Cornerstone Presbyterian Church
Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)
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From the preface:
“It is the prayer of the author that as you study this material you may be drawn closer to God and grow in your understanding of the gospel. This overview is intended to whet the appetite of the reader so that he or she will go on to further study in pursuit of greater knowledge about the various doctrines introduced in this book.”
Testimony: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine, by Morton H. Smith, Great Commission Publications, 1986.
I
found this little gem of a book in our church library where it might not
have seen the light of day for some years. A more descriptive title
might have been An Introduction to Reformed Theology. It
was written for people who have no idea what Reformed Theology is; yet
it includes topics that many experienced believers might not have
thought about. It is partly intended to whet the appetite for further
study.
The topics covered start with the Bible, and then proceed through: God and his attributes; sin and its effects; Christ, the hope of Glory; regeneration, conversion, repentance, and faith; justification and adoption; sanctification; the means of grace; the church; last things; and how this study becomes a system of belief, a systematic theology.
Certain controversial topics are covered. Sometimes these are brought to a conclusion, and sometimes they are left open. Here are some of both types: How does a person come to Christ? What is “sanctification”? Do Christians ever become perfect? Where is Christ, in a special way, when I take communion? Is everyone in the church going to heaven? How do I decide whether a “church” is a true church or not? What exactly should I believe about the return of Christ?
The book is written in 13 chapters, each one having one or more Scripture readings, a set of review questions and another set of discussion questions. That makes it a good resource for a variety of uses. An individual member of the church can learn a lot from it. A couple, a family with older children, or a group of friends, might read it together. It would seem to be good for church officer training.
Someone wanting to know about beliefs in this church and denomination should be assured that the author is very reliable for that purpose. (See the sidebar note about him). This twenty-year-old book is still in print, though with a different cover, and, is available from the denomination’s CE&P Bookstore for $7.95 (www.cepbookstore.com or 1-800-283-1357).
— Dean Brown
Morton Smith was one of the founders of the PCA. He was the General Assembly’s first stated clerk, serving in that capacity for 25 years, from 1973 to 1998. He was also instrumental in founding Reformed Theological Seminary of Jackson, Mississippi in 1964 and was professor of systematic theology there until 1979.
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email: info@cornerstonepch.org