Clergy Education in America

This is a remarkable accomplishment. Golemon traces the history of educating the clergy in Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish traditions over the course of three centuries. He covers not only Euro-American institutions but also the educating of African Americans, women, and working-class white leaders. His vision of ministers, priests, and rabbis as participants in the civic culture of the nation recovers and refurbishes a long tradition. This is a learned reflection on the meaning of religious leadership, and throughout he has a provocative argument that will stir discussion and debate for at least the next decade. Golemon's book is a wide-ranging yet focused, learned yet eminently accessible reflection on the meaning of religious leadership. * E. Brooks Holifield, Charles Candler Professor Emeritus, Emory University * Theological educators will want to heed Golemon's superb history going back to the early days of the country. Clergy Education in America is a far different history of theological education and far superior to those focused on a school or a denomination. Golemon deftly portrays how Protestant pastors, Catholic priests, and Jewish rabbis shared a common aim for educating public leaders of religion and culture from the early days of the republic. What history lesson could more important for us today? * Kathleen A. Cahalan, Professor of Practical Theology, Saint John's University School of Theology and Seminary *