The Doctrine of the Spirituality of the Church in the Ecclesiology of Charles Hodge (Reformed Academic Dissertations)

“Historically aware, theologically studied, and clearly presented. Dr.Strange offers the church, fellow historians, and students an able study of the period, of its leading Presbyterians and issues, and of amost important doctrine. While some may not always agree with his reading of views opposing Hodges, all will find it evenhanded. For one new to the subject or established in the discipline, this work has great utility. I heartily commend it.”

“Alan Stranges work is a very welcome addition to contemporary theological literature. It not only provides a rich picture of the life and thought of Charles Hodge generally, but also effectively narrates his contribution to Presbyterian debates about the spirituality of the church. Stranges careful study should prove illuminating to everyone concerned about Reformed churches relationship to the broader world, and to politics in particular. And for those of us committed to the idea that the church should proclaim the whole counsel of God but avoid politicization, Stranges portrait of Hodge will be both an inspiration and a prod to continue refining our understanding of the spirituality of the church and related doctrines.”

“Alan Strange has devoted many years to his study of Hodges doctrine of the church, and his work in this area helpfully fills a gap in Old Princeton studies. Students of American Presbyterianism, and of American Christianity more generally, will greatly profit from Stranges work. Hodges doctrine of the church and its relationship to social and political matters raises important questions that are increasingly relevant for our own day. Oh, for more studies of this kind on the great theologians of Old Princeton!”

“At a time when many necessary distinctions are so easily missed or misunderstood, Alan Strange has provided us with a study marked by sound historical and theological ones. Charles Hodges doctrine of the spirituality of the church has been too often ignored or mishandled, even by those who claim to be scholars of the Reformed and Presbyterian heritage. Strange helps illuminate an important doctrine in the history of the church and how it was understood by one of Americas ecclesiastical and theological giants. This is a required read for clearing up the clouds of confusion regarding the churchs place in her Lords world.”

“This book is an important contribution to our understanding of Charles Hodge, perhaps the most significant American theologian of the nineteenth century, and of the challenges that the Presbyterian Church faced from the momentous events surrounding the slavery issue and the Civil War. Strange demonstrates a mastery of these intricate issues and the shifting patterns of allegiance as new developments arose.At the heart of these matters was the question of how far the church should become involved in civil affairs. Strange demonstrates that Hodge trod a careful and nuanced path between those who wished to identify the church with particular political agendas and others who, on the basis of the idea of the spirituality of the church, insisted that its sole task was to preach the gospel and so to leave crucial ethical questions unaddressed. Hodge, Strange argues, was fully committed to the spirituality of the church, but he saw clearly that this also entailed a commitment to the fact that this is Gods world and that the church has the responsibility to proclaim the lordship of Christ over all areas of life. Throughout, Strange brings to bear a thorough knowledge of this vital period of American history, a comprehensive grasp of the theologies of the various participants, and an encyclopedic eye for the minute details of ecclesiastical decision-making. In all, this represents a major advance in our knowledge of how the Presbyterian Church, and Hodge in particular, understood the churchs biblical function in relation to civil society in the middle of the nineteenth century. Incidentally, it points the way for a contemporary reassessment of this relationship.”

“This would be an important book merely for the sake of history. Strange weaves thorough documentation into a riveting narrative. But especially at a time when Reformed and Presbyterian Christians are wrestling more earnestly with the continuing impact of racial division in our own churches, it is a story that needs to be meditated on and widely discussed. I learned a great deal from this book and will read it again.”

“From church-state controversies in centuries past to contemporary debates over American exceptionalism, Christians have tirelessly grappled with the thorny issue of the task of the church. No one wrestled more frequently or extensively over Presbyterians take on the unique calling of the church in the mid-nineteenth century than Presbyterian theologian Charles Hodge. In The Doctrine of the Spirituality of the Church in the Ecclesiology of Charles Hodge, Alan Strange expertly scrutinizes the plethora of issues in the contentious debates over slavery. Despite the prevailing view that the spirituality of the church was a Southern doctrine, Strange argues that notwithstanding flaws and changes of his ideas, Hodge argued the most nuanced view of the churchs distinctive calling regarding cultural matters.”

“In this meticulously researched and insightful analysis of Charles Hodges doctrine of the spirituality of the church, Professor Alan Strange advances our understanding not just of an essential element of Hodges ecclesiology, but of the history of Reformed thought in America in the tumultuous years leading up to and following the Civil War. Among other things, Strange shows how Hodges doctrine of the spirituality of the church emerged out of and was organically developed from the defining commitments of his Godcentered theology, and he demonstrates how Hodges construal of the relationship between church and state was refined in the fires of social and political upheaval that divided the nation, and ultimately the Presbyterian Church as well. In the end, Strange claims that Hodges doctrine of the spirituality of the church was highly nuanced and skillfully defined the province of the church as ecclesiastical rather than political or civil, yet without keeping the church from engaging in her prophetic task to declare the whole counsel of God to all, in and out of the church. While Strange does not presume to prescribe precisely how the theological descendants of Hodge should apply his doctrine of the spirituality of the church to issues that are pressing in our day, nevertheless his analysis is essential background reading for Reformed thinkers who have an interest in cultural engagement but are eager for the church to avoid the Scylla of marginalization on the one hand and the Charybdis of overpoliticization on the other. It is also an important contribution to a growing body of literature that is challenging the reigning interpretation of Hodge and the theologians from Old Princeton Seminary more generally.”

“When I first read Alan Stranges dissertation, I was struck by how much at home he was in his subject area, having a familiarity with the primary and secondary literature. His treatment of Charles Hodges views on the relation between church and society is very full. He gives a good sense of the exceptional character of the Civil War and of Hodges guidance of his church through uncharted waters. Hodges opponents in the South, notably James Henley Thornwell and Stuart Robinson, are regarded by Strange as inflexible in their adherence to what they regarded as the spirituality of the church. And their conviction that slavery is a political and therefore not an ecclesiastical issue is treated fairly, but as a case of a principle becoming unworkable in new, unforeseen circumstances. In the authors work, he is assisted by Hodges commentaries on the annual meetings of the General Assembly of his church, which Hodge wrote and published even when he had not been present at the Assembly (as was frequently the case). The authors stance is that each champion, Hodge and Thornwell, adheres to the spirituality of the church, Hodges approach being more nuanced and Thornwells more principled. I can imagine the reaction that he holds that Hodges outlook is more pragmatic, and in that sense unprincipled, by comparison to Thornwells.The detailed treatment of these issues is thoroughly professional, and Stranges book will be of interest to church historians of the periodand not only to them, but to anyone else with an interest in how the church mustor mayrelate to the wider society.”

“With meticulous care and great appreciation, Alan Strange gives Charles Hodge, arguably the leading nineteenth-century American Calvinist, the attention he rightly deserves. Not only was Hodge a formidable commentator on practically everything written about the Bible and theology, but his reflections extended to a wide range of political and economic developments. With Hodge, we have someone who is both theologically astute and living (and writing about) the controversies that led the United States to civil war. Alan Strange renders a remarkable portrait of Calvinist theology in the context of political and social upheaval, and sheds significant light on the often-mentioned but seldom-understood Old School Presbyterian Church.”

“Charles Hodge was known as the Pope of Presbyterians in the nineteenth century because of his tremendous influence and impact through his teaching, writing, and preaching. Alan Strange has plumbed the depths of Hodges known and lesser-known writings to produce a fascinating and informative exploration of the Princetonians doctrine of the spirituality of the church. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn more about Hodge and how he understood the churchs relationship to the broader culture on a wide range of subjects. Stranges analysis is well researched, balanced, and enlightening.”

“Christians everywhere are confronted by the same question: Christs kingdom is not of this world, but his church is in the worldso what is the churchs calling? In this absorbing and, in places, tension-packed study, Professor Alan Strange traces both the theology and the activity of Charles Hodge, a key player in the nineteenth-century debate over the spirituality of the church. Carefully researched, copiously annotated, and enthusiastically written, these pages provide a vibrant and fascinating account not only of a major theologian, but of issues that are still profoundly relevant to the church today.”