Christian History Magazine

06/28/2025

Though the German Reformed Church had a liturgy as old as the Reformation, many immigrant churches had lost access. And while crafting a new liturgy for the German reformed church created conflict, it also created a lasting legacy.

How did the American church recover ancient practices of worship? Find out in Walter L. Taylor’s article “Mercersburg’s ‘worship war’” linked below.
https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/ch155-worship-war

06/23/2025

“Christianity is grounded in the living union of the believer with the person of Christ; and this great fact is emphatically concentrated in the mystery of the Lord’s supper.”

John Nevin’s doctrine of the Eucharist in his book “The Mystical Presence” focuses on union with Christ and on the reality of the incarnation.

Read more from his book in this excerpt below:
https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/ch155-nevin-power-of-a-common-life

06/20/2025

"Robert W. Fogel, a self-identified “secular Jew” who won the Nobel Prize for his research on slavery, determined that it was not economics that ended slavery... Christians did."

Guest writer John B. Carpenter's blog post "The Christian Role in Ending American Slavery" shares the positive and negative impact of Christians on the abolitionist movement that eventually ended slavery. With today being our nation's celebration of Juneteenth, this short blog post is worth your time as you consider slavery and its impact on our nation's history!

Happy Juneteenth!

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Read the full blog using the link below!

To learn more about Christian abolitionists, read CH issue #33, Christianity and the Civil War, which is also available for purchase.

https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/blog/post/the-christian-role-in-ending-american-slavery

06/19/2025

Perhaps no movement has shaped the practice of American Protestant Christianity more than “revivalism” which emphasized conversion as an intense, emotional, personal experience. The Mercersburg Movement stood in opposition to American revivalism with claims that might still ring true today.

William B. Evans’ article “Pursuit of ‘the common and constant’” details Mercersburg’s clash with revivalism.

Read it using the link below.
https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/ch155-mercersburg-vs-revivalism

06/08/2025

What exactly was Nevin arguing against the protestants amidst the Mercersburg Movement?

In these excerpts from the January 1850 Mercersburg Review, Nevin argues against the American Protestant tendency to downplay the Incarnation and discount the real spiritual union between Christ’s incarnate humanity and the Christian.

Read it below!

https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/ch155-new-creation-in-christ

06/04/2025

Mercersburg’s preeminent historian, Philip Schaff, fought for a united christendom. He saw the inevitable convergence among churches, or denominations, as a sign of the coming kingdom.

In other words, he looked forward to an emerging “evangelical catholicism” in America.

Discover his life, theology and legacy in Theodore Louis Trost’s article “An undivided kingdom of God” linked below.

https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/ch155-schaff-an-undivided-kingdom

05/31/2025

We’ve been talking a lot about John Nevin. But who was he?

Despite health anxieties that plagued Nevin from a young age and contributed to a nervous breakdown, he mastered Hebrew and German, spearheaded the Mercersburg movement, and wrote prolifically throughout his life.

Discover his life and work in Linden J. DeBie’s article “Mercersburg’s Architect” linked below:

https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/ch155-nevin-mercersburgs-architect

05/28/2025

Not their first clash— and not their last— Charles Hodge of Princeton negatively reviewed John W. Nevin’s 1846 treatise on the Lord’s Supper, "The Mystical Presence", at length in 1848, and Nevin quickly responded at even greater length. At issue was not only what is received in the Lord’s Supper, but the witness of the Reformed theological tradition.

Read part of Nevin's treatise using the link below!

https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/ch155-clash-of-titans

05/20/2025

It’s relevant; yes. It’s theologically rebellious; yes. But how did the Mercersburg Movement start?

In a tiny town in south-central Pennsylvania, some 40 miles west of Gettysburg, several professors in a small theological seminary worked tirelessly in the 1840s.

These ‘rebels’ wanted to challenge prevailing theological traditions, especially those around “revivalism.”

Professor William B. Evans brings the origin of the movement to life in “Punching Up” which can be read below.
https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/ch155-punching-up

05/17/2025

Kaylena Radcliff’s Editors Note for issue #155 implores readers to consider the bearing on American Christian History that the Mercersburg Movement has.

“What came of these strivings might not be readily apparent, as America’s civil war eclipsed the movement’s discourse and influence. And yet as the twentieth century dawned, rife with greater evils outside the church than the conflicts within, the Mercersburg vision of Christian unity looked more appealing to believers both in the United States and around the world.”

Be inspired by Radcliff’s note and read on in Issue #155! You might be surprised by the relevancy of the stories you read.

Link to the Editor’s Note below:.
https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/ch155-editorial-mercersburg

05/14/2025

Evangelical catholicism, Scottish common sense realism, Friedrich Schelling, G. W. F. Hegel; these terms and names all share something in common: they are all part of the "Mercersburg vocabulary." But what do they all mean? How do these terms and people connect to the birth of Mercersburg theology and the recovery of sacramental protestantism in America?

Before diving into the articles in Issue #155, the editors at CHM have kindly written you a guide called "How to speak 'Mercersburg.'" Read this to understand the philosophies and philosophers that influenced the Mercersburg movement with these handy definitions and color coded words.

https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/ch155-how-to-speak-mercersburg

05/09/2025

Issue #155 is out, but what does it mean for me today?
Mercersburg Theology asserted that the Incarnation of God in a human life is central to the Good News. That was a counter-cultural message in an era dominated by revivalism, rationalism, and incipient secularism. Nevertheless, this theological movement inspired a liturgical and spiritual revitalization that is still relevant today.
If you are in the Lancaster area— or wish to take a worthwhile trip— the Mercersburg Society is hosting its 2025 Mercersburg Convocation to investigate the power of an Incarnational theology. You can register using the link below!

Lectures will explore the Incarnational theology of our ancestors in the faith, current reflections on the significance of God’s presence in Christ, and contact points with the spiritual hungers of people today. A panel of ecumenical guests will explore parallels in other Christian traditions, and pastors and small groups will discuss the implications of these perspectives for the life of the churches and the practice of ministry. Ample time will be given for fellowship with friends old and new, and for prayer and worship.

We hope to see you there!

Get tickets online for Mercersburg Convocation 2025 here.