Retrieving Catholicity in American Protestantism

This volume is a collection of essays on church history by John Williamson Nevin (1803-86), the theological creator of Mercersburg Theology. Nevin and his colleague Philip Schaff were attempting to reorient American ecclesial thought to be more historical. Most American theologians of the period posited a period of spiritual decline soon after the New Testament, lasting until the Protestant Reformation. They believed the ongoing task of the children of the Reformation was to remake the church in the mold of the apostolic faith. In these essays, Nevin was seeking to establish a more unified historical narrative that saw the Reformation as an essential outgrowth of the medieval Catholic church. Nevin’s search for an answer to the church question--what is the church?--demanded a focus on history as an unfolding, teleological journey. Nevin’s search for history is part of his larger search for catholicity in the American Protestant church. These writings are an important part of the larger theological project that is known as Mercersburg Theology, which is being explored in the volumes of this series.

John Williamson Nevin (1803-1886) was an innovative and controversial American theologian. Although reared in Presbyterianism, he became the premier exponent of the ＂Mercersburg Theology＂ of the German Reformed Church. He promoted a view of Christianity as evolving, focused on the Incarnation, and centered in the sacraments.



Michael J. Stell received his PhD from Catholic University of America in 2024. His dissertation is an exploration of Nevin’s historical writings. In addition, he recently published a chapter in Theology and Star Trek (2023).