I've attended a Presbyterian church since 5th grade. I've understood what being a Presbyterian means since high school. And I've enjoyed history - especially American history - as long as I can remember. And so as I started reading church history and theology in college and in seminary, I was naturally drawn to my forefathers in the faith from my own country and my own tradition: American Presbyterians. I began to see my story as intimately connected to their story, for better or for worse.
Let's be honest, there aren't many Presbyterians in America. And not many Presbyterians care about history in general or their own ecclesiastical history in particular. So there is a need to remind people from whence they and their churches came. There is a need to remind people of the pastors and teachers and writings that have shaped the church that we know today. The 18th and 19th centuries were the formative years of the Presbyterian church in America. They were filled with ideas, instruction, organization, conflict, iron sharpening iron, disagreement, and division. Like any church, our Presbyterian ancestors were justified sinners - they had many flaws, but they also had Spirit-wrought insight into the word of God. They wrote voluminously, but so many of their writings have been forgotten or lost to the moden era.
That's why Log College Press exists - to make known and make available in one place the rich treasure trove of American Presbyterian writings hidden away online. It's a slow work in progress, but the hope is that one day everything published by an 18th or 19th century American Presbyterian that is accessible will be found on this site. Eventually, we plan to reprint a select number of books that we believe are worth being more broadly available to the church today. We hope you enjoy what you discover here. Please let us know if there is any author or work in particular you'd like us to include on this site sooner rather than later.