Publisher's Synopsis
Description: In a time when organized religion is suffering an identity crisis, the author of The Last Presbyterian? examines the faith culture that shaped him and his family over the last half millennium. Filled with historical, theological, and spiritual reflections and set in the context of both old family stories and current trends, Cuthbertson's book addresses such timely issues as practicing faith within families, setting aside time for God, and the changing facets of leadership and discipleship within the Presbyterian tradition. Starting with the "Psalm-singing, Sabbath-keeping, Shorter-Catechism-memorizing" branches of Scots-American Presbyterianism, this book offers an affectionate look back, and a hopeful look ahead, to an emergent Presbyterianism coming to terms with issues such as LGBT ordination and same-gender marriage, interfaith relations, and care for the earth. Endorsements: "This memoir/history gathers the roots and experiences of a thoroughly modern twenty-first-century man who both savors and critiques the tradition that formed his spirit and discipleship in the church. The gentleness, humor, and candor that characterize his writing extend a winsome invitation to the reader to explore the tradition, savor its gifts, and meet the challenges of our contemporary culture. This book is a compelling reflection of one faithful and prophetic life!" --Elizabeth Nordquist, PC(USA) Minister of Word and Sacrament, Honorably Retired "Western Christianity, as we have known it (including Presbyterianism), is in a state of collapse. Ken Cuthbertson passionately invites us to discern what it is in our religious household we should rescue from the collapsing structure before the whole thing comes tumbling down. The author doesn't shy away from naming the imminence of the collapse. And, most importantly, he names with love and gratitude the treasures we have received in our religious inheritance." --John Philip Newell, author of Listening for the Heartbeat of God: A Celtic Spirituality About the Contributor(s): Kenneth L. Cuthbertson is a Presbyterian (PCUSA) minister. He lives with his husband in New Mexico, where he serves as parish associate in a local church, teaches for an ecumenical religious studies program, and is a member of the advisory team for the Casa del Sol retreat house at Ghost Ranch. A native of Kansas, Ken received his PhD in the History of Christianity through the School of Religion at the University of Iowa.
