History Matters
A Festschrift in Honor of Stuart Macdonald
- History & Biography
- Publisher: Pickwick Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
History Matters brings together distinguished scholars whose essays span diverse periods and contexts yet converge around enduring theological and historical questions. Across studies of witch trials in sixteenth-century Scotland; demonological debates in seventeenth-century England; moral reasoning about wartime bombing, secularization, and doctrinal development in Canadian Protestantism; and the formation of medieval church leaders, the contributors examine how Christian identity has been formed, contested, and reimagined over time. This volume attends closely to the dynamics of power and authority in both ecclesial and civic life and to the ongoing negotiation between tradition and transformation. It also insists that historical inquiry is never neutral. The questions historians ask, the sources they privilege, and the interpretive frameworks they employ shape how the past is understood. Rather than offering easy conclusions, these essays present history as complex, contested, and often unresolved. As a whole, History Matters demonstrates why careful historical study remains indispensable for rigorous theological reflection and for responsible engagement with the moral, social, and ecclesial challenges of the present.
Endorsements (3)
“As this Festschrift draws readers into paying careful attention to the interface between church and society, it is a fitting tribute to Stuart Macdonald’s commitments as a teacher and author. The chapter authors demonstrate across a range of time periods that paying attention to history indeed matters as the church seeks to live wisely.”
“I congratulate the editors of History Matters for providing an impressive series of essays to honor Dr. Stuart Macdonald. First comes an impressive list of Dr. Macdonald’s publications, followed by an excellent statement on why history matters. As to the essays themselves, they range from the poignant to the profound, reflecting Dr. Macdonald’s personal and professional commitments. Whether it’s Scottish witches, contemporary Canadian church statistics, the ethics of war, debates about sixteenth-century worship, or how Canada’s Presbyterians discuss doctrine, there is plenty in this book that startles and sparkles.”
“This fascinating collection of essays is a Festschrift honoring longtime professor of church history, Stuart Macdonald. The essays display an impressive breadth of expertise in what might be called technical church history and other theological disciplines. But the unifying theme of the collection is the effect of history on the life and ministry of the church, which reflects the scholarship of Professor Macdonald himself.”
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