Issue 155 The Mercersburg movement

Big ideas and big names

Crafting a new liturgy for the German Reformed Church created conflict, but also a lasting legacy

Key figures related to the Mercersburg Movement

A theological roundtable

Readers respond to Christian History

John Williamson Nevin, Philip Schaff, and theology in Lancaster.

The Mercersburg Movement challenged prevailing theological traditions 

Hodge vs. Nevin

Don't downplay the incarnation

The life and work of John Williamson Nevin

Nevin’s doctrine of the Eucharist in The Mystical Presence focuses on union with Christ and on the reality of the Incarnation

Mercerburg’s preeminent historian, Philip Schaff, fought for a united Christendom

The church's destiny according to Philip Schaff

Chronology of Mercersburg theological movement

Mercersburg’s clash with revivalism 

John Williamson Nevin and “New Measures” revivalism

Excerpts from the liturgy for Holy Communion from the provisional Mercersburg liturgy of 1857

Emanuel Vogel Gerhart, a student of Mercersburg, became one of its key advancers

Learn more about the Mercersburg movement’s main figures, critics, influences, and legacy with these recommendations from Christian History’s authors and editors.

Questions to help you reflect on the legacy of the Mercersburg movement