I Will Build My Church: Selected Writings on Church Polity, Baptism, and the Sabbath HB
| Product Details | |
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| Publisher | Westminster Seminary Press |
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| ISBN | 9781733627269 |
Few pastors leave as indelible a legacy as Thomas Witherow did in the north of Ireland during the second half of the nineteenth century. A faithful minister, husband, father, author, and professor, Witherow’s defense of Presbyterianism remains one of the most influential of its kind.
Collecting Witherow’s most important works on the topic—The Apostolic Church, Scriptural Baptism, and The Sabbath—this volume presents a cohesive, trenchant, and imitable apology for the Presbyterian tradition. Preceding the three works is A Prince of Irish Presbyterianism, a new and illuminating biography of Witherow by volume editor Jonathan Gibson.
About the Author
Thomas Witherow (1824–1890) was born in Ballycastle in the north of Ireland, where he ministered and taught for 45 years. After pastoring a Presbyterian church in Maghera for two decades, he became professor of church history and pastoral theology at Magee College in Londonderry, where he served until his untimely death at the age of 65. Witherow wrote prolifically and on a variety of topics, but he remains best known for his defense of Presbyterian beliefs.
Jonathan Gibson (PhD, University of Cambridge) is associate professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary, and an ordained minister in the International Presbyterian Church, UK. He is the author and editor of several books, including two collections of liturgies for corporate and individual worship: Reformation Worship and Be Thou My Vision. Jonny is married to Jackie, and they have four children:Benjamin, Leila, Zachary, and Hannah.
“Thomas Witherow was a nineteenth-century Irish Presbyterian minister and professor whose contribution to Reformed theology has benefitted the church far beyond the shores of Ireland and continues to be relevant for the contemporary church. In an age when many people have been abused and hurt by bad or dysfunctional church government, Witherow’s work on ecclesiology is an important reminder of how good church government is a critical part of Christian discipleship. When properly implemented, it enables the church’s members to pursue a fruitful Christian life, to pray better for others, and to serve the church most effectively. Above all, Witherow’s work gives Christians a deep appreciation for the wisdom and glory of the church’s Head and King, Jesus Christ. As the recently retired principal of the same theological college that Witherow served with such eminence, I am delighted to commend the work of my godly predecessor.”
Stafford Carson
Principal (Retired), Union Theological College
“It is a great pleasure for me warmly to commend this new work by Jonny Gibson. Thomas Witherow’s name ought to be better known than it is. His brief works on church polity, baptism and Sabbath, are written with admirable clarity and a generous gospel spirit. In an age when Christianity is being seduced by the shallow mantras of modernity, reading Witherow will help to recalibrate your thinking on truths that belong to the heart of the Christian faith and the health of the Christian church. The engaging introductory biography introduces us to a man who used the gifts and passions the Lord entrusted to him to serve the cause of the gospel in his homeland and beyond.”
Ian Hamilton
Professor of Historical Theology, Westminster Presbyterian Theological Seminary
“I am delighted that Jonny Gibson is making available for a new generation some of the chief works of the great Irish Presbyterian Thomas Witherow. Some decades ago, one of my sons was working his way through the issue of church government and wondered why we should be Presbyterian rather than hierarchical as in Episcopacy (Anglicanism). I sent him to Witherow, and that fully satisfied the issue for him! May these reprinted volumes of rich historical and biblical theology help many more seekers in years to come. Witherow’s works are marked by eminent fairness and good sense.”
Douglas Kelly
Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary
