John Gerstner

John Henry Gerstner (November 22, 1914 – March 24, 1996) was a Professor of Church History at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and Knox Theological Seminary and an authority on the life and theology of Jonathan Edwards.

He earned both a Master of Divinity degree and a Master of Theology degree from Westminster Theological Seminary. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Harvard University in 1945. He was originally ordained in the United Presbyterian Church of North America, then (due to church unions) with the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America and the Presbyterian Church (USA). In 1990, he left the PCUSA for the Presbyterian Church in America.

Gerstner counted among his students, noted author and preacher, R. C. Sproul, founder of Ligonier Ministries, Dr. Arthur Lindsley, Senior Fellow at the C.S. Lewis Institute, and Dr. Walter (Wynn) Kenyon, Professor of Biblical Studies and Philosophy; Chair of the Philosophy Department and Division of Ministry and Human Services at Belhaven University, and Dr. Mark Ross, the John R. de Witt Professor of Systematic Theology and Director of the Institute for Reformed Worship at Erskine Theological Seminary.

In addition to the books Gerstner had written, he also recorded several lengthy audio courses giving a survey of theology, church history, and Christian apologetics, which are distributed through Ligonier Ministries. Gerstner was non-dispensationalist.

In 1976, a Festschrift was published in Gerstner's honor. Soli Deo Gloria: Essays in Reformed Theology included contributions by Cornelius Van Til, J. I. Packer, Philip Edgecumbe Hughes, John Murray, R. C. Sproul, John Warwick Montgomery, and Roger Nicole.

Books

• Repent or Perish: The Conservative Attack on Hell
• Reasons for Faith
• Reasons for Duty
• The Early Writings of John H. Gerstner (2 volume set)
• Theology in Dialogue
• Primitive Theology
• Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth: A Critique of Dispensationalism. Third edition. Nicene Council, 2009. ISBN 978-0977851690
• The ABC's of Assurance
• Jonathan Edwards: Evangelist (ISBN 1-57358-006-6)
• Jonathan Edwards: A Mini-Theology (ISBN 1-57358-052-X)
• Jonathan Edwards on Heaven and Hell (ISBN 1-57358-088-0)
• The Rational Biblical Theology of Jonathan Edwards
• Steps to Salvation: The Evangelistic Message of Jonathan Edwards (1960)
• The Teachings of Mormonism (1978)
• The Teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses (1978)
• The Theology of the Major Sects (1960)

External links

• John Gerstner at Find a Grave
• John Gerstner sermons/lectures at Aisquith Presbyterian Church http://www.aisquith.org/audio-sermons/?preacher=17