Douglas A. Sweeney
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195154283
- eISBN:
- 9780199834709
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195154282.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Nathaniel William Taylor (1786–1858) was arguably the most influential American theologian of his generation. Despite his tremendous national influence, however, his views were chronically ...
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Nathaniel William Taylor (1786–1858) was arguably the most influential American theologian of his generation. Despite his tremendous national influence, however, his views were chronically misunderstood. He and his associates always declared themselves to be Edwardsian Calvinists – working in the train of “America's Augustine,” Jonathan Edwards – but very few people, then or since, have believed them. In this revisionist study, Douglas A. Sweeney examines why Taylor and his associates counted themselves Edwardsians. He explores what it meant to be an Edwardsian minister and intellectual in the nineteenth century, how the Edwardsian tradition evolved after the death of Edwards himself, how Taylor promoted and eventually fragmented this tradition, and the significance of these developments for the future of evangelical America. Sweeney argues that Taylor's theology has been misconstrued by the vast majority of scholars, who have depicted him as a powerful symbol of the decline of Edwardsian Calvinism and the triumph of democratic liberalism in early national religion. Sweeney instead sees Taylor as a symbol of the vitality of Edwardsian Calvinism throughout the first half of the nineteenth century, a vitality that calls into question some widely held assumptions about this era. Charting Taylor's contribution to the modification, diversification, and ultimate dissolution of the Edwardsian tradition, Sweeney demonstrates his role in the translation of Edwardsian ideals to the ever‐expanding evangelical world that would succeed him. The Edwardsian tradition did not die out in the early nineteenth century, but rather grew rapidly until at least the 1840s. Nathaniel W. Taylor, more than anyone else, laid the theoretical groundwork for this growth – contributing, to be sure, to the demise of New England Theology, but at the same time making it accessible to an unprecedented number of people.Less
Nathaniel William Taylor (1786–1858) was arguably the most influential American theologian of his generation. Despite his tremendous national influence, however, his views were chronically misunderstood. He and his associates always declared themselves to be Edwardsian Calvinists – working in the train of “America's Augustine,” Jonathan Edwards – but very few people, then or since, have believed them. In this revisionist study, Douglas A. Sweeney examines why Taylor and his associates counted themselves Edwardsians. He explores what it meant to be an Edwardsian minister and intellectual in the nineteenth century, how the Edwardsian tradition evolved after the death of Edwards himself, how Taylor promoted and eventually fragmented this tradition, and the significance of these developments for the future of evangelical America. Sweeney argues that Taylor's theology has been misconstrued by the vast majority of scholars, who have depicted him as a powerful symbol of the decline of Edwardsian Calvinism and the triumph of democratic liberalism in early national religion. Sweeney instead sees Taylor as a symbol of the vitality of Edwardsian Calvinism throughout the first half of the nineteenth century, a vitality that calls into question some widely held assumptions about this era. Charting Taylor's contribution to the modification, diversification, and ultimate dissolution of the Edwardsian tradition, Sweeney demonstrates his role in the translation of Edwardsian ideals to the ever‐expanding evangelical world that would succeed him. The Edwardsian tradition did not die out in the early nineteenth century, but rather grew rapidly until at least the 1840s. Nathaniel W. Taylor, more than anyone else, laid the theoretical groundwork for this growth – contributing, to be sure, to the demise of New England Theology, but at the same time making it accessible to an unprecedented number of people.
Douglas A. Sweeney
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195154283
- eISBN:
- 9780199834709
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195154282.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
In his conclusion, Sweeney moves beyond the usual story of Edwardsian decline to a summary of Taylor's own substantial legacy to post‐Edwardsian America. He notes that in New England, Taylor's ...
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In his conclusion, Sweeney moves beyond the usual story of Edwardsian decline to a summary of Taylor's own substantial legacy to post‐Edwardsian America. He notes that in New England, Taylor's theology managed to split Connecticut's General Association, but his opening up of the Edwardsian culture changed the face of New England Theology. As America moved westward, Taylor's dilation of New England's traditional regional orthodoxies paved the way for the spread of its churches and their theology on the frontier. For Taylor, as for his American successors, the proof of one's theology lay in preaching and virtuous living.Less
In his conclusion, Sweeney moves beyond the usual story of Edwardsian decline to a summary of Taylor's own substantial legacy to post‐Edwardsian America. He notes that in New England, Taylor's theology managed to split Connecticut's General Association, but his opening up of the Edwardsian culture changed the face of New England Theology. As America moved westward, Taylor's dilation of New England's traditional regional orthodoxies paved the way for the spread of its churches and their theology on the frontier. For Taylor, as for his American successors, the proof of one's theology lay in preaching and virtuous living.
Douglas A. Sweeney
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195154283
- eISBN:
- 9780199834709
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195154282.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Sweeney reconstructs the New England religious culture that shaped the life of Taylor, and that derived much of its theological substance from the two distinctive foci of Edwardsian New Divinity: its ...
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Sweeney reconstructs the New England religious culture that shaped the life of Taylor, and that derived much of its theological substance from the two distinctive foci of Edwardsian New Divinity: its distinction between natural and moral ability, and its insistence on immediate repentance. With the establishment of the New Divinity “schools of the prophets,” men such as Joseph Bellamy, Charles Backus, and Nathanael Emmons influenced the next generation of Edwardsian preachers and leaders. The direct result of widespread Edwardsian preaching in New England was what could only be called an Edwardsian enculturation of Calvinist New England by the first third of the nineteenth century.Less
Sweeney reconstructs the New England religious culture that shaped the life of Taylor, and that derived much of its theological substance from the two distinctive foci of Edwardsian New Divinity: its distinction between natural and moral ability, and its insistence on immediate repentance. With the establishment of the New Divinity “schools of the prophets,” men such as Joseph Bellamy, Charles Backus, and Nathanael Emmons influenced the next generation of Edwardsian preachers and leaders. The direct result of widespread Edwardsian preaching in New England was what could only be called an Edwardsian enculturation of Calvinist New England by the first third of the nineteenth century.
Douglas A. Sweeney
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195154283
- eISBN:
- 9780199834709
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195154282.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Consistent with the Edwardsian emphasis on revival, Taylorite preachers inundated New England audiences with constant pleas for immediate repentance. Taylor's doctrine of regeneration crystallized in ...
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Consistent with the Edwardsian emphasis on revival, Taylorite preachers inundated New England audiences with constant pleas for immediate repentance. Taylor's doctrine of regeneration crystallized in response to a treatise by Gardiner Spring, Dissertation on the Means of Regeneration. Taylor's doctrine led to charges of Pelagianism from his opponents. Sweeney argues that through his understanding of regeneration, Taylor sought to shape a theology that proved both modern and well grounded in evangelical Calvinist orthodoxy. Thus, while he worked with all his might to promote the human duty to have faith, he found this effort perfectly consistent with a doctrine of dependence.Less
Consistent with the Edwardsian emphasis on revival, Taylorite preachers inundated New England audiences with constant pleas for immediate repentance. Taylor's doctrine of regeneration crystallized in response to a treatise by Gardiner Spring, Dissertation on the Means of Regeneration. Taylor's doctrine led to charges of Pelagianism from his opponents. Sweeney argues that through his understanding of regeneration, Taylor sought to shape a theology that proved both modern and well grounded in evangelical Calvinist orthodoxy. Thus, while he worked with all his might to promote the human duty to have faith, he found this effort perfectly consistent with a doctrine of dependence.
Douglas A. Sweeney
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195154283
- eISBN:
- 9780199834709
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195154282.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Threatened by Unitarianism and Finneyite progressives, the Edwardsians of the 1820s banded together to fight off the encroachment of theological liberalism and “new measures” revivalism. By 1828, ...
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Threatened by Unitarianism and Finneyite progressives, the Edwardsians of the 1820s banded together to fight off the encroachment of theological liberalism and “new measures” revivalism. By 1828, with the publication of Taylor's Concio ad Clerum, the fissures in the Calvinist front that remained hidden during the first part of the decade became more noticeable. Fears spread that Taylor had fallen into Arminianism and abandoned Edwardsian Calvinism. As Lyman Beecher moved to Cincinnati to take the presidency of Lane Seminary, Bennet Tyler continued to warn of the dangers of Nathaniel William Taylor's teaching. By 1850, when the sabers ceased rattling between Taylor and Tyler, Catharine Beecher publicly began teaching a form of Arminianism, which she claimed she learned from Taylor. In his seventies, Taylor was unable to fight the errant claims. Sweeney argues that the battle between Taylor and Tyler was symptomatic of the decline of Edwardsian Calvinism in New England. The true decline of New England Calvinism began when the leaders of New England Theology became so self‐absorbed in their minor theological battles that they lost their voice in the culture wars of the mid‐nineteenth century.Less
Threatened by Unitarianism and Finneyite progressives, the Edwardsians of the 1820s banded together to fight off the encroachment of theological liberalism and “new measures” revivalism. By 1828, with the publication of Taylor's Concio ad Clerum, the fissures in the Calvinist front that remained hidden during the first part of the decade became more noticeable. Fears spread that Taylor had fallen into Arminianism and abandoned Edwardsian Calvinism. As Lyman Beecher moved to Cincinnati to take the presidency of Lane Seminary, Bennet Tyler continued to warn of the dangers of Nathaniel William Taylor's teaching. By 1850, when the sabers ceased rattling between Taylor and Tyler, Catharine Beecher publicly began teaching a form of Arminianism, which she claimed she learned from Taylor. In his seventies, Taylor was unable to fight the errant claims. Sweeney argues that the battle between Taylor and Tyler was symptomatic of the decline of Edwardsian Calvinism in New England. The true decline of New England Calvinism began when the leaders of New England Theology became so self‐absorbed in their minor theological battles that they lost their voice in the culture wars of the mid‐nineteenth century.
J. S. Langer
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198528531
- eISBN:
- 9780191713415
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198528531.003.0028
- Subject:
- Physics, Theoretical, Computational, and Statistical Physics
Sam Edwards has very successfully brought new insights and methods of theoretical study to many areas of condensed matter physics where clear quantitative formation did not earlier exist. This ...
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Sam Edwards has very successfully brought new insights and methods of theoretical study to many areas of condensed matter physics where clear quantitative formation did not earlier exist. This chapter argues the case for an Edwardsian approach to the theory of solid mechanics and fracture.Less
Sam Edwards has very successfully brought new insights and methods of theoretical study to many areas of condensed matter physics where clear quantitative formation did not earlier exist. This chapter argues the case for an Edwardsian approach to the theory of solid mechanics and fracture.
Oliver D. Crisp
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199756292
- eISBN:
- 9780199950379
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199756292.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter examines the doctrines of atonement found in Edwards’s theology and that of his immediate disciple, Joseph Bellamy, the progenitor of the New Divinity governmental model of atonement. ...
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This chapter examines the doctrines of atonement found in Edwards’s theology and that of his immediate disciple, Joseph Bellamy, the progenitor of the New Divinity governmental model of atonement. The chapter argues that in developing their own position, the New England theologians did not deviate from Edwardsian theology. Rather, they fused certain elements within a basically Edwardsian scheme, particularly emphasis on the moral government of God in creation, to forge a novel account of the work of Christ. In other words, they innovated within a theological tradition. The resulting account of the work of Christ is worthy of much more serious consideration in the academic literature than it has hitherto enjoyed.Less
This chapter examines the doctrines of atonement found in Edwards’s theology and that of his immediate disciple, Joseph Bellamy, the progenitor of the New Divinity governmental model of atonement. The chapter argues that in developing their own position, the New England theologians did not deviate from Edwardsian theology. Rather, they fused certain elements within a basically Edwardsian scheme, particularly emphasis on the moral government of God in creation, to forge a novel account of the work of Christ. In other words, they innovated within a theological tradition. The resulting account of the work of Christ is worthy of much more serious consideration in the academic literature than it has hitherto enjoyed.
