Christian History Magazine #155 - The Mercersburg Movement
Discover the architects of the Mercersburg movement—John Williamson Nevin and Philip Schaff—and how these theologians from a small Pennsylvania seminary challenged nineteenth-century revivalism, anticipated ecumenism, and recovered ancient church practices.
- Item number: 64928
- Media type: Magazine
- Running Time: 52 pgs.
- Region: All
- Production Year: 2025
- Producer:
Description
In a small seminary in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, in the nineteenth century, a movement was taking shape that would swim against the tide of much of American Christianity. It challenged common revivalistic practices, anticipated ecumenical movements of the following decades, and pursued ancient church practices that centered the presence of Jesus Christ. And it did not do so quietly.
In this issue of Christian History, meet the conservative rebels who sought to recover sacramental Protestantism and crafted the Mercersburg movement: John Williamson Nevin and Philip Schaff. Both ministers in the German Reformed Church, scholars, and theologians, they and their students faced heated controversy, charges of heresy, and criticism from many—including Charles Hodge and the luminaries of Princeton Seminary, Charles Finney and his fellow revivalists, and the influential leaders of their own German Reformed Church.
Though not widely known or understood today, the ripples of the Mercersburg movement can be felt throughout much of the American church. Discover how Mercersburg theology has challenged, shaped, and refined Christian practices in nineteenth-century America and beyond in this latest issue.