wfn.org | PPC and British Publishing Partner Celebrate 300th Anniversary

[PCUSA.NEWS@pcusa.org]

9-April-1998 
98113 
 
    PPC and British Publishing Partner 
    Celebrate 300th Anniversary 
 
    by Julian Shipp 
 
LOUISVILLE, Ky.-Along with about 500 other publishing and church leaders 
from around the world, Davis Perkins, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation 
(PPC) president and publisher, participated in the 300th anniversary 
celebration of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) on 
March 11 in London, England. 
 
    The worship service of thanksgiving and rededication, held in the 
historic St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church on Trafalgar Square, was conducted 
by the head of the Church of England, Archbishop of Canterbury George 
Carey, in the presence of SPCK's royal patrons: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 
II and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. Perkins also attended the 
tea reception afterward at St. James Palace. 
 
    Created in 1698 by the founder of modern Anglican mission, Dr. Thomas 
Bray, SPCK is one of the preeminent religious publishers in the world. SPCK 
currently publishes about 70 new titles each year through its three 
Christian imprints - SPCK, Triangle and Lynx Communications - and its 
general imprint, Sheldon Press. In addition, SPCK operates 33 retail 
bookshops in the United Kingdom. 
 
    "Through PPC's Westminster John Knox Press [WJK], SPCK is one of our 
closest publishing partners," said Perkins. "Our publishing philosophies 
are very compatible and, as a result, we've enjoyed a number of fruitful 
collaborations over the years. SPCK's mission statement challenges them to 
`promote Christian knowledge by communicating the Christian faith in its 
rich diversity, by helping people to understand it and develop their 
personal faith, and by equipping Christians for mission and ministry.' The 
similarity between our respective mission statements and their 
manifestations in our publishing programs is striking." 
 
    A partial list of WJK-SPCK co-publications include "The Library of 
Ancient Israel," edited by Douglas Knight; "Feminist Theology: A Reader," 
edited by Ann Loades; John Barton's "Holy Writings," "Sacred Text" and 
"Love Unknown"; "The Women's Bible Commentary," edited by Carol A. Newsom 
and Sharon Ringe; "The New Testament in Its Social Environment," by John 
Stambaugh and David L. Balch; "The Nature of Doctrine," by George Lindbeck; 
"Introduction of the Bible," by John Hayes; "Beginning Old Testament 
Study," edited by John Rogerson; "Liberating Exegesis," by Christopher 
Rowland and Mark Corner; "Jesus, Paul, and the Law," by James D.G. Gunn; 
"The Intimate Connection," by James B. Nelson; and numerous books by 
psychologist Paul Hauck. 
 
    Of the anniversary event itself, Perkins summarized his impressions 
this way: "The sense of tradition and grandeur of the ritual were palpable 
given the presence of the Queen and Prince Philip. But the most striking 
feature of the service had to do with the way in which the Archbishop of 
Canterbury characterized the three centuries of SPCK's accomplishments and 
challenged all of us in the congregation, in our own ways, to work to meet 
the challenges of promoting Christian knowledge in innovative ways in the 
future. For me in my work at PPC, it was a singular moment of inspiration."   

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