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On June 21, 1820, in Acton, Massachusetts, one of the premier 19th century American Presbyterian theologians was born — William Greenough Thayer Shedd.
He studied at Andover Theological Seminary, graduating in 1843. He went to minister in Brandon, Vermont and also briefly at the Brick Church in New York City. His academic skills led him to serve further as a professor of English literature at the University of Vermont, professor of sacred rhetoric at Auburn Theological Seminary, professor of church history at Andover Theological Seminary, and professor of sacred literature and systematic theology at Union Theological Seminary. He died in New York City on November 17, 1894.
He is perhaps best-known today for his profound writings, some of which are still in print, which include:
Dogmatic Theology (3 vols);
A History of Christian Doctrine (2 vols.);
Homiletics and Pastoral Theology;
Sermons to the Natural Man and Sermons to the Spiritual Man;
The Doctrine of Endless Punishment;
A Critical and Doctrinal Commentary Upon the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans;
Theological Essays and Literary Essays;
Calvinism: Pure and Mixed - A Defence of the Westminster Standards; and
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy: A Miscellany.
Michael Jensen has made the case that Shedd is one of those theologians especially worth getting to know. Read his writings and more about the man here, and remember that he was born on this day 200 years ago, while his contributions to the church endure.
