Customer Reviews

Dictionary of the Presbyterian and Reformed Tradition in America

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This is a very good reference work. It contains a wealth of entries on a variety of people, topics, historical events, everything that the publisher describes. Best of all at the end of each article is a bibliography to help with further reading so you can search in-depth on an entry that the dictionary just gives an overview of. I read this entire book, but that is not necessary if you just want it for reference. It is easy to access the material since it is in alphabetical dictionary format. My only wish is that it would contain more material about important twentieth century people in the Prebyterian and Reformed branch of Christianity. For instance, Robert Schuller is listed, but not D. James Kennedy. Perhaps in a few years as we look back, more twentieth century figures could be included in a future edition.

This book is like an oversized bag of peanuts. You think you can just eat a few but then you find your hand going back in for more. You can read these concise articles a few at a time or in a long sitting but they always keeps calling you back. For a layperson, the theological explanations alone are worth the time. How else would someone know that suprelapsarians believe people were chosen to be Elect or not even before God created the world? And in the historical realm, how else would we know that Aaron Burr's father was a Presbyterian minister? This book is not only informative but fun.

Ron Stockton