Princeton Seminary in American Religion and Culture

by James H. Moorhead

Overview

The story of Princeton Theological Seminary, the Presbyterian Church's first seminary in America, begins in 1812, shortly after the United States had entered into its second war against Great Britain. Princeton went on to become a model of American theological education, setting the standard for subsequent seminaries and other religious higher education institutions.

Princeton's story is uniquely intertwined with American religious and cultural history, the history of theological education, the Presbyterian church, and conceptions of ministry in general. Thus, this volume will interest not only those with links to Princeton but also historians of religion, Presbyterians, leaders within seminaries and Christian colleges, and all who are interested in the history of Christian thought in America.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467436205
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	08/27/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	570
File size:	39 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

James H. Moorhead is Mary McIntosh Bridge Professor of American Church History at Princeton Theological Seminary and senior editor of The Journal of Presbyterian History. His other books include World without End: Mainstream American Protestant Visions of the Last Things, 1880-1925.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments and a Brief Note on the Method of This Study ix

Preface: Princeton: August 12, 1812 xiv

1 The Founding of Princeton Seminary 1

2 Archibald Alexander and Samuel Miller 28

3 Learning and Piety 63

4 The Professional Theologians 90

5 Princeton and the Presbyterian Schism of 1837 118

6 Princeton, Society, and Pre-Civil War America 141

7 The Seminary, the Civil War, and Reconstruction 171

8 Charles Hodge and the Tradition Codified 197

9 William Henry Green and Biblical Studies 234

10 Princeton in the Age of Warfield 251

11 Hints of Change and Missionary Visions 282

12 Curriculum, Conflict, and the Seminary's Mission 311

13 The Fundamentalist Controversy and Reorganization 340

14 John A. Mackay: Continuity and New Direction 370

15 Reshaping the Seminary, 1936-1959 422

16 Princeton and Deepening Pluralism, 1959-2004 458

Epilogue: Princeton in the Twenty-First Century 502

Index 510

Editorial Reviews

Ronald C. White Jr.
— author of A. Lincoln: A Biography
"Masterful! James Moorhead's bicentennial history offers both a wide-angle view of the place of Princeton Seminary in American culture and a zoom lens focusing on remarkable professors and presidents. Beginning with the founders' dual commitment to learning and piety, Moorhead deftly narrates Princeton's response to two centuries of theology and culture, illumined in different eras and through both conflict and consensus. Delightfully, alumni and friends will experience the rekindling of many memories, as well as the surprise of new stories and insights, all rendered in clear and compelling prose."

Mark Valeri
— author of Heavenly Merchandize: How Religion Shaped Commerce in Puritan America
"One of America's most influential theological institutions, Princeton Seminary deserves an updated, readable, reliable, and engaging history. James Moorhead has given us just that. . . . This book provides more than the story of a single seminary; it offers a window into mainstream American Protestantism from the early nation to the present."

George Marsden
— author of Jonathan Edwards: A Life
"Princeton Theological Seminary has been one of America's leading theological centers, and its saga involves many strong personalities and impressive thinkers. James Moorhead has told this important story well and provides much of interest that any reader will learn from."

James Bratt
— author of the forthcoming Abraham Kuyper: Modern Calvinist, Christian Democrat
"Princeton Theological Seminary has played a role matched by few other institutions in the history of American Protestantism. This able and graceful bicentennial account by James Moorhead profiles the leading characters, intellectual currents, and steady religious commitments that have given Princeton Seminary its distinctive stamp. . . . To read this book is to walk down the middle of American religious history along the trail of a noble effort to combine faith and reason for the good of the church and the promotion of a responsible public culture.

Richard Carwardine
— author of Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power
"James Moorhead's deep learning, sharp analytical eye, and humane understanding have yielded a scintillating intellectual biography of Princeton Seminary. He places the lives and ideas that shaped the two hundred years of this remarkable institution within the context of the wider religious and cultural forces with which it has been sometimes in dialogue, sometimes in conflict. This is institutional history of the very best kind."

Christine Leigh Heyrman
— author of Southern Cross: The Beginnings of the Bible Belt
"James Moorhead is the ideal chronicler of this institution that has played so formative a role in the intellectual and spiritual life of the United States. His smart, clear, and graceful narrative deserves a wide audience among students of history, theology, and education."

Daniel Walker Howe
— author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848
"James Moorhead relates the richly human story of Princeton Seminary's two hundred years of intellectual and spiritual challenge, change, and perseverance. Historians, clergy, seminarians, and general readers will all welcome this fascinating and accessible account."

Mark A. Noll
author of The Rise of Evangelicalism: The Age of Edwards, Whitefield, and the Wesleys
"The life of Princeton Theological Seminary spans a momentous two centuries in the history of the United States and a period just as momentous for Reformed faith in America and abroad. James Moorhead's excellently researched study brings that history to life. . . . This fine book deserves a wide readership."
Books & Culture —
“A window into not only the history of Protestant higher education but also the larger history of Protestantism in American culture. . . . Moorhead’s thoughtful history explores the changing contours of Protestant theology. “
 
Mid-America Journal of Theology 
“Moorhead has written a history of the Seminary this is not merely an institutional reprise of its past but a work that illumines how the school was central to the church – not just the Presbyterian Church but the broader American church – and even to the national culture. . . . Moorhead writes well and offers many insights into the seminary’s fascinating and significant history. . . . Any who are interested in American religion and culture, not simply Presbyterian history, should procure and read this new history.”
 
Journal of American History 
“A treasure for anyone interested in Princeton Seminary.”
 
Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology 
“A fair-minded and comprehensive account of the seminary’s two-century existence.”
 
Master’s Seminary Journal
“The work is highly recommended on several levels. . . . Moorhead writes history with a panache that is both interesting and even-handed, undergirded with a model of scholarly research.”
 
Presbyterion 
“An excellent overview of Princeton Theological Seminary. . . . As an institutional history the book is well researched and highly readable.”
 

From the Publisher