Programs For Faith Development ; The Family And The Sabbath ; The Sunday School ; Congregational Education ; Theological Education ; Denominational Programs For Nurture ; Publishing Houses ; Denominational Journals ; Denominational Journals ; Women's Groups ; Men's Groups 2. The Re-forming Church -- The Presbyterian Predicament: A Case Of Conflicting Allegiances ; Biblical Interpretation ; Witness ; Power And Authority ; Leadership ; Reform ; The Congregation And The Denomination ; Ecumenism And Denominational Identity ; Balancing Parallel Allegiances -- The Re-forming Church: An Agenda For Reform ; Reform Begins With Repentance ; Reforms Means Openness To Growth And Evangelism ; The Opposition To Growth ; Focus On Three Groups ; Mental Members ; The Youth Of The Baby Boom ; Generation ; Racial Ethnic Ministries ; Focus On Faith, Witness, And Service ; Faith ; Witness ; Service ; Focus On Denominational Priorities In Evangelism ; New Church Development ; Ministries On College Campuses ; Mass Media ; Reform Means Revitalizing Education And Nurture ; The Household Of Faith ; Congregations ; Governing Bodies ; Leadership ; Reform Means Recovery Of Theological Vision ; The Predicament Of Pluralism ; The Mistaken Challenge ; The Real Challenge ; A Theological Agenda For The Church. By Milton J. Coalter, John M. Mulder, Louis B. Weeks. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.

The Re-Forming Tradition: Presbyterians and Mainstream Protestantism (Presbyterian Presence: the Twentieth-Century Experience)

Coalter, Milton J; Mulder, John M., 1946-; Weeks, Louis, 1941-

by Milton J. Coalter, John M. Mulder, Louis B. Weeks

Louisville, Ky.: Westminster/John Knox Press

Presbyterian Publishing Corporation

Geneva Press

The Presbyterian presence, 1st ed., Louisville, Ky, Kentucky, 1992

United States, United States of America

First Edition, PS, 1992

pages printed eratically

Includes bibliographical references (p. 289-335) and index.

355 pages ; 20 cm
Includes bibliographical references (pages 289-335) and index
1. The Presbyterian presence: The twentieth-Century experience -- Looking Backward: Religion and American culture ; The American religious landscape ; The three disestablishments of religion in America ; American civil religion ; The divisions of protestant evangelicalism ; The American cultural landscape ; The compartmentalization of America ; The changing demographics of the American population ; Cultural diversity ; Individualism ; Science ; The modern university -- Whither the mainstream protestants? Membership growth and decline: Historical background ; Religious preference in contemporary America ; The demographics of mainstream Protestantism since world war
II ; Switching between denominations ; Conservative-to-liberal switching ; The characteristics of switchers ; The backdoor exit ; The disaffiliated ; Mental members ; Nonmember participants ; No religious preference ; Membership decline and denominationalism -- The organizational revolution: Denominationlism and leadership ; American Presbyterians and the colonial church ; The rise of the denomination ; The age of incorporation ; The organizational revolution ; The new denomination -- The predicament of pluralism: Theology and confessions ; The critical period and Protestantism's civil war ; After the battle: a neo-orthodox consensus ; The rise of theological pluralism -- The varieties of witness: The debate over evangelism ; Evangelism ; Structures fro revival ; The new life movement and person-to-person evangelism ; New questions for evangelism ; Programs ; Theological reformulations of evangelism ; New Church development ; Ministries on college campuses ; Media ministries ; A division of parallel allegiances -- The diversities of discipleship: Mission, racial ethnic ministries, ecumenism, and social justice ; From foreign missions to global mission ; Ministries with racial ethnic minorities ; The ecumenical movement ; From old to new agendas -- The ecology for nurturing faith: Education, disciplines, and programs for faith development ; The family and the Sabbath ; The sunday school ; Congregational education ; Theological education ; Denominational programs for nurture ; Publishing houses ; Denominational journals ; Denominational journals ; Women's groups ; Men's groups
2. The Re-forming church -- The Presbyterian predicament: A case of conflicting allegiances ; Biblical interpretation ; Witness ; Power and authority ; Leadership ; Reform ; The congregation and the denomination ; Ecumenism and denominational identity ; Balancing parallel allegiances -- The Re-forming church: An agenda for reform ; Reform begins with repentance ; Reforms means openness to growth and evangelism ; The opposition to growth ; Focus on three groups ; Mental members ; The youth of the baby boom ; Generation ; Racial ethnic ministries ; Focus on faith, witness, and service ; Faith ; Witness ; Service ; Focus on denominational priorities in evangelism ; New church development ; Ministries on college campuses ; Mass media ; Reform means revitalizing education and nurture ; The household of faith ; Congregations ; Governing bodies ; Leadership ; Reform means recovery of theological vision ; The predicament of pluralism ; The mistaken challenge ; The real challenge ; A theological agenda for the church

This book challenges American Presbyterians to remember their calling as Christians. The author believes that Presbyterians are summoned to a character of life that will awaken and address the religious questions of today with powerful and persuasive Christian perspectives and answers. By recognizing again the message of the good news of the gospel and by speaking directly to our world, the authors tell how American Presbyterians can recover their identity as Reformed Christians and continue to make a creative contribution to the witness of the church in the world. Through its examination of American Presbyterianism, the Presbyterian Presence series illuminates patterns of change in mainstream Protestantism and American religious and cultural life in the twentieth century.

2023-06-28