This essay examines the contrast in Scottish and American church history from the 1730s to the 1840s, and focuses on the difference in theological development. The author argues that the study of the relationship between formal religious thought and its social, political, and intellectual contexts shows why theology developed differently in the two regions during this period.

What constitutes a true church? This article reflects on the thinking of Martin Luther on the church, for he was so intense in the way he wrestled to find a biblical answer to his questions about the church.