For a Continuing Church: The Roots of the Presbyterian Church in America

by Sean Michael Lucas

The first full scholarly account of the theological and social forces that brought about the creation of the Presbyterian Church in America, using primary archival, newspaper, and magazine material.

Genres: History, Church History, Christian, Theology, Nonfiction, American History, Race

368 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2015

About the author

Sean Michael Lucas is the Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church, Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Prior to this, he served as Chief Academic Officer and associate professor of church history at Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. He received BA and MA degrees from Bob Jones University and his PhD degree from Westminster Theological Seminary.

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

What has happened in history never stays in the past. It echos and ripples and reverberates throughout time.  That sounds cliche for two, legitimate reasons. 1) I am an average writer who is being somewhat lazy  and, more importantly, 2) it is just plain true.  History repeats itself and we are doomed to repeat our past if we don't learn from it and etc, etc.

 

Our history is important. And before you look at a work about the foundation of the PCA and think it has no edifying benefit outside of that denomination, do not forget how universally sinful we humans are and how hopelessly unoriginal we tend to be. The failures and flaws that led to the formation of the PCA (as well as the failures and flaws within the process of formation and the years since) can be found in many (if not all) Christian denominations, churches, individual lives.

 

The evolution of the Protestant liberal, a regression to a virtually Scripture-less, authority-less, Gospel-less, authority-less, Christ-less, "do good and be good"ianity, is a danger to be guarded againstt by all Christians.  The emergence of the PCA is an example of a rejection of this regression.  In that sense, Lucas's history of the PCA offers a service to the church at-large.

 

But the primary ministry of this book will be to Christians more closely associated with the PCA. As someone brand-new to the PCA (and presbyterianism in general), I benefitted greatly from this work. This is a detailed historical work that was not necessarily written for a PCA-novice like me.  But, purposely or providentially, Lucas writes in a way that has great depth but does not leave the uninitiated gasping in the wake.

 

History texts, for me, are generally vegetables.  You consume them more out of necessity than for pleasure. They are not as pleasant to the pallette as a sweet dessert or as fun to chew on as a perfectly grilled steak.  And sometimes you get a turnip. :-(  But a good cook can present vegetables in a way that makes them the star of a meal.  "Yes, banana pudding sounds great, but is there anymore broccoli?"  Ok, so maybe that doesn't happen all that often at the supper table, but For a Continuing Church is a history book that provides nutrion and pleasure.  It deserves a spot in seminary, church, and personal libraries (and it deserves a printing in hardback!). I would have loved to see a full timeline included of the key events.

 

If you are a history buff or PCA minister, grabbing a copy of this is a nobrainer.  But I would encourage all PCA members and people interested in the ebb and flow of Christian life at a macro level to give this a read as well.

 

Double Disclaimer

1. I received a review copy of this book - standard fair.

2. I went into this work with just north of 0% knowledge of the history of PCA. I am certain, as with any history text, that there are many who will criticize the content of this work.  I am not in a position to do that. As far as this volume goes, I commend it for a number if reason. First, the presentation.  It is immensely approachable. Second, Lucas's credentials as an historian and the preponderance of citations make me have a good bit of faith in the content. Third, Lucas,from all indications, is a man of character who loves the Lord and desires to serve the church. I have no reservations taking For a Continuing Church to be an accurate assessment of the formation of the PCA and feel comfortable encouraging others to do likewise.

[Jordan Carl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well researched and provocative look at the roots of the Presbyterian Church in America. Dr. Lucas’ book is peppered with original source material from session meetings, general assembly actions, personal correspondence, and autobiography from leaders and shapers of the conservative Presbyterian contingency within the PCUS who blazed the trail for a “conservative mainline and evangelical Presbyterian denomination”; one committed to biblical inerrancy and authority, confessionally Reformed, and faithful to the great commission.

Starting in the 1920’s, Dr. Lucas lays out by decade the major fracture points between PCUS liberals and conservatives which led to the formation of the PCA in 1973. Most of these reasons were old tropes that have been the means of decline in almost every liberal Presbyterian denomination (including the PCA now) in American History:

1. Denominational seminaries littered with professors lurching towards denial of tenants of the faith and constantly seeking to reformulate theological thought and vocabulary to make the faith more palatable and “missional” (e.g. Covenant Seminary renaming its systematics department “missional theology” circa 2016-2017).

2. Failure to maintain confessional subscription allowing for “good faith subscription” and multiple changes, revisions, and interpretations of the Westminster Standards (federal vision, theonomy, creation days, good faith subscription).

3. Conservative leaders not wanting to “organize” for fear of looking divisive despite liberal leaders doing the very same thing to push their agendas.

4. A loss of the focus of the gospel message as the means to bring about personal renewal leading to societal change for the glory of God. Rather, the church of God is influenced by society and seeks to be “for the city” or “socially engaged”. This ultimately leads to society and humanism influencing the church instead of the other way round. (Don’t hear what I’m not saying, the church has a responsibility to speak to and engage in culture, but not at the expense of bowing the knee to every cultural pressure and new thought thrown at us from the universities - racial reconciliation, woke church, critical race theory, women in positions of authority and leadership within the church).

All these and much more led to the decline of the PCUS into an apostate church. My fear, and I believe it to be founded in fact as evidenced by the last chapter of Dr. Lucas’ book, is the PCA in our efforts to remain a “centrist” denomination, eschewing biblical fidelity and reformed confessionalism, will set us down a similar trajectory as our southern Presbyterian forefathers. From the last chapter of the book: “difficult doctrinal matters came up to the General assembly - whether theology, creation days, or confessions subscription - the PCA has tended toward solutions that move toward the center and keep as many people within the church as possible (p320-321). The desire to be a “big tent”, mainline, and centrist denomination, I fear, will lead down the same paths of the PCUS, despite the “lack of theological liberals” in the PCA. Fervent prayer and biblical and confessional fidelity are the way forward to continue the “continuing church” handed down to us by our fathers.

Oh yeah, I failed to mention, the conservatives were disgustingly racist. Morton H. Smith wrote some horrible things. Obviously just as social justice and liberalism don’t necessarily go hand and hand, neither does conservatism and racism. I summarily repudiate the segregationist and racist ideologies espoused by some of the founders of the PCA. That being said, these issues are not best dealt with at a denominational (GA) level. If there is evidence of a congregation, minister, or congregant demonstrating racist thought/action this is best dealt with at the session or presbytery level.

[Travis Robnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great history of the PCA, and it is not hagiographical. In fact, it made me uncomfortable at times. It also helped me understand the underlying denominational ethos of being a continuing “conservative mainline” church.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love the PCA, you must read this book! Familial patterns often repeat themselves, for better and for worse. By seeing the roots of the PCA you will both be filled with pride and lament at the failures of our founders. I was amazed at how contentious atmosphere of debate, issues of race, and political squabbles continue to play out in similar fashion. Simultaneously, I'm so thankful for the conviction these men had to follow Christ as he is revealed in scripture even when it was unpopular to do so.

[Alex McEwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Faithful to the Scriptures, True to the Reformed Faith, and Obedient to the Great Commission." (The Vision and Identity of the PCA)

"For a Continuing Church" provides an insightful introduction to the history and formation of the PCA. Understanding the denomination's history is crucial, especially as data indicates that the PCA is one of the only American evangelical denominations growing faster than the birth rate. Where notably, this growth isn’t necessarily fueled by conversions, but by individuals transitioning from broader evangelical traditions like the SBC, Nine Marks, TGC, and Acts 29.

I loved this book. I appreciated Lucas’ approach of presenting vignettes of actual events rather than just discussing trends and generalities. While I (a verifiable nerd) would have appreciated more data on trends over time, I understand that such data might not have been available. I also appreciated that Lucas didn’t shy away from acknowledging Southern Presbyterianism's political history, including its stance against communism, the social Gospel, and integration. Despite this legacy, the book highlights how the modern PCA has evolved into a diverse and responsive institution.

I found it particularly enlightening to learn about the incremental shift towards liberalism and the time it took for a response in broader Presbyterian history in the 20th century. I also found it interesting just how significant in the formation of the PCA controversies like the two or three office view of the church were in the 20th century. Additionally, I found the book's discussion on how Billy Graham and the evangelical explosion were influenced by Southern Presbyterianism to be an important topic of discussion for the modern PCA.

The book argues that from its inception, the PCA aimed to be the heir of the mainline denomination (a position I hold and sometimes get quite a bit of pushback for). Within the realm of Presbyterianism, the PCA is good faith subscriptionist, denomination, which is to say we are inclusive within the bounds of the confession. In the wider realm of Presbyterianism we are rather big tent. And the denomination has made room for a plurality of elders with a plurality of opinions. Our founding motto, "Faithful to the Scriptures, True to the Reformed Faith, and Obedient to the Great Commission," resonates strongly with the PCA's mission today.

While watching GA each year might give the impression of a fractured body, this historical account reminds readers of the reasons behind the caution and deliberation within the denomination. Our theological need for nuance, combined with a diverse membership, contributes to our unified body. Despite the loud debates on the GA floor and social media, there are countless pastors and congregants across the nation and the world that live faithfully, fostering unity within the PCA.

On an editorial note, the book's dimensions and weight make it somewhat unwieldy for reading. More room in the margins for notes would have been appreciated, although I understand something’s got to give as I am asking for a lighter book.

I intend to revisit this work as it serves as a reminder of our unity within the denomination. For a deeper theological exploration of Presbyterian history in the United States, I’d recommend pairing this read with "Reformed and Evangelical: Across Four Centuries.”

"For a Continuing Church" transcends being just a history of the PCA. It delves into the broader battle of defining Christian identity in a post-denominational and, in some ways, post-Christian society. Read this, read it slowly, and devotionally. And remember, there are very serious historical concerns for the side that fears liberalism and the side that fears we aren’t moving fast enough on social issues.

[PD · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will be of particular interest to those who are affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Also, this book will be of general interest to those who are interested and impacted by the issues, debates, and dynamics of 20th century American Christianity.

Lucas interacts with primary sources such as articles, letters, and minutes for meetings. Lucas describes people and positions that are historical and factual. His analysis and tone is fair minded; and like all history, this includes the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Every present moment must pursue the past with accuracy, honesty, and humility - and pray those who come after will deal with us in the same ways we seek to understand our forebears.

[Colton Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good history of the PCA. I appreciate that it didn't tilt toward hagiography, but gave a clear vision of the past.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Sean Lucas has written an engaging and well researched book on the roots of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). I appreciate learning of the struggle for the birth of the PCA.
Southern Presbyterianism is not in my background. I was dragged into the PCA through the joining and receiving process in 1982 when the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod (RPC, ES) was absorbed by the PCA. My historical roots are northern Presbyterianism. I grew up not far from William Tennant’s original Log College (the forerunner of Princeton Seminary). My wife’s family has roots in the old Orthodox Presbyterian/ Bible Presbyterian split. With that in mind much I what I read was new to me, new in that the names of the players had been changed, the issues had not changed except for the issue of race.
I must say I wept at the passages outlining racial issues in the old PCUS. I was a student at Covenant College in the late 1960s when the first black students arrived on Lookout Mountain and I was aware of the issues that brought to the PCUS constituency of the college. I did not grow up in that environment. As Lucas points out (p. 326) I do not “have the same sense if cultural responsibility the southern Presbyterians who make up the PCA had.” Nor can I embrace the racial guilt the PCA is now embracing.
Dr. Lucas proves his point that the PCA desires to be a mainline denomination. In his concluding section “On Being Presbyterian” (pp. 325-328) he tries to point out that the PCA struggles of the last forty years are similar to but different from the old PCUS. Nice try, but I believe we have our progressives– in the true sense of the old PCUS progressives; we still have large–steeple pastors (Dr. Lucas is one), seminary professors, permanent committee heads and not so secret groups seeking to guide the trajectory of the church. This belies that alleged ground roots heritage of the PCA.
My father-in-law was part of the RPC, ES group that worked on Joining and Receiving in 1982. His observation to me then was that “these fellows are just angry because they are out of power. When they get power they will become exactly like what they have left.” By that he meant the old PCUS. After serving for 33+ years in the PCA as a minister I must say he was correct.
Having said all that, this is a very worthwhile book –'Tolle Lege."

[Jeff Skipper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful, informative, and insightful. This tied together so many loose strings for me. It should be a required textbook for all pastoral interns/elders in the PCA. Man, I'm thankful for Sean Lucas--he mined a LOT of minutes to compile this info and put it in such a readable and digestible fashion. He did a great service to the Church. This book has challenged me, convicted me, deepened my understanding of issues within the Church, and most of all has made me thankful for Christ's Church and specifically for our denomination.

[Jeffrey Choi]

An insightful book on the Presbyterian Church in America. Anyone who is considering joining the PCA, or doesn't know much about the PCA, needs to read this book to understand much of the organizational structures and conversations that take place within the denomination. Like all denominations, the PCA has the wonderful mixed in with the ugly, and Dr. Sean Michael Lucas helps the reader feel more comfortable navigating the wonderful organism/organization that is the PCA.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and easy to understand!

[Anson Cassel Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine exposition of a comparatively narrow topic: the internal struggle within the Southern Presbyterian Church (PCUS) between proponents of religious liberalism and proponents of biblical orthodoxy, which led to victory for the liberals and the eventual creation of the new Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in 1973-74.

Lucas has done a thorough job of researching materials within the PCUS-PCA bubble, and his writing is careful and workmanlike, if not very exciting. Presbyterians tend to turn doctrinal controversies into procedural ones; so all histories of Presbyterianism must attempt to clarify what presbyteries and synods have regularly muddied. At one point, Lucas writes that the “entire matter got extremely complicated, even by Presbyterian standards.” (236)

One blurb claims this book is “nothing less than a history of Presbyterianism in the twentieth century,” but that assertion goes too far. Lucas hardly touches on the history of the Northern Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), including its splits and splits from splits. For instance, Lucas mentions the fundamentalist Presbyterian Carl McIntire only once (negatively) and gives him no reference in the index, yet McIntire’s right-wing radio preaching was highly influential during the 1960s. While Lucas fixes his eyes on the internal struggle within the PCUS, he hardly acknowledges a larger world that included the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the profound societal change that included a sexual revolution.

To Lucas the choice was a dichotomy: southern Presbyterians could stay within the PCUS or they could form a new denomination. But if PCUS conservatives had not founded the PCA when they did, some incalculable (but probably large) number of PCUS members would probably have left Presbyterianism for other, more conservative, evangelical congregations, as disaffected Methodists had done earlier in the century.

Finally, a word about race. Twenty-first century readers will probably be dismayed to discover that during the 1950s and ‘60s, theological conservatives in the PCUS were nearly all segregationists of some sort. Instead of self-righteous, but anti-historical, condemnation of their views, views long since abandoned by Presbyterians of virtually every stripe, readers would be advised to consider just how difficult it would have been for religious conservatives in the 1950s to endorse ending Jim Crow when that position was so firmly linked to religious apostasy.

[Bob O'Bannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s maybe not the most compelling read, and perhaps only interesting to people who love and cherish the PCA, but this is a book that all leaders in the nation’s largest conservative Presbyterian denomination should read.

An insight occurred to me while reading this book: conservative Presbyterians are a little like car mechanics – they’re not always the warmest of people, because they bluntly tell you things you don’t want to hear (that doctrinal sparkplug needs to be replaced!), but if you don’t listen to their diagnosis, you could find yourself stuck on the side of the ecclesiastical road. This book is the story of conservatives who kept declaring that something was wrong with their beloved denomination (the PCUS), and eventually felt obligated to leave when their liberal counterparts refused to listen, and in fact kept pushing for continuing movements to the left.

There are certainly similarities in the PCUS to certain movements in the PCA today, and we would be foolish to ignore them, but it’s also true that the PCA is nowhere near as liberal today as was the PCUS in the decades leading up to the PCA’s founding in 1973. Those calling for a split from the PCA today to form yet another conservative Presbyterian denomination are overreacting, but let’s not pretend it’s impossible for the PCA to one day wind up like the PCUS. It could happen, and one way to prevent that would be to study the contents of this book, and to stay alert.

[Chris Umphlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about something of which I knew nothing: the various strains of Presbyterian churches in the last 150 years in the USA. For much of the period where conservatives and liberals were arguing in the PCUS I think I would have been equally likely to join the liberal rank. As it neared the split the liberal abandonment of the gospel became explicit and the conservatives softened on their positions on race. [return]I saw in this a familiar story where conservatives bad social stances alienated people, driving them leftward. Once they moderated it was too late as polarization had occurred on all issues— id like to think that many progressives who were first driven there by concern over a single issue could have stayed on the conservative theological side if they honored God in social matters. [return]In the case end I was heartened to be a part of a relatively young denomination that did not directly teach racist ideology and one that has attempted from the beginning to have a wide tent for everything outside the basics of the reformed faith— particularly inerrancy of scripture and Westminster confession. I was pleasantly surprised by this (though I will say that I can’t say I have much of an opinion or knowledge on the WCF).

[Miles Foltermann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kudos go to Sean Lucas for engaging in the difficult task of pursuing, gathering, and synthesizing resources toward the end of chronicling both the decline of the Presbyterian Church in the United States and the establishment of the Presbyterian Church in America. Still, this book is rife with unwelcome sniping, the vast majority of which is directed against conservatives. In the book, these people come off as heresy hunters and hypocrites. Only in the final stretch does Lucas seem to come around to the position that PCUS conservatives were correct in their warnings about the doctrinal decline of the church. The temperance with which Lucas handles most PCUS progressives is a bit mystifying, particularly given that such people relentlessly and deceptively sought to subvert the Bible and the Westminster Standards for decades. The testimony of conservative PCUS seminarians and the subsequent doctrinal freefall of the PC(USA) after the PCUS/UPCUSA merger in 1983 amply demonstrate that there was serious perfidy in Southern seminaries and pulpits for many years before the schism occurred.

Additionally, the narrative is laborious at times—sometimes bordering on recitation. This is one of the shortfalls of critical history writing, which is meant to be “objective”: the fundamental drama of the story ends up being concealed by an inventory of occurrences.

I hope someone ultimately writes a more laudatory account that may trumpet that great theme of church history: trial and triumph in Jesus Christ.

[Daniel Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

This the best work on this topic, and there isn’t a close second place.

As a PCA Minister I had a very elementary understanding on the founders of the PCA and the reasons for a continuing church, but Lucas’ research made my knowledge go several levels deep.

It is a book that grieves me as Lucas details the sins and shortcomings of the PCA’s founding when it comes to race, but there is hope as the PCA has made strides in this area. And, Lucas encouragingly notes in the epilogues that the ‘progressives’ in today’s PCA are nowhere close to the progressives of the PCUS 50-70 years ago. In other words, we are nowhere close to the liberal cliff.

If you associated with the PCA in any way, get this book. If you have an interest in the history of conservative evangelicals trying to preserve doctrinal integrity, get this book. If you have an interest in 20th century American history regarding the South, religion, and conservatism, get this book.

[Ian Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is about the founding of the denomination of which I am a minister.

My conclusion is that the progressives gave up the authority and inspiration of Scripture. The conservatives denigrated the "Imago Dei" in black Americans and failed to love one's neighbor. The civil rights movement and Billy Graham impacted a generation. By the time the PCA was founded, there was a desire to be "Faithful to the Scriptures, True to the Reformed Faith, and Obedient to the Great Commission." In addition to this, the steering committee wanted to be more racially inclusive than conservatives had ever been before.

[Tyler Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to prepare for my ordination exams, especially the section on presbyterian history. Lucas is a top-notch historian who gives detailed coverage of the events that led to formation of the PCA from about 1930 to 1973. Peppered with primary source quotations, he tells the story candidly. Many of the movers in the history of the denomination were incredibly complex. It was very helpful to consider the intersection of race, Christian nationalism, cultural influence and evangelism. I would’ve loved if Lucas had extended his final chapter to analyze how this history impacts the current ethos of the denomination. Maybe we can talk through that at GA one day!

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very readable history of the events that led to the formation of the PCA. Informative and challenging.

This volume also shows just how “history repeats itself”. Many of the issues that resulted in the formation of the PCA are currently simmering within that denominational body. There are many lessons to be learned from the PCA’s past that ought to inform its future.

[Jeb · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and scholarly history of long sad and painful change leading, at least so far, to positive results.

[Sean McGowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, good.

[Bill Pence · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), I’ve been wanting to read this book for some time. Thoroughly researched and footnoted, the book should be considered required reading for all PCA teaching and ruling elders. After I finished the book, I asked myself what can we learn from this history of our denomination? There is certainly a progressive wing of the denomination today as we see certain churches and presbyteries pushing the limits on issues such as sexuality (Revoice Conference) and women’s role in the church (Deaconesses).
The author, a PCA pastor and seminary professor, tells us that the creation of the PCA on December 4, 1973 was an attempt to preserve a “continuing” Presbyterian church. Concerned about the liberal drift of the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS), those who led in forming the PCA were concerned with doctrinal and ecclesiastical issues. They believed that the agencies and boards of the denomination, along with many of its ministers, had become apostate and that the only way in which the mission and tradition of the PCUS could be preserved was through a separation. The PCA was formed to be a conservative mainline Presbyterian body, and now represents the largest conservative Presbyterian body in North America. The new denomination would affirm biblical authority, the Reformed evangelicalism of the Westminster Standards, and the evangelistic passion of the Great Commission.
The author tells us with excellent detail the story of how leaders in the PCUS, through the teaching of pastors in churches and seminaries, began to move to the left theologically as early as the 1920’s. The progressives had a goal throughout this history - a reunion with the northern Presbyterian church (PCUSA).
Conservatives felt that the church should focus on evangelism and worship, not political or social concerns. The issues of doctrine, mission, and reunion threatened the existence of the PCUS, whether by absorption from the larger northern body or by decay from within. The author tells us of progressives who defended evolution and denied biblical inerrancy who wanted to move the PCUS in a more progressive, tolerant, and ecumenical direction.
Among the issues that the author addresses in this history are the continuing movement toward the union with the northern church (PCUSA), the role of the Southern Presbyterian Journal, the threat of communism, how the PCUS addressed segregation, the Federal and National Council of Churches, ownership of church property, ordination of women, revival and evangelism, the inerrancy of scripture and biblical authority, Westminster Standards, Book of Church Order, denominational literature, universalism, secularization, Reformed Seminary and the eventual separation from the PCUS and forming of the PCA.
Similar to Martin Luther and the Roman Catholic Church, conservatives were initially more focused on reforming the church than on dividing it. But as the 1960s progressed and as the direction of the church moved harder leftward, southern Presbyterian conservatives began to consider the issue of separation. This eventually led to a new denomination, initially called the National Presbyterian Church. After a court challenge, the denomination’s name would be changed to the Presbyterian Church in America. In 1982, the denomination would join with the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod (RPCES), bringing in to the denomination a college and seminary—Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, and Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, the latter of which I would graduate from in 2014.
This book details how the PCUS continued to move to the left, eventually forcing many, but not all, conservatives to leave the denomination and begin the PCA. From this, there is much we can learn, regardless of which denomination we are in about remaining faithful to scripture and our confessional standards.

[Kevin Burrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazingly thorough book, and I expect it will quickly be considered a definitive work on the history of the PCA. Every paragraph is thoroughly footnoted from a rich variety of source material: minutes, publications, even personal correspondences. I appreciate that Lucas doesn't pull punches; he's willing to trace the less noble aspects of the PCA's formation, especially in racial attitudes. It's easy when reading to feel inspired at one moment, disappointed and saddened the next. So grateful that God can draw straight lines with often-crooked sticks.

His epilogue summarizes briefly the 40-something years since the PCA's formation, and I wish he had written more on this period, especially on the 'Joining and Receiving' with the RPC-ES, which receives less than a page of treatment. And one other thing: Lucas consistently refers to the founders' hope of creating a 'conservative mainline Presbyterian denomination.' I have to admit that even at the final page of the book, I was still uncertain what he meant. The word 'mainline', in my understanding, is a more precise term for what William Hutchison called the 'seven sisters of American Protestantism' when he coined the term in 1989 (more than a decade after the PCA's formation), and Lucas never defines his unique use of the term (if he did, I missed it!). He appears to mean 'national' or 'broad in influence,' maybe? Perhaps like the word 'evangelical' it has a broad semantic range? But because the term usually is thought of in terms of a theological set of assumptions, Lucas' use of the word just confused me. I'm sure the fault is with this particular reader, not the author! But I wish he had explained this a bit more thoroughly.

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched. Tends on the longer, drier side in some sections and can therefore be desribed as more informative than engaging, though Lucas' meticulous style is immensely helpful in setting the historical context in which the events are reported. There is frequent use of primary source material and direct quotation. Important work in orienting students of PCA history.

Compared with "Seeking a Better Country" by DG Hart, this book aims at a more reporting/"objective" tone and is certainly less evaluative and partisan, encouraging the reader to examine the historical facts and situation and important decisions for themselves and to be less tempted to give in to initial, knee-jerk reactions. This adopted tone is fitting to for a book about the PCA, a conservative, mainline church that seeks to foster a welcoming, big-tent environment for the broadly (though still confessional) Reformed.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Speaking to someone within the PCA, I mentioned I was reading a book on the history and roots of our denomination. 'Which history?', he asked. When he saw the puzzled look on my face, he asked a question that determines it: Does the book deal honestly with the realities of racism in the denominations past?

It does, and it is this tone of honesty and thoroughness that marks the book. For those who want an unvarnished look at the forces, figures, and faith that brought about the PCA this is the book to read. As an ruling elder in the denomination, I was sobered by much of what I read as I considered how swiftly progressive forces moved the PCUS away from the historic faith, but heartened that God preserves His people and will see His gospel proclaimed to the ends of the earth.

[Todd Wilhelm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thorough, well-written history of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). It reminded me of "Crossed Fingers: How the Liberals Captured the Presbyterian Church" by Gary North. The liberal take-over of the PCUS mirrored much of what happened in the northern Presbyterian church about 40 years earlier.

Good quotes:
"In the end, "a primary objective of each local chapter or group ...will be to try to have their Sessions appoint men of this caliber to serve at presbytery - men with the courage of their convictions, willing if necessary to differ with their own pastors." If conservative elders attended presbytery meetings educated and empowered, the church could be reformed." -page 256

[Andrew Canavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive history of the roots of the Presbyterian Church in America. It's worth reading by all American Presbyterians for a number of important lessons. Lucas did extensive research (probably a lot of dry reading) and skillfully weaves the story in a way that is sympathetic to theological concerns yet honest about some of the racially motivated (and downright racist) roots of the PCA. It should be a warning to see the gradual liberalization of the PCUS, especially as some similar tendencies can be seen in the PCA today (though we certainly shouldn't be paranoid). This is a worthwhile book to take up and read.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well researched and footnotes history of the Southern Presbyterian Church, PCUS, now the continuing church of the Presbyterian Church in America. It is a bit of a tragic history, showing not merely the decline of the church as it became more liberal, but also the unbiblical methods those in power used to centralize their power and to exclude and squelch any conservative voice. It is fair in dealing with the sins of conservatives, especially exposing the racists views of some. It would have earned one more star had it gone back a bit further to the original split between the Northern and Southern churches and the underlying philosophies of each.

[Pete Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful and at times, thought-provoking, history of the the PCA denomination. The bulk of the book is focused on the decline of the PCUS that eventually led to the separation and formation of a new "continuing" church. There are some good lessons here for Christians and churches to learn, especially concerning the importance of doctrine and the need to balance sound doctrine with an evangelical witness.

[mpsiple · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was between 3 and 4 on this one. The information is extremely helpful for understanding the formation of the PCA and the denomination it left. And Lucas does a great job being honest with the history of a denomination he loves. He shows the legitimate reasons for separation alongside the racist and reactionary reasons that some had.

I have a much better grasp of the beginnings of my denomination now. But it was often boring to read. And the footnotes were exhausting.