Review of The Last Presbyterian? Remembering the Faith of My Forebears by Ken Cuthbertson

The Last Presbyterian? is a theological memoir, a charming reflection and remembrance of ways of life that have, in the main, passed into history, and an exploration of what should be claimed or reclaimed from this history.  Ken Cuthbertson, a Presbyterian Church (USA) Minister of Word and Sacrament, celebrates his Scots forefathers and foremothers and their theologically and Biblically informed ways of life and ministry.  He has produced a highly readable book that shares his own memories and family history.  By so doing, he evokes memories for others and draws readers to reflect on how this rich history informs and can equip us for a faithful future.

Cuthbertson explores key theological concepts and foundational constructs of Scots Presbyterian life, including covenant; Sabbath; the singing of psalms; the importance of lay leadership; discipline; and the “Great Ends of the Church”.  His own remembrances are nicely interwoven in each chapter, often with hundreds of years of well-researched family history from the other side of the pond, and stories of how that history continues to be formational for family and community today.

Two things, at least, stand out about The Last Presbyterian?.  The first of these is Ken Cuthbertson’s love of the Scots Presbyterian tradition and life – a love informed by deep knowledge and much research.  Cuthbertson is steeped in this tradition and continues to love and to live a life informed in many ways by its norms and values.  His deep affection for the forebears named in the title and respect for the faith by which they lived shines through the narrative.  While not afraid to laugh at stories where extremism peeks through and aware of the foibles documented in the history, the warmth of Cuthbertson’s regard for those he describes remains clear and makes the book a charming read.

The second issue for me is the way the author invites reflection on where the Presbyterian Church and Reformed Christianity is today, particularly in the US.  The reader is drawn in through the charmingly-shared historical narrative time and again, led into consideration of these key constructs, and then the author turns to pose questions and offer well-reasoned thought on how these questions could be viewed, explored, and thought through.  While readers may not agree with all of the opinions shared in the book, readers will find themselves thinking through important questions, newly-informed by a history that many do not know.  This makes this book very valuable, in a moment when schism has emerged in some places and discord in many, many others in the Presbyterian Church – and in other churches as well.  Ken Cuthbertson has done a service to us all through the sharing of this history and his own well-reasoned reflection upon it.  I look forward to the ways in which the book will inspire reflection – and perhaps, by God’s grace, action.

Director’s Note: Ken Cuthbertson responded to questions I posed from my reading of the book.  That interview is shared from Tuesday-Friday of this week.  I look forward to hearing reader reflections, both about the book, and about the issues Cuthbertson raises.

Ken Cuthbertson is a Presbyterian (PCUSA) minister. Ordained in 1982, he is currently a member of Santa Fe Presbytery. He lives with his husband, Doug Calderwood, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Lifepartners since 1987, Ken and Doug were legally married at Niagara Falls, NY, in March 2012. Ken serves as parish associate at Las Placitas Presbyterian Church (Placitas, NM), teaches part-time for an ecumenical religious studies program, and carries on a ministry of spiritual direction. He is a member of the advisory team for the Casa del Sol retreat house at Ghost Ranch. A native of Girard, KS, Ken received his BA from Sterling College (KS), his MDiv from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and his PhD in the History of Christianity through the School of Religion at the University of Iowa.