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Ever a Frontier: The Bicentennial History of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Ever A Frontier is an enthralling and informative chronicle of the development of theological education in the Presbyterian Church and the establishment of the oldest Presbyterian seminary in America.
The essays in this bicentennial history describe the religious and political environment in sixteenth-century Scotland that resulted in the formation of the Presbyterian and Reformed churches in colonial America and the establishment of their academies and theological seminaries throughout the East and Midwest. The development of these antecedent institutions, from the earliest "log-cabin college" to the seminaries that eventually united to become Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, is detailed in this comprehensive yet very readable historical record.
The book features the original research on church division in Scotland, including a section dealing with the problem of "witches"; an engaging picture of life on the westward trek - its hardships, methods of travel, home construction, and political problems; detailed histories of the various institutions that eventually united to form Pittsburgh Theological Seminary; the development of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary's worldwide mission activities, its biblical archaeology program, and its extensive library; nearly three dozen remarkable photos carefully chosen from the seminary's vast archives.
Individuals who share in the rich history of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, as well as readers with interests in church history, missiology, and biblical archaeology, will find here a rich mix of factual data and engaging storytelling.
The essays in this bicentennial history describe the religious and political environment in sixteenth-century Scotland that resulted in the formation of the Presbyterian and Reformed churches in colonial America and the establishment of their academies and theological seminaries throughout the East and Midwest. The development of these antecedent institutions, from the earliest "log-cabin college" to the seminaries that eventually united to become Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, is detailed in this comprehensive yet very readable historical record.
The book features the original research on church division in Scotland, including a section dealing with the problem of "witches"; an engaging picture of life on the westward trek - its hardships, methods of travel, home construction, and political problems; detailed histories of the various institutions that eventually united to form Pittsburgh Theological Seminary; the development of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary's worldwide mission activities, its biblical archaeology program, and its extensive library; nearly three dozen remarkable photos carefully chosen from the seminary's vast archives.
Individuals who share in the rich history of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, as well as readers with interests in church history, missiology, and biblical archaeology, will find here a rich mix of factual data and engaging storytelling.
282 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1994
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June 27, 2018
Review title: When the West was here
Okay, why am I reading this history of a Presbyterian seminary when I am neither a member of the denomination nor a graduate of the school? Well, my daughter had picked it up very cheap at a book sale far from Pittsburgh and thought it was comical so she gave it to me.... And it sat on my stack of books to be read, always finding its way to the bottom for a couple of years. Until this week, when I needed something short to tide me over until a planned library run to replenish the stack, so I picked this up and started in, with a bemused gaze at first and then with some interest.
So just as the title suggests, this is a history of the seminary written by and for those who were involved in the seminary in 1994; Walther, a Professor Emeritus at the seminary then, is the editor and contributed one of the chapters, picking up the story in 1959 in a chapter titled "Pittsburgh: Where the Streams Meet." This is a clue that while the book celebrates 200 years of the institution, it's history isn't so precise as all that. In fact, a "genealogy" on p. xiv charting the history of the several streams that met document six different branches of the Presbyterian denomination and nine different colleges and seminaries that flowed together in 1959 into one institution and location on the east side of Pittsburgh near Squirrel Hill.
Why would this book be interesting to anyone like me who has no connections to the seminary?
1. The first essay starts in Scotland and traces the religious and political roots and struggles of the men and women who found those struggles worth the arduous journey across the ocean and then the just as dangerous trek beyond the civilized cities of Philadelphia and New York into what was then the "wild west" of the Ohio Valley. The struggles and the essay are broad enough to serve as an introduction to the topic of religious freedom, political and economic struggles , and geographic movement into the North American frontier.
2. And it was a frontier. The second essay ("Presbyterian Beginnings in the West") documents chaplains marching with Braddock to then Fort Pitt to fight with the British against the French in the mid 18th century, and then the missionaries who followed the pioneer settlers who were straggling into the area after the British victory. While the victory provided a slim margin of peace, this account of early mission and religious education activity still brims with threats to life and livelihood. It would take decades for accouterments if civilization, including established church congregations with formally educated leaders, to be established.
3. Finally, the remaining essays are a microcosm of the history of the westward movement of the European immigrants beyond the barriers of the Alleghany mountains, as political and religious leaders struggled with moving their center of gravity along with the population. The first "seminary" in Service, PA whose founding served as the basis for this bicentennial volume was established in 1794 in a crude looking 1 room log cabin, was served by the pastor of the nearby church for no additional pay, and taught typically three to five students at a time. This early history is fascinating in its documentation of just how tenuous those early institutions were; disease and death by native American attacks, fires destroying the small building and most irreplaceably the small library of teaching materials, and movement from place to place as pastors and financial support shifted, were all common occurrences.
As the essays move forward into the late 19th and 20th centuries the interest for the non-affiliated reader will wane. I found myself glazing over and skimming through paragraphs listing names and course titles with broad praise for innovation (or conservation!) here and frugality and dedication there. Those parts are truly for alumni only.
But the early history proved enough to turn my bemusement to satisfaction and earn its place on the shelf.
Okay, why am I reading this history of a Presbyterian seminary when I am neither a member of the denomination nor a graduate of the school? Well, my daughter had picked it up very cheap at a book sale far from Pittsburgh and thought it was comical so she gave it to me.... And it sat on my stack of books to be read, always finding its way to the bottom for a couple of years. Until this week, when I needed something short to tide me over until a planned library run to replenish the stack, so I picked this up and started in, with a bemused gaze at first and then with some interest.
So just as the title suggests, this is a history of the seminary written by and for those who were involved in the seminary in 1994; Walther, a Professor Emeritus at the seminary then, is the editor and contributed one of the chapters, picking up the story in 1959 in a chapter titled "Pittsburgh: Where the Streams Meet." This is a clue that while the book celebrates 200 years of the institution, it's history isn't so precise as all that. In fact, a "genealogy" on p. xiv charting the history of the several streams that met document six different branches of the Presbyterian denomination and nine different colleges and seminaries that flowed together in 1959 into one institution and location on the east side of Pittsburgh near Squirrel Hill.
Why would this book be interesting to anyone like me who has no connections to the seminary?
1. The first essay starts in Scotland and traces the religious and political roots and struggles of the men and women who found those struggles worth the arduous journey across the ocean and then the just as dangerous trek beyond the civilized cities of Philadelphia and New York into what was then the "wild west" of the Ohio Valley. The struggles and the essay are broad enough to serve as an introduction to the topic of religious freedom, political and economic struggles , and geographic movement into the North American frontier.
2. And it was a frontier. The second essay ("Presbyterian Beginnings in the West") documents chaplains marching with Braddock to then Fort Pitt to fight with the British against the French in the mid 18th century, and then the missionaries who followed the pioneer settlers who were straggling into the area after the British victory. While the victory provided a slim margin of peace, this account of early mission and religious education activity still brims with threats to life and livelihood. It would take decades for accouterments if civilization, including established church congregations with formally educated leaders, to be established.
3. Finally, the remaining essays are a microcosm of the history of the westward movement of the European immigrants beyond the barriers of the Alleghany mountains, as political and religious leaders struggled with moving their center of gravity along with the population. The first "seminary" in Service, PA whose founding served as the basis for this bicentennial volume was established in 1794 in a crude looking 1 room log cabin, was served by the pastor of the nearby church for no additional pay, and taught typically three to five students at a time. This early history is fascinating in its documentation of just how tenuous those early institutions were; disease and death by native American attacks, fires destroying the small building and most irreplaceably the small library of teaching materials, and movement from place to place as pastors and financial support shifted, were all common occurrences.
As the essays move forward into the late 19th and 20th centuries the interest for the non-affiliated reader will wane. I found myself glazing over and skimming through paragraphs listing names and course titles with broad praise for innovation (or conservation!) here and frugality and dedication there. Those parts are truly for alumni only.
But the early history proved enough to turn my bemusement to satisfaction and earn its place on the shelf.
Displaying 1 of 1 review