The first American presbytery was founded in 1706. In the following years, Presbyterians grew to form one of the largest and most eminent denominations in the United States. Now, more than three hundred years later, that church is dwindling. What has happened? Lively, bracing, and informative, Seeking a Better Country takes an honest look at the rise and decline of American Presbyterianism, giving context to Presbyterians of all stripes.

An interdisciplinary collection of 13 essays which examine the development of Presbyterianism in the Maritimes from its roots in Scotland to Church Union in 1925. Contributors provide fascinating explorations of Presbyterianism in such areas as education, literature, social influence, and missionary outreach. Topics include the Kirk versus the Free Church; Thomas McCulloch's fictional celebration of the Reverend James McGregor; and Presbyterian revivals. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Colonial Presbyterianism is a collection of essays that tell the story of the Presbyterian Church during its formative years in America. The book brings together research from a broad group of scholars into an accessible format for laymen, clergy, and scholars. Through a survey of important personalities and events, the contributors offer a compelling narrative that will be of interest to Presbyterians and all persons interested in colonial America's religious experience. The clergy described in these essays made a lasting impact on their generation both within the church and in the emerging ethos of a new nation. The ecclesiastical issues that surfaced during this period have tended to be the perennial issues with which Presbyterians have been concerned ever since that time. Now at the three-hundredth anniversary of Presbyterian organization in America, Colonial Presbyterianism is a timely reengagement with the old faith for a new day.

Thomas Dwight Witherspoon lays out five peculiar principles of Presbyterian church government, as well as five ways in which these principles demonstrate the beauty and excellence of Presbyterianism.

Drawing on hitherto unexamined manuscripts, this book challenges the standard narrative that English presbyterianism was successfully extinguished from the late sixteenth century until its prominent public resurgence during the English Civil War.