THEOLOGY IN AMERICA: The Major Protestant Voices From Puritanism to Orthodoxy

Selections from thirteen American theologians and philosophers make up this compendium. The editor offers them in proof of his assertion that, in spite of the activism that has characterized the church in America, a substantial theological, tradition has taken shape in our culture. Although the American religious situation has produced heterogeneous strands of theology, religious interests have penetrated the American intellectual tradition in many fields. For this reason, Professor Ahlstrom sees Jefferson and Lincoln, Hawthorne and Melville, Silliman, Gray, and Henry George, as contributors to the theological developments. The volume includes work from Thomas Hooker, Edwards, Channing, N. W. Taylor, Hodge, Emerson, Bushnell, J. W. Nevin, C. P. Krauth, Royce, Wm. James, Rauschenbush and H. Richard Niebuhr. Although the number of selections is limited, those given are presented in substantial length, often in complete form. Brief introductory essays precede each author. The editor's introductory essay is a compact, informative account of the course of American theological thought, from Puritanism to Secularization. This will be a useful source book for the student of church history and of the general development of the American mind.