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Descending on Humanity and Intervening in History: Notes from the Pulpit Ministry of P. T. Forsyth
This collection of forty-eight sermons, most of which have not been previously published, discloses the integration of vocation and imagination in the work of one of the greatest of Free Church theologians, P. T. Forsyth. At a time of fragmentation, when theological study has become too much removed from the task of the preacher, Forsyth’s work can remind us of the invigorating power of Christian doctrine interpreted and expounded in situations of pastoral and political exigency. Its capacity for the renewal of the church is evident again from this rich and timely anthology, compiled and introduced by Jason Goroncy.
“Far from being a collection of cozy meditations, here are challenging, biblically rooted, theologically powerful, pastorally concerned essays and sermon notes by Britain’s most stimulating theologian of the twentieth century. Church members will be energized; preachers will be prompted towards relevant exposition. This book is the product of much persistent burrowing by Jason Goroncy, whose substantial introduction is an exemplary piece of scholarship in its own right. We are greatly indebted to him.”
—Alan P. F. Sell, University of Wales Trinity Saint David
“Few modern theologians have displayed the combination of intellectual energy, rhetorical power, and pastoral commitment of P. T. Forsyth. In this valuable collection of Forsyth’s sermons, many of them hitherto unpublished, we encounter a conviction too often absent in church and academy alike—that theology and preaching belong vitally together. In these striking examples of that vision, contemporary readers will find much to learn, challenge, and inspire.”
—Ivor J. Davidson, University of St. Andrews
Jason Goroncy is Lecturer and Dean of Studies at the Knox Centre for Ministry and Leadership in Dunedin. His research interests lie chiefly in the areas of Christian doctrine, theological anthropology (particularly around theologies of childhood, disability and death), the work of P. T. Forsyth, and theological aesthetics. He is the author of Hallowed Be Thy Name: The Sanctification of All in the Soteriology of Peter Taylor Forsyth (T&T Clark, 2013) and the editor of “Tikkun Olam”—To Mend the World: A Confluence of Theology and the Arts (Pickwick, 2014).
“Far from being a collection of cozy meditations, here are challenging, biblically rooted, theologically powerful, pastorally concerned essays and sermon notes by Britain’s most stimulating theologian of the twentieth century. Church members will be energized; preachers will be prompted towards relevant exposition. This book is the product of much persistent burrowing by Jason Goroncy, whose substantial introduction is an exemplary piece of scholarship in its own right. We are greatly indebted to him.”
—Alan P. F. Sell, University of Wales Trinity Saint David
“Few modern theologians have displayed the combination of intellectual energy, rhetorical power, and pastoral commitment of P. T. Forsyth. In this valuable collection of Forsyth’s sermons, many of them hitherto unpublished, we encounter a conviction too often absent in church and academy alike—that theology and preaching belong vitally together. In these striking examples of that vision, contemporary readers will find much to learn, challenge, and inspire.”
—Ivor J. Davidson, University of St. Andrews
Jason Goroncy is Lecturer and Dean of Studies at the Knox Centre for Ministry and Leadership in Dunedin. His research interests lie chiefly in the areas of Christian doctrine, theological anthropology (particularly around theologies of childhood, disability and death), the work of P. T. Forsyth, and theological aesthetics. He is the author of Hallowed Be Thy Name: The Sanctification of All in the Soteriology of Peter Taylor Forsyth (T&T Clark, 2013) and the editor of “Tikkun Olam”—To Mend the World: A Confluence of Theology and the Arts (Pickwick, 2014).
396 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
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About the author
P.T. Forsyth
142 books19 followersPeter Taylor Forsyth, Scottish theologian.
From The Soul of Prayer book description:
P. T. Forsyth is sometimes described as an English pre-cursor to Karl Barth. He was born in 1848 to a Scottish family of humble origins and later in life attended Aberdeen University, where he graduated with first-class honours in classical literature in 1869. In 1876 he was ordained and called to minister in Shipley, Yorkshire. In his early ministry in the Congregational Church, Forsyth fought orthodoxy and sought for the right to rethink Christian theology and pursue liberal thought. In 1878, however, Forsyth experienced a conversion from, in his own words, "being a Christian to being a believer, from a lover of love to an object of grace." A profound awareness of pastoral responsibility was awakened which radically altered the the course of his ministry. His conversion thrust him from the leadership of liberalism to a recovery of the theology of grace. Quickly, he became one of the better-known figures in British Nonconformity. In 1894, he received a call to Emmanuel College in Cambridge, where he preached his famous sermon, "Holy Father" in 1896. In 1901, he accepted a position as principal of Hackney Theological College, London where he remained until he died in 1921. Over his lifetime Forsyth published 25 books and more than 260 articles. He is often credited with recovering for his generation the reality and true dimensions of the grace of God.(
From The Soul of Prayer book description:
P. T. Forsyth is sometimes described as an English pre-cursor to Karl Barth. He was born in 1848 to a Scottish family of humble origins and later in life attended Aberdeen University, where he graduated with first-class honours in classical literature in 1869. In 1876 he was ordained and called to minister in Shipley, Yorkshire. In his early ministry in the Congregational Church, Forsyth fought orthodoxy and sought for the right to rethink Christian theology and pursue liberal thought. In 1878, however, Forsyth experienced a conversion from, in his own words, "being a Christian to being a believer, from a lover of love to an object of grace." A profound awareness of pastoral responsibility was awakened which radically altered the the course of his ministry. His conversion thrust him from the leadership of liberalism to a recovery of the theology of grace. Quickly, he became one of the better-known figures in British Nonconformity. In 1894, he received a call to Emmanuel College in Cambridge, where he preached his famous sermon, "Holy Father" in 1896. In 1901, he accepted a position as principal of Hackney Theological College, London where he remained until he died in 1921. Over his lifetime Forsyth published 25 books and more than 260 articles. He is often credited with recovering for his generation the reality and true dimensions of the grace of God.(
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 11, 2014
This book has a brilliant and lengthy introduction by Jason Goroncy, who's something of a specialist on Forsyth. During the course of the introduction, Goroncy backgrounds Forsyth's life, and his approach to theology. I've been reading a fair amount of Forsyth over the last few months, and the detail in the introduction here helps fill out what I already knew about the man. Goroncy's other book on Forsyth, Hallowed be Thy Name, which came out about the same time as this one, fills in even more of Forsyth's background, most particularly his way of thinking, and is also worth reading, although it's about three times as long as the sermon book.
The second half of the book consists of selected sermons by Forsyth, and what might be called notes for sermons. Some of the sermons have been published previously, but most have been unavailable for a long time. When I say 'sermons' the word has to be taken with some breadth, since a sermon for Forsyth can be quite considerable in length. Not every sermon here will appeal to the reader: some are heavy and take a bit of thinking through. But there's enough variety to please everyone who reads the book, and I suspect the best approach with the sermons is to pick and choose as you please, gradually whittling away at them.
The second half of the book consists of selected sermons by Forsyth, and what might be called notes for sermons. Some of the sermons have been published previously, but most have been unavailable for a long time. When I say 'sermons' the word has to be taken with some breadth, since a sermon for Forsyth can be quite considerable in length. Not every sermon here will appeal to the reader: some are heavy and take a bit of thinking through. But there's enough variety to please everyone who reads the book, and I suspect the best approach with the sermons is to pick and choose as you please, gradually whittling away at them.
December 28, 2014
Though PT does not push all my theological buttons, my soul is stirred whenever I read him. I did not work my way through the entirety of the book because I was more interested in PT's unpublished sermons than Goroncy's biography. Forsyth is a *preaching* theologian with unflinching focus on the cross of Christ, and this combination makes him one of the most quotable theologians around. Here is a taste:
"You are first of all stewards, not owners. Men with a trust, not men with a property. You have to carry what many others have tried to carry— a Gospel, a Truth many times uttered. And so I would warn you not to strive to win notice by originality but only by the Gospel you preach. The truest things you will have to say are those that have been said many times, but they are still the most original. Grace is the most original thing in the world. However original sin may be, Grace is more original still. The Grace of God is so original as to be unexplainable."
"We are in trust of the last and holiest reality of the world, the grace of God. Next to grace, the deepest thing in the world is sin. That which went deeper than sin and overcame it, is that of which we are in charge."
Now, go get yourself some Forsyth.
"You are first of all stewards, not owners. Men with a trust, not men with a property. You have to carry what many others have tried to carry— a Gospel, a Truth many times uttered. And so I would warn you not to strive to win notice by originality but only by the Gospel you preach. The truest things you will have to say are those that have been said many times, but they are still the most original. Grace is the most original thing in the world. However original sin may be, Grace is more original still. The Grace of God is so original as to be unexplainable."
"We are in trust of the last and holiest reality of the world, the grace of God. Next to grace, the deepest thing in the world is sin. That which went deeper than sin and overcame it, is that of which we are in charge."
Now, go get yourself some Forsyth.
February 3, 2025
Has the best front cover I have ever seen. Amazing job!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews