The evangelical mind and the new school Presbyterian experience;: A case study of thought and theology in nineteenth-century America

by George M. Marsden

The passing of reformed theology as a major influence in American life during the nineteenth century was not a spectacular event, and its mourners have been relatively few. Calvinism, when it is mentioned, is still often portrayed as a dark cloud that hovered too long over America, acting as an unhealthy influence on the climate of opinion. Nonetheless, the transition from the theologically oriented and well-formed Calvinism characteristic of much of American Protestantism at the beginning of the nineteenth century to the nontheologically oriented and often poorly informed conservative Protestantism firmly established in middle-class America by the end of the same century remains a remarkable aspect of American intellectual and ecclesiastical history. The twentieth-century attitude, itself a product of this transition, has placed strong emphasis on nineteenth-century Protestant activities - their organizations, their revivals, and their reforms. The mind of American Protestantism in these transitional years deserves at least equal consideration. -from the Introduction

Genres: History, Church History, Christian History, Theology

292 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

George M. Marsden is the Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Notre Dame. He has written extensively on the interaction between Christianity and the American culture and has published numerous books, including Jonathan Edwards: A Life, which won the prestigious Bancroft Prize given for the best work of history. He lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book on 19th century Presbyterianism. Marsden makes another theological claim, but I think he's right. He says that 19th century Presbies basically too closely linked themselves with the narrative of progress and the social activism of American culture. I think that this stuff hits hard, including the implicit critiques, I take it, of postmillennialism. Too much social movements and not enough Gospel.

Interestingly there were some odd theological pushes away from conservative theology towards more revivalist optimism about human nature and free will. However, this drift away eventually got corrected and the initial old light vs new light Presbyterians were actually able to re-unify previously split denominations. Interestingly Charles Hodge opposed a great deal of this reunion.

A fun book and honestly a fun little critique of much that was fashionable in 19th century America. The dynamics are the same today.

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an edited version of Marsden's 1966 Yale PhD "The New School Presbyterian Mind," though he notes to readers of the book that they "will find considerable additional information" in the unpublished thesis. I picked it up for a couple reasons: (1) Marsden is the godfather of white evangelical historiography, and I wanted to go back to the beginning; (2) 19th century evangelicalism is a major interest of mine, so this was right on target.

What I discovered (surprise, surprise) was the New School Presbyterians. I had "heard" of them, but was mostly unfamiliar with most of the figures. Far more well known are the Old School figures and institutions: Princeton Seminary, Charles Hodge, Robert Lewis Dabney. The resurgence of reformed theology in the late 20th–21st century drew almost exclusively from the Old School, probably in large part thanks to the publishing efforts of Banner of Truth, and this shaped my perceptions of the 19th century time period. What a surprise to learn that the Old School was only one part, and often the minority, of evangelical Presbyterians at the time.

Henry Boynton Smith is a good illustration of this. Marsden devotes chapter 8 to Smith, and notes that Smith held firmly and clearly to Biblical orthodoxy, including infallibility. Yet, the New School drifted toward higher criticism, and "Charles Hodge and Princeton Seminary were considered the great bastions of orthodoxy." Though Smith was one of the most significant, well-known, and influential Presbyterian theologians of the 19th century, he has been almost completely forgotten. "By neglecting Smith, conservative Presbyterians lost what is certainly one of the better statements of the doctrine of Scriptural infallibility made in the nineteenth century (170).

Even in his own time, Smith saw himself, and the New School generally, as holding a mediating position, in the tradition of Jonathan Edwards: ""It [the Edwardsean tradition] has been intermediate between the extreme views and tendencies on either hand." (Henry Smith, American Theological Review , 327–30).


And then about Hodge's bitter and unfair attacks on the Presbyterian reunion in the late 1960s, and Smith's strong defense (Hodge eventually backed down, a little, in response to Smith). I was a little surprised to learn that Hodge represented a tiny minority, even within the Old School, really the most extreme position in his day, and not even a fair-minded one. I had thought of Hodge as near the heart of Presbyterianism in his day; the picture became much more developed for me after reading Marsden.

It all made me wonder: did modern day reformedish evangelicals pick the wrong camp? What if instead of the "fighting fundamentalist" ethos of the Old School, evangelicals had followed the equally orthodox, but more generous model of the New School?

I feel the same way about another, similarly neglected stream of evangelicalism, the Northern Baptists, who had a similar trajectory as the New School Presbyterians, and even some similar theological tendencies. Evangelicals have always struggled to hold two things together: theology and ethics; orthodoxy and compassion. On the other side, some have reacted to a rigid fighting spirit by rejecting Biblical tenets altogether, and this has happened with some New School Presbyterians and Northern Baptists. But the generation in the middle of the 19th century, for a while, held on to a kind of balance that we need today.

I think a ressourcement of this stream would do us well.

[Dale Hagwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Helped clarify my own thoughts about New School Presbyterianism representing a modified Calvinism more than aberrant theological liberalism. He convincingly argues New School Presbyterianism plays a greater role in developing Modern American Evangelicalism than modernism and liberalism. Loved the book!

[W. Littlejohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

History of American Presbyterianism class.

Marsden is a first-class church historian, and it shows in this solid treatment of a fascinating period in American Church history.