John R. Muether is Professor of Church History at

Reformed Theological Seminary Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) is a theological seminary in the Reformed theological tradition with campuses in multiple locations in the United States. Founded by conservatives in the Southern Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Churc ...

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

, as well as the Library director. He is the co-editor of the Nicotine Theological Journal (along with D.G. Hart). He is a ruling elder in the

Orthodox Presbyterian Church The Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) is a confessional Presbyterian denomination located primarily in the United States, with additional congregations in Canada, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. It was founded by conservative members of the Presbyte ...

, as well as being their denominational historian.

Early life and education

Muether was raised on

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

. He graduated from Gordon College (B.A.),

Westminster Theological Seminary Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian theology, theological seminary in the Reformed theology, Reformed theological tradition in Glenside, Pennsylvania. It was founded by members of the faculty of Prince ...

(M.A.R.), and

Simmons College Institutions of learning called Simmons College or Simmons University include: * Simmons University Simmons University (previously Simmons College) is a private university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1899 by ...

(M.S.L.S.).

Career

Muether joined

in 1989 as Library Director, and later was appointed Dean of Libraries. In addition to overseeing library operations, he teaches core courses in education within the church, Christian engagement with culture, and church government, along with elective courses on various theological topics. Prior to his tenure at RTS, Muether was a member of the library staff at

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the religious studies, academic study of religion or for leadership role ...

and later directed the libraries at

Western Theological Seminary Western Theological Seminary (WTS) is a private seminary located in Holland, Michigan. Established in 1866, it is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States ...

Holland, Michigan Holland is a city in Ottawa County, Michigan, Ottawa and Allegan County, Michigan, Allegan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in the West Michigan, western region of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula, the city is si ...

, and

in Philadelphia.

Writings

Muether has authored, edited and coauthored multiple books and articles. His works include a biography of Christian philosopher and theologian

Cornelius Van Til Cornelius Van Til (May 3, 1895 – April 17, 1987) was a Dutch-American Reformed theologian, who is credited as being the originator of modern presuppositional apologetics. A graduate of Calvin College, Van Til later received his PhD from Pr ...

as well as books on the history of

Presbyterianism Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

in America.

Church Involvement

Muether has played an active role in the

(OPC). He has served as a ruling elder and clerk of the session in his local congregation while also holding regional and national leadership positions. He is the denominational historian for the OPC and serves on national committees for Christian education and ministerial training.

Personal life

Muether is married to Kathy, with whom he has four children.

Bibliography

* ''Reference Works for Theological Research: An Annotated Selective Bibliographical Guide'' (with Robert J. Kepple), 1992 * ''Fighting the Good Fight: A Brief History of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church'' (with D. G. Hart), 1995 * ''With Reverence and Awe: Returning to the Basics of Reformed Worship'' (with D. G. Hart), 2002 * ''Creator, Redeemer, Consummator: A Festschrift for Meredith G. Kline'' (edited with Howard Griffith), 2007 * ''Seeking a Better Country: 300 Years of American Presbyterianism'' (with D. G. Hart), 2007 * ''Cornelius Van Til: Reformed Apologist and Churchman'', 2008 * ''Love on the Rocks: Stories of Rusticators and Romance on Mount Desert Island'' (with Kathryn Muether), 2008 * ''Confident of Better Things: Essays Commemorating Seventy-Five Years of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church'' (edited with Danny E. Olinger), 2011 * ''Covenant Theology: Biblical, Theological, and Historical Perspectives'' (edited with Guy Prentiss Waters and J. Nicholas Reid), 2020

References

External links

Old Life Theological SocietyReformed Theological Seminary Faculty Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muether, John R. American Calvinist and Reformed Christians American Presbyterians American librarians American religion academics Living people Orthodox Presbyterian Church members Reformation historians Editors of Christian publications Year of birth missing (living people) Reformed Theological Seminary faculty Simmons University alumni Gordon College (Massachusetts) alumni Westminster Theological Seminary alumni