the COUNSEL of CHALCEDON

Book Review
On Being Presbyterian - Our Beliefs, Practices, and Stories

Sean Michael Lucas
P&R Publishing, 2006
271pp with Index.
Reviewed by Donald D. Crowe
On Being Presbyterian is designed to introduce Presbyterianism to those who are new to it, or those who wonder what
Presbyterianism is. It is written on a popular level for laymen. The book is divided into three sections: Beliefs, Practices,
and History of Presbyterianism.
The focus of the book is on evangelical and reformed Presbyterian churches, particularly the PCA of which the author is a
member. Sean Lucas is dean of faculty and assistant professor of church history at Covenant Theological Seminary, the PCA
Seminary.
In the course of this short book, he touches on many important aspects of Presbyterianism and generally does a ne job of
summarizing the Presbyterian position.
The author refers often to the Westminster Standards as well as giving recommendations for further reading (at the end of
each chapter). The recommendations are a mixture of old and newer works. The older writers include J ohn Calvin, J ames
Bannerman, and Charles Hodge. The mixed variety of modern writers includes RC Sproul, J ames Boice, OP Robertson, and
several current PCA professor/authors.
The Sovereignty of God is the rst topic covered. God is the King over His creation.
Here Westminster Confession chapters 3 and 4 serve to introduce the subject. He comments on WCF 4.1, It pleased God
the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, (1) for the manifestation of the glory of His eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, (2) in
the beginning, to create, or make of nothing, the world, and all things therein, whether visible or invisible, in the space of
six days, and all very good (3). The phrase in the space of six days is not commented on at this point probably because the
author wants to present the things held in common by all PCA ministers. The issue of six-day creation is brought up later, in
the historical section, as a current controversial issue in the PCA. The scripture is quite clear on this issue, however, and is
very resistant to having evolutionary religion mixed with it.
The sovereignty of God in salvation is covered using the ve points of Calvinism. We get a good summary of covenant and
kingdom. The concept of the church uses the terms visible and invisible church. J ohn Murrays often quoted objection
to the use of the phrase invisible church is noted, but he, himself, provided no better terms to express the realities expressed
in those traditional terms.
Chapter 5 deals with the sacraments with much that would be helpful to someone trying to understand these means of grace,
these signs and seals. Infant baptism and the Spiritual presence of Christ in the Lords Supper are defended along with some
recommended further reading. Most will nd this section helpful, although it is notoriously difcult to get agreement on
every detail.
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The second section (Practices) begins with Presbyterian piety. The key here is using the means of grace to improve our
service to J esus Christ. Presbyterian worship is governed by Scripture. The regulative principle of worship only that which
is commanded by Scripture or can be deduced by good and necessary consequence from Scripture - is the Presbyterians guide
to proper worship. It was not pointed out in the book, but the Westminster Confession was written during the reign of Charles
I who attempted to force Anglican worship on Scotland. The elements of worship are discussed. Lucas statement Thatis
why many theologians and pastors in the Reformed tradition have urged a weekly observance of the Lords Supper along
with other comments lead us to believe he favors that practice.
Presbyterian Church government shows the connectional nature of the church versus independency and congregationalism.
The two ofcers of the church are as specied in Scripture: Elders and deacons. The elders are either ruling elders or teaching
elders.
The historical section begins with an account of the Reformation, especially Calvin and Knox. One vital question the author
points out, answered by the Reformation, was What must I do to be saved. This issue was one of the distinctive departures
from 16th century Rome. Calvin in Geneva and Knox in Scotland advanced the Reformation with their preaching and
writings. In England the Reformed faith was codied in the Westminster Assembly. We are introduced to other reformed
confessions and creeds that bear a like testimony.
Chapter 10 deals with early American Presbyterianism. Doctrinal disputes and aberrations led to New Castle Presbyterys
decision to require ministerial candidates to subscribe to the Westminster Standards. The position nally adopted by
Presbyterians was subscription to the Westminster Standards, with any scruples or disagreements with the confession being
specied by the candidate and Presbytery to decide if the exception could be tolerated.
The reader will learn of the New Side vs Old Side controversy arising out of the Great Awakening of the 1740s, the New Side
promoting the Awakening, the Old Side questioning the disorders of the revival. William and Gilbert Tennant were New
Side pastors who were instrumental in the founding of a college at Princeton, NJ .
Chapter 11 deals with 19th century Presbyterians. This was the age of Charles Hodge, Robert L Dabney, J ames Henley
Thornwell, J ohn Girardeau and several other giants of the faith. The early part of the 19th century was the Second Great
Awakening. This was the setting for the debate between the great Reformed theologian Charles Hodge and the (nominally)
Presbyterian Charles Finney.
The authors discussion of Finney is the most disappointing account I have seen from a Presbyterian professor from a
Reformed seminary. In my opinion, Charles G Finney receives far too favorable treatment. I cannot help contrasting his
discussion of Finney with another popular-level book by RC Sproul entitled Willling to Believe. In Lucas we read: Finney
proclaimed a new divinity that was a powerful theology for revival. With a revised understanding of original sin, freedom
of the will, regeneration, conversion, and sanctication, Finney popularized many of the New Divinitys positions as he and
his fellow evangelists won large numbers of converts throughout the country, pg. 190. The author does add His positions
varied a great deal from the Westminster Standards and drew heavy criticism from many quarters of the church. But this is
no satisfactory response to the dangers of Finneys heresies.
RC Sproul, in his book, Willing to Believe, gives a far more accurate picture of Finney. He also documents Finneys beliefs
(or unbeliefs!) unlike the generalities of Lucas. Sprouls chapter on Finney is entitled We Are Not Depraved by Nature.
Robert Godfrey says after reading Finney, In the whole history of the church there is probably not a theologian as Pelagian
as Finney. Here is a summary of Finneys errors:
J ustication: not Forensic
Atonement: not Substitutionary
Sanctication: a Condition of J ustication.
Moral Depravity: not a Sinful Nature
Regeneration: Dependent on Our Decision
An outright denial of Biblical truth is not to be described as a revised understanding of these doctrines (as did Dr Lucas on
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Book Review
page 190). Finney most decidedly did NOT have a powerful theology for revival. It was more like an engine for deception,
so that those who went forward could get enough religion to inoculate them against the real thing. I see cults, crazes and
moral crusades following Finney-type revivalism.
The 19th century revivalism led to the Old School/New School split in the Presbyterian Church. The orthodox Old School
was strongest in the South where they had a large majority. The Old School was represented by Hodge, Thornwell, and
Dabney; the New School by Lyman Beecher and Albert Barnes.
Chapter 12 chronicles something of the decline and fall of the PCUSA in the early 20th century. Although the PCUSA
expelled a few heretics near the end of the 19th century, the 20th century would see that only the orthodox could be expelled
from the corrupt denomination. An insidious example of theological liberalism inltration is the Auburn Afrmation. Here
various liberals (progressives??) argued that while the church was committed to the ideas of J esus virgin birth, atonement,
resurrection, miracles and the authority of Scripture there were different theories explaining what we meant by these ideas.
Auburn Afrmationists held that conservatives were going too far to impose their traditional theories on the church, or to
insist on the inerrancy of Scripture.
The presentation of the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy and the role of Machen is a part of the story of establishing a
new continuing Presbyterian church that would be true to its Biblical heritage.
The layman will be informed of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, the Bible Presbyterian Church, and other smaller
denominations. We are introduced to Machen, McIntire, and Schaeffer among others. I thought Dr Lucas did a good survey
in this section.
Chapter 13 tells of the founding of the Presbyterian Church in America by Southern conservative Presbyterians who left the
PCUS. They saw themselves as A Continuing Church Three poisons had infected rst the Northern Presbyterian Church
and then the Southern: The Social Gospel: (having nothing to do with gospel, or what God commanded regarding social
problems); Evolution: (an anti-Christian religion passed off as science); and Neo-Orthodoxy: (lacking both newness and
orthodoxy)
The history of the church, as well as the books discussion of the Social Gospel, regrettably lacks the key Biblical Law. The
Christian is to meet social problems with the Law-Word of God, not by jumping on one bandwagon or another. Certainly not
by substituting good works crusades for the gospel of grace.
Near the end of the book, the author tells of three issues of current controversy in the PCA. These are: Charismatic gifts and
continuing revelation, Theonomy, and the days of Creation.
On the rst issue, the PCAs rst General Assembly issued a statement denying continuing revelation. They also denied that
there was a post-conversion Baptism of the Holy Spirit and denied that tongues-speaking was a sign of this Baptism, or
that it was revelatory.
On theonomy, the PCA decided that it should neither be required nor forbidden, not a test of orthodoxy. The author reveals
a negative view of Theonomy, however, and a positive view of non literal six-24hour -day views of creation. The following
quote on pages 242-43 evidences my conclusion. Of theonomists he says, Strikingly, many of the same people who desired
to reread the Confession on the issue of the continuing validity of the Old Testament civil laws for contemporary American
politics did not want to allow this same latitude to those who questioned whether God created all this in the space of six
days. For Lucas the issue is something like this: The PCA graciously granted tolerance to you theonomists for your re-
reading of the Confession, how can you not allow tolerance of other views of Creation? How about this view: Gods wise
and perfect laws regarding crime and social problems cannot be improved on by men or committees. And Gods account of
Creation does not need modied by the anti-Christian religion called evolution, which afrms millions of years as an article
of faith. Being faithful to the Word of God may mean that you fail someones tolerance test!
In summary, aside from fawning too much over Finney and the implied knock on theonomy and six-day creation, there remains
a great deal of value in the discussion of other issues and history of the Presbyterian Church. Those new to Presbyterianism
will learn much about our history, beliefs, and practice. For those purposes I can clearly recommend this book.
Review by Donald D Crowe, Associate Professor Church History, American University for Biblical Studies,
Teaching Elder, RPCUS
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