Divided By a Common Heritage: The Christian Reformed Church and the Reformed Church in America at the Beginning of the New Millenium

by Corwin Smidt, Donald Luidens, James Penning, and Roger Nemeth

Ecclesiastical introspection can lead to banal, partial analysis. But not in this book from four social scientists who have taken a long and discriminating, yet loving look at their own denominations. The Hope College and Calvin College authors of this book care deeply about the traditions, practices, and convictions of the Reformed Church in America and the Christian Reformed Church. Their skillful use of extensive survey information to chart the current positions of the two church bodies offers a model of clarity for scholars of American religion. For members of the CRC and RCA, the book offers sympathetic insight into the present character of both denominations and their prospects for the future.