Our favorite theologians
Theologians we are inspired by for our movement to revive the PCUSA
St. Athanasius
Nicene Church father who single-handedly took back the church from heretics even after being exiled 5 different times
"“The faith by which we believe in God has not been established by human testimonies, but by divine Scripture.”
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"The reason for his mention of the ascension into heaven of the Son of Man was in order to draw them away from the material notion; that thenceforth they might learn that the flesh he spoke of was heavenly food from above and spiritual nourishment from him."
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T.F. Torrance
Scottish Neo-orthodox Presbyterian theologian
“The development of fluid axioms which are continually open to change and renewal in the light of ever-deeper understanding of God means that the formulations of doctrine organized by reference to them must be open structures of thought and statement.”
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"Strictly speaking, Christ himself is the scope of the Scriptures, so that it is only through focusing constantly upon him, dwelling in his Word and assimilating his Mind, that the interpreter can discern the real meaning of the Scriptures."
Robert Baillie
Scottish Presbyterian Westminster divine
"In 1st Corinthians, fundamental errors, open idolatry, grievous scandal, bitter contentions, profanation of the Lord's Table. In Galatians, such errors as destroyed grace, and made Christ of no effect. In the Church of Ephesus, of Laodicea, and the other golden candlesticks, diverse members were so evidently faulty, that the Candlestick is threatened to be removed; yet from NONE of these Churches did any of the Apostles ever separate, nor gave they the least warrant to any of their Disciples to make a separation from any of them"
John Williamson Nevin
American Presbyterian/Reformed professor
"Men have a right, it is pretended , if they are not satisfied with the Church as they find it, to secede, and form a new organization more to their own taste"
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"And thus it is that universally true Christian faith regards primarily Christ Himself , and not any doctrine of Christ ; although Christ is at once for it again the root of all right doc trine, as well as the principle of all right life"
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"Their [those who split from the church] hymns, and the tunes to which they are sung, their prayers, and of course also the whole tone of their preaching, bear the same impress of extreme subjectivity"
John Knox
Father of Presbyterianism
"And thus we utterly damn the vanity of those that affirm sacraments to be nothing else but naked and bare signs. No, we assuredly believe that by Baptism we are ingrafted in Christ Jesus to be made partakers of his justice, by the which our sins are covered and remitted; and also, that in the Supper, rightly used, Christ Jesus is so joined with us, that he becomes the very nourishment and food of our souls. Not that we imagine any transubstantiation of bread into Christ’s natural body, and of wine in his natural blood, but this union and communion which we have with the body and blood of Christ Jesus in the right use of the sacraments, is wrought by operation of the Holy Ghost"
1514-1572
John Leith
Conservative Southern PCUSA theologian
"Persons in public life will not listen to church people on political, moral, social, and economic matters unless they are first convinced that ministers and church people are scholars in biblical studies and theologians of excellence. Credibility in theological work is a precondition not only for the spiritual life of the church but for respect for the church's witness in society. The renewal of the church will not come without the recovery of the authenticity and theological integrity of the church's message and a renewed emphasis on preaching"
1919-2002
