Presbyterian Publishing Corporation
Encyclopedia
The Presbyterian Publishing Corporation is a religious corporation
, which is the publishing agency of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
. According to its official Web site, "The Presbyterian Publishing Corporation is one of six agencies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) but we receive no funding from the denomination, but rather contribute to the mission of the PC(USA) through our operating surpluses." It's primary unit is the publisher Westminster John Knox
.
PPC publishes approximately 50 new books and other resources each year and manages a backlist of more than 1,800 titles that are sold throughout the world. In addition, PPC produces These Days devotional magazine four times a year.
In 2006 PPC introduced The Thoughtful Christian, an online, ecumenical resource center located at www.TheThoughtfulChristian.com. The Thoughtful Christian contains more than 150 units for adults and more than 20 units for teenagers. The studies are designed for individuals and groups in Presbyterian churches, as well as churches of other denominations. The units for adults cover topics in the following areas: Bible and theology, Christian living, spirituality, contemporary issues, and popular culture. The units for teenagers address biblical, theological, and spiritual themes; popular culture; and issues of Christian lifestyle.
For nearly 170 years, PPC and its predecessors have served clergy, scholars, students, and laypeople. Most of its publications are used in the spiritual formation of clergy and laity, the training of seminarians, the dissemination of religious scholars' work, and the preparation for ministry of lay church leaders. One of PPC's principal aims is to help readers of its publications achieve biblical and theological literacy.
PPC is a nonprofit corporation that receives no mission dollars from the PC(USA) but sustains itself entirely through sales of its publications. It has long been known for sound business practices and excellent customer service. PPC has generated positive operating revenue in all but one year of its corporate existence. The corporation invests surplus funds in research and development, new products, and a generous Benevolence Plan that supports ministers, congregations, seminaries, and other institutions around the world.
PPC has published numerous works by world-renowned authors from across the theological spectrum including John Barton, Brian Blount, Walter Brueggemann, John Buchanan, Frederick Buechner, Cynthia Campbell, Tony Campolo, Brevard Childs, Marva Dawn, Catherine and Justo Gonz‡lez, Tom Long, Reinhold Niebuhr, H. Richard Niebuhr, Eugene Peterson, Letty Russell, William Sloane Coffin, Barbara Brown Taylor, Marjorie Thompson, Cornel West, Will Willimon, Brian Wren, and N. T. Wright.
. The book argues that "The Bush-Cheney administration... orchestrated 9/11 in order to promote this empire under the pretext of the so-called war on terror." The book echoes other 9/11 conspiracy theories
in claiming that the Bush administration used explosives to destroy the World Trade Center
, and adds a theological argument that the United States
is an "evil, even demonic empire" comparable to the Roman Empire
.
PPC President Davis Perkins claimed that the book's arguments "merit careful consideration by serious-minded Christians and Americans concerned with truth and the meaning of their faith."
Publication of this book aroused criticism of the PPC and the PC(USA) leadership by church members and clergy.
Religious corporation
A religious corporation is a type of religious non-profit organization, which has been incorporated under the law. Often these types of corporations are recognized under the law on a subnational level, for instance by a state or province government...
, which is the publishing agency of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
. According to its official Web site, "The Presbyterian Publishing Corporation is one of six agencies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) but we receive no funding from the denomination, but rather contribute to the mission of the PC(USA) through our operating surpluses." It's primary unit is the publisher Westminster John Knox
Westminster John Knox
Westminster John Knox is in Louisville, Kentucky and is part of Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, the publishing arm of the Louisville, Kentucky based Presbyterian Church . Their publishing focus is on books in:-History:...
.
Mission Statement
"Building on the Reformed tradition, the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation seeks to glorify God by contributing to the spiritual and intellectual vitality of Christ's church. To that end, PPC publishes resources that advance religious scholarship, stimulate conversation about moral values, and inspire faithful living."History
The Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC) is the denominational publisher for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), but the materials it issues under its Westminster John Knox Press imprint cover the spectrum of modern religious thought and represent the work of scholarly and popular authors of many different religious affiliations. PPC's Geneva Press imprint is for a specifically Presbyterian audience.PPC publishes approximately 50 new books and other resources each year and manages a backlist of more than 1,800 titles that are sold throughout the world. In addition, PPC produces These Days devotional magazine four times a year.
In 2006 PPC introduced The Thoughtful Christian, an online, ecumenical resource center located at www.TheThoughtfulChristian.com. The Thoughtful Christian contains more than 150 units for adults and more than 20 units for teenagers. The studies are designed for individuals and groups in Presbyterian churches, as well as churches of other denominations. The units for adults cover topics in the following areas: Bible and theology, Christian living, spirituality, contemporary issues, and popular culture. The units for teenagers address biblical, theological, and spiritual themes; popular culture; and issues of Christian lifestyle.
For nearly 170 years, PPC and its predecessors have served clergy, scholars, students, and laypeople. Most of its publications are used in the spiritual formation of clergy and laity, the training of seminarians, the dissemination of religious scholars' work, and the preparation for ministry of lay church leaders. One of PPC's principal aims is to help readers of its publications achieve biblical and theological literacy.
PPC is a nonprofit corporation that receives no mission dollars from the PC(USA) but sustains itself entirely through sales of its publications. It has long been known for sound business practices and excellent customer service. PPC has generated positive operating revenue in all but one year of its corporate existence. The corporation invests surplus funds in research and development, new products, and a generous Benevolence Plan that supports ministers, congregations, seminaries, and other institutions around the world.
PPC has published numerous works by world-renowned authors from across the theological spectrum including John Barton, Brian Blount, Walter Brueggemann, John Buchanan, Frederick Buechner, Cynthia Campbell, Tony Campolo, Brevard Childs, Marva Dawn, Catherine and Justo Gonz‡lez, Tom Long, Reinhold Niebuhr, H. Richard Niebuhr, Eugene Peterson, Letty Russell, William Sloane Coffin, Barbara Brown Taylor, Marjorie Thompson, Cornel West, Will Willimon, Brian Wren, and N. T. Wright.
Controversy
On 1 July 2006, the PPC published Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11: A Call to Reflection and Action, a book by David Ray GriffinDavid Ray Griffin
David Ray Griffin is a retired American professor of philosophy of religion and theology. Along with John B. Cobb, Jr., he founded the Center for Process Studies in 1973, a research center of Claremont School of Theology which seeks to promote the common good by means of the relational approach...
. The book argues that "The Bush-Cheney administration... orchestrated 9/11 in order to promote this empire under the pretext of the so-called war on terror." The book echoes other 9/11 conspiracy theories
9/11 conspiracy theories
9/11 conspiracy theories are theories that disagree with the widely accepted account that the September 11 attacks were perpetrated solely by al-Qaeda. These theories arose because of what proponents of the conspiracy theories believe to be inconsistencies in the official conclusions or some...
in claiming that the Bush administration used explosives to destroy the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
, and adds a theological argument that the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is an "evil, even demonic empire" comparable to the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.
PPC President Davis Perkins claimed that the book's arguments "merit careful consideration by serious-minded Christians and Americans concerned with truth and the meaning of their faith."
Publication of this book aroused criticism of the PPC and the PC(USA) leadership by church members and clergy.