Why I Am A Presbyterian

WHY I AM A PRESBYTERIAN WHY I AM A PRESBYTERIAN By Park Hays Miller THOMAS NELSON SONS EDINBURGH NEW YORK TORONTO By PARK HAYS MILLER The Abundant Life Our Reasonable Faith Heroes of the Church The Holy Spirit in Christian Experience Christian Doctrine for Sunday School Teachers TO MY PARENTS Oliver Laird Miller, M. D. AND Mary Jane Cunningham WITH LOVE AND GRATITUDE PREFACE IN ATTEMPTING TO tell why I am a Presbyterian-the writer would naturally be expected to write from the point of view of the particular kind of Presbyterian he is, namely, a member of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. However, he is mindful of other Presby terians, who, while belonging to other groups, are just as truly Presbyterian as he is. He could not be expected, how ever, to be as well informed concerning them as he is con cerning his own particular section of the larger Presbyterian fellowship. He hopes he will be forgiven for assigning so much space to his own Church as an example of what Pres byterians are, what they believe, and what they endeavor to do. Non-Presbyterians may care to know what groups of Pres byterians there are. The Year Book of American Churches for 1955 lists the following Associate Presbyterian Church of North America Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church General Synod Bible Presbyterian Church Colored Cumberland Presbyterian Church Cumberland Presbyterian Church The Orthodox Presbyterian Church Presbyterian Church in the United States often called Southern The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America O WHY I AM A PRESBYTERIAN Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America General Synod Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America Old School UnitedPresbyterian Church of North America The author is deeply grateful for the assistance he has re ceived from many friends. Dr. Lefferts A. Loetscher, Pro fessor of American Church History in Princeton Theological Seminary, read much of the manuscript and made many help ful and necessary suggestions and corrections. Dr. Henry Barraclough, of the Office of the General Assembly, read Chapters V and VII. Dr. Ray J. Harmelink of the Board of Christian Education read Chapter XII. Dr. Hermann N. Morse, of the Board of National Missions, read Chapter X. Dr. William N. Wysham was very helpful in connection with Chapter XI, and Dr. Walter L. Clark helped to bring Chap ter XIII up to date. Mr. Guy S. Klett of the Department of History of the Of fice of the General Assembly was exceptionally gracious in making available source material from the Historical Library on many occasions. The writer has drawn information from the pamphlet, The Westminster Assembly, published by the Department of His tory of the Office of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. A Brief History of the Presbyterians, by Lefferts A. Loetscher, published by the Board of Christian Education of the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. has been invaluable, especially in connection with Chapter III. The author is indebted to his good neighbors, Dr. George D. Munro and Dr. Mills J. Taylor of the United Presbyterian Church, for the loan of the Minutes of their General Assem bly and The Book of Government and Worship, which cor responds to The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. Much information concerning early foreign missions was PREFACE 9 found in One Hundred Years, a History of theForeign Mis sionary Work of the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A., by Arthur Judson Brown, published by Fleming H. Revell Co., and concerning home missions in Presbyterian Panorama, by Clifford Merrill Drury, Ph. D., published by the Board of Christian Education of the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. It is hoped that the fact that changes take place almost overnight will be appreciated by readers. What was at the time of writing the latest available information proves, when a book is off press, to be somewhat out of date...