Princeton and the Laos Mission: A Case Study of Princeton Theological Seminary's Influence in the Nineteenth Century
Historians have claimed that Princeton Theological Seminary had an important influence on nineteenth-century American Presbyterianism and on American Protestantism more generally. On closer examination, however, that claim has not been established and the evidence provided seems meager. A case study...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Soc.
2004
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| In: |
The journal of Presbyterian history
Year: 2004, Volume: 82, Issue: 2, Pages: 108-125 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Historians have claimed that Princeton Theological Seminary had an important influence on nineteenth-century American Presbyterianism and on American Protestantism more generally. On closer examination, however, that claim has not been established and the evidence provided seems meager. A case study of nine pioneer members of the Presbyterian Church's Laos Mission, located in northern Siam (Thailand), further demonstrates the difficulties in separating the specific influences of Princeton Seminary from the main currents of its nineteenth-century religious and cultural context. The limits of the historical record and the failure of these Old School Presbyterian missionaries to document the sources of their thinking make it impossible to establish the nature or the degree of Princeton's purported influence on them. The importance of Princeton Seminary to modern historiography, in sum, is the degree to which its history and literature deepen our understanding of its larger Old School, Presbyterian, and American evangelical contexts. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: The journal of Presbyterian history
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