B.W. Young
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199256228
- eISBN:
- 9780191719660
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199256228.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History
The Victorians were preoccupied by the 18th century. It was central to many 19th-century debates, particularly those concerning the place of history and religion in national life. This book explores ...
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The Victorians were preoccupied by the 18th century. It was central to many 19th-century debates, particularly those concerning the place of history and religion in national life. This book explores the diverse responses of key Victorian writers and thinkers — Thomas Carlyle, John Henry Newman, Leslie Stephen, Vernon Lee, and M. R. James — to a period which commanded their interest throughout the Victorian era, from the accession of Queen Victoria to the opening decades of the 20th century. They were, on the one hand, appalled by the apparent frivolity of the 18th century, which was denounced by Carlyle as a dispiriting successor to the culture of Puritan England, and, on the other they were concerned to continue its secularizing influence on English culture, as is seen in the pioneering work of Leslie Stephen, who was passionately keen to transform the legacy of 18th-century scepticism into Victorian agnosticism. The Victorian interest in the 18th century was never a purely insular matter, and the history of 18th-century France, Germany, and Italy played a dominant role in the 19th-century historical understanding. A debate between generations was enacted, in which Romanticism melded into Victorianism. The Victorians were haunted by the 18th century, both metaphorically and literally, and the book closes with consideration of the culturally resonant 18th-century ghosts encountered in the fiction of Vernon Lee and M. R. James.Less
The Victorians were preoccupied by the 18th century. It was central to many 19th-century debates, particularly those concerning the place of history and religion in national life. This book explores the diverse responses of key Victorian writers and thinkers — Thomas Carlyle, John Henry Newman, Leslie Stephen, Vernon Lee, and M. R. James — to a period which commanded their interest throughout the Victorian era, from the accession of Queen Victoria to the opening decades of the 20th century. They were, on the one hand, appalled by the apparent frivolity of the 18th century, which was denounced by Carlyle as a dispiriting successor to the culture of Puritan England, and, on the other they were concerned to continue its secularizing influence on English culture, as is seen in the pioneering work of Leslie Stephen, who was passionately keen to transform the legacy of 18th-century scepticism into Victorian agnosticism. The Victorian interest in the 18th century was never a purely insular matter, and the history of 18th-century France, Germany, and Italy played a dominant role in the 19th-century historical understanding. A debate between generations was enacted, in which Romanticism melded into Victorianism. The Victorians were haunted by the 18th century, both metaphorically and literally, and the book closes with consideration of the culturally resonant 18th-century ghosts encountered in the fiction of Vernon Lee and M. R. James.
John Demos
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195128901
- eISBN:
- 9780199853960
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195128901.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: early to 18th Century
The year 2000 marked the 30th anniversary of the publication of this title. The study examines the family in the context of the colony founded by the Pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower. Basing ...
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The year 2000 marked the 30th anniversary of the publication of this title. The study examines the family in the context of the colony founded by the Pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower. Basing his work on physical artifacts, wills, estate inventories, and a variety of legal and official enactments, the author portrays the family as a structure of roles and relationships, emphasizing those of husband and wife, parent and child, and master and servant. The book's most startling insights come from a reconsideration of commonly held views of American Puritans and of the ways in which they dealt with one another. The author concludes that Puritan “repression” was not as strongly directed against sexuality as against the expression of hostile and aggressive impulses, and he shows how this pattern reflected prevalent modes of family life and child rearing. The result is an in-depth study of the ordinary life of a colonial community, located in the broader environment of seventeenth-century America. This second edition includes a new foreword and a list of further reading.Less
The year 2000 marked the 30th anniversary of the publication of this title. The study examines the family in the context of the colony founded by the Pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower. Basing his work on physical artifacts, wills, estate inventories, and a variety of legal and official enactments, the author portrays the family as a structure of roles and relationships, emphasizing those of husband and wife, parent and child, and master and servant. The book's most startling insights come from a reconsideration of commonly held views of American Puritans and of the ways in which they dealt with one another. The author concludes that Puritan “repression” was not as strongly directed against sexuality as against the expression of hostile and aggressive impulses, and he shows how this pattern reflected prevalent modes of family life and child rearing. The result is an in-depth study of the ordinary life of a colonial community, located in the broader environment of seventeenth-century America. This second edition includes a new foreword and a list of further reading.
Nicholas Tyacke
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198201847
- eISBN:
- 9780191675041
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198201847.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History, History of Religion
Along with various other issues, religion played a major contributory role in the English Civil War. The religious fears voiced in the late 1620s were given increasing substance during the 1630s. The ...
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Along with various other issues, religion played a major contributory role in the English Civil War. The religious fears voiced in the late 1620s were given increasing substance during the 1630s. The term Arminian is the least misleading among the terms which can be used to describe the religious change of this time. The term Arminian denotes a coherent body of anti-Calvinist religious thought, which was gaining ground in various regions of early 17th-century Europe. Calvinism was also attacked as being unreasonable. The rise of English Arminianism challenged the Calvinist world picture, which envisaged the forces of good and evil involved in a struggle that would only end with the final overthrow of the Antichrist.Less
Along with various other issues, religion played a major contributory role in the English Civil War. The religious fears voiced in the late 1620s were given increasing substance during the 1630s. The term Arminian is the least misleading among the terms which can be used to describe the religious change of this time. The term Arminian denotes a coherent body of anti-Calvinist religious thought, which was gaining ground in various regions of early 17th-century Europe. Calvinism was also attacked as being unreasonable. The rise of English Arminianism challenged the Calvinist world picture, which envisaged the forces of good and evil involved in a struggle that would only end with the final overthrow of the Antichrist.
Michael Brydon
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199204816
- eISBN:
- 9780191709500
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199204816.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This introduction crystallizes the debates in the last twenty years regarding the theological positioning of Hooker. It posits that although there has been a tendency to locate his Anglican identity ...
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This introduction crystallizes the debates in the last twenty years regarding the theological positioning of Hooker. It posits that although there has been a tendency to locate his Anglican identity amongst the 19th-century advocates of the Oxford Movement, it is actually a creation of the 17th century. Through a study of printed material, a programme of chronological analysis is outlined from the Jacobean period to the death of Queen Anne.Less
This introduction crystallizes the debates in the last twenty years regarding the theological positioning of Hooker. It posits that although there has been a tendency to locate his Anglican identity amongst the 19th-century advocates of the Oxford Movement, it is actually a creation of the 17th century. Through a study of printed material, a programme of chronological analysis is outlined from the Jacobean period to the death of Queen Anne.
Terryl C. Givens
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195167115
- eISBN:
- 9780199785599
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195167115.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Disapproval of theater goes back to the Puritans, and was typical in most religious traditions. Mormons built the Salt Lake Theatre soon after arrival in the Valley. Young forebad tragedy, but it ...
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Disapproval of theater goes back to the Puritans, and was typical in most religious traditions. Mormons built the Salt Lake Theatre soon after arrival in the Valley. Young forebad tragedy, but it flourished anyway. They pioneered little theater and the road show. Several pageants continue to be more evangelistic than dramatic.Less
Disapproval of theater goes back to the Puritans, and was typical in most religious traditions. Mormons built the Salt Lake Theatre soon after arrival in the Valley. Young forebad tragedy, but it flourished anyway. They pioneered little theater and the road show. Several pageants continue to be more evangelistic than dramatic.
Thomas Davis
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390971
- eISBN:
- 9780199777099
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390971.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Church History
The point of this book is that, despite all the changes and challenges, and despite Calvinism’s ultimate failure to hold the American consciousness, and despite an especially fervent effort to ...
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The point of this book is that, despite all the changes and challenges, and despite Calvinism’s ultimate failure to hold the American consciousness, and despite an especially fervent effort to dismiss the Calvinist outlook from American culture by sermon (Channing, and, after him, by the new religious movements that numerically overwhelmed the old Puritan faith, such as Methodism) or by the art of letters and the novel (Sedgwick and others, yes, but also those deep within the tradition of Calvinism who brought their most anguished complaints against it to the light of day through their written work—one thinks of the Beecher children) or by the sardonic newspaper column (H. L. Mencken), the fact remained and remains that Calvinism in America has had an impact on American society and culture in every century of American life, even if at times it goes unrecognized. And behind Calvinism stands Calvin. This book examines the influence of John Calvin and his various (and, at times, competing) heirs on American life. It explores Calvin’s influence—whether direct or mediated—from the beginnings of the United States until the present day, analyzing it in relation to such areas as society (including economics, government, and democracy), theology, and letters. The essays span the history of the United States, from the arrival of Puritans in the seventeenth century up to works of fiction published in the twentieth-first century. Thus, the book is unique in terms of its examination of the breadth and depth of Calvin’s influence on American life.Less
The point of this book is that, despite all the changes and challenges, and despite Calvinism’s ultimate failure to hold the American consciousness, and despite an especially fervent effort to dismiss the Calvinist outlook from American culture by sermon (Channing, and, after him, by the new religious movements that numerically overwhelmed the old Puritan faith, such as Methodism) or by the art of letters and the novel (Sedgwick and others, yes, but also those deep within the tradition of Calvinism who brought their most anguished complaints against it to the light of day through their written work—one thinks of the Beecher children) or by the sardonic newspaper column (H. L. Mencken), the fact remained and remains that Calvinism in America has had an impact on American society and culture in every century of American life, even if at times it goes unrecognized. And behind Calvinism stands Calvin. This book examines the influence of John Calvin and his various (and, at times, competing) heirs on American life. It explores Calvin’s influence—whether direct or mediated—from the beginnings of the United States until the present day, analyzing it in relation to such areas as society (including economics, government, and democracy), theology, and letters. The essays span the history of the United States, from the arrival of Puritans in the seventeenth century up to works of fiction published in the twentieth-first century. Thus, the book is unique in terms of its examination of the breadth and depth of Calvin’s influence on American life.
Charles T Mathewes and Christopher McKnight Nichols (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195342536
- eISBN:
- 9780199867042
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195342536.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This book explores the surprisingly similar expectations of religious and moral change voiced by major American thinkers from the time of the Puritans to modern times. These predictions of ...
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This book explores the surprisingly similar expectations of religious and moral change voiced by major American thinkers from the time of the Puritans to modern times. These predictions of “godlessness” in American society — sometimes by those favoring the foreseen future, sometimes by those fearing it — have a history as old as America, and indeed seem crucially intertwined with it. This book shows that there have been and continue to be patterns to these prophesies. They determine how some people perceive and analyze America's prospective moral and religious future, how they express themselves, and powerfully affect how others hear them. While these patterns have taken a sinuous and at times subterranean route to the present, when we think about the future of America we are thinking about that future largely with terms and expectations first laid out by past generations, some stemming back before the very foundations of the United States. Even contemporary atheists and those who predict optimistic techno-utopias rely on scripts that are deeply rooted in the American past. This book excavates the history of these prophesies. Each chapter attends to a particular era, and each is organized around a focal individual, a community of thought, and changing conceptions of secularization. Each chapter also discusses how such predictions are part of all thought about “the good society,” and how such thinking structures our apprehension of the present, forming a feedback loop of sorts.Less
This book explores the surprisingly similar expectations of religious and moral change voiced by major American thinkers from the time of the Puritans to modern times. These predictions of “godlessness” in American society — sometimes by those favoring the foreseen future, sometimes by those fearing it — have a history as old as America, and indeed seem crucially intertwined with it. This book shows that there have been and continue to be patterns to these prophesies. They determine how some people perceive and analyze America's prospective moral and religious future, how they express themselves, and powerfully affect how others hear them. While these patterns have taken a sinuous and at times subterranean route to the present, when we think about the future of America we are thinking about that future largely with terms and expectations first laid out by past generations, some stemming back before the very foundations of the United States. Even contemporary atheists and those who predict optimistic techno-utopias rely on scripts that are deeply rooted in the American past. This book excavates the history of these prophesies. Each chapter attends to a particular era, and each is organized around a focal individual, a community of thought, and changing conceptions of secularization. Each chapter also discusses how such predictions are part of all thought about “the good society,” and how such thinking structures our apprehension of the present, forming a feedback loop of sorts.
Mark Valeri
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390971
- eISBN:
- 9780199777099
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390971.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Church History
This chapter explores the mixed history of Calvin’s influence on economic mores and practices in early America. It retraces Calvin’s ideal for economic discipline over the emergent market in Geneva. ...
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This chapter explores the mixed history of Calvin’s influence on economic mores and practices in early America. It retraces Calvin’s ideal for economic discipline over the emergent market in Geneva. It shows how three different communities in colonial America transposed Calvinist ideals: Puritans in Boston, with their localized conceptions of social order; Dutch Reformed leaders in New York, with their urbane mercantile associations; and Huguenots in Charleston, with their dispersed social networks. Calvin promulgated a flexible and pragmatic approach to scripture that allowed his adherents to adapt economic instruction to the needs of their religious communities. Early American Calvinists followed this method when they transformed their teaching about commerce and the nascent market economy in the context of colonization. Throughout, this chapter challenges how the Weber thesis has been misapplied to the American context.Less
This chapter explores the mixed history of Calvin’s influence on economic mores and practices in early America. It retraces Calvin’s ideal for economic discipline over the emergent market in Geneva. It shows how three different communities in colonial America transposed Calvinist ideals: Puritans in Boston, with their localized conceptions of social order; Dutch Reformed leaders in New York, with their urbane mercantile associations; and Huguenots in Charleston, with their dispersed social networks. Calvin promulgated a flexible and pragmatic approach to scripture that allowed his adherents to adapt economic instruction to the needs of their religious communities. Early American Calvinists followed this method when they transformed their teaching about commerce and the nascent market economy in the context of colonization. Throughout, this chapter challenges how the Weber thesis has been misapplied to the American context.
David Little
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390971
- eISBN:
- 9780199777099
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390971.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Church History
Samuel P. Huntington argued that American national identity was and still is profoundly influenced by what he called Anglo-Protestant culture. He attributed the major part of that influence to ...
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Samuel P. Huntington argued that American national identity was and still is profoundly influenced by what he called Anglo-Protestant culture. He attributed the major part of that influence to Calvin’s heirs, the New England Puritans. In particular, Huntington drew a connection between the Puritans and what is known as the American creed, which is a collection of legal and political ideals associated with American constitutionalism. Huntington concluded that America was from the start and still is a Christian nation. John Witte’s work, however, shows that, while some Puritans (John Winthrop and John Cotton, for example) were close to Huntington’s point of view, others (Roger Williams, for example) were not. This chapter argues that the deep division over religion and national identity did not originate with the New England Puritans. Rather, that ambivalence is at the root of the Calvinist tradition, going back to John Calvin.Less
Samuel P. Huntington argued that American national identity was and still is profoundly influenced by what he called Anglo-Protestant culture. He attributed the major part of that influence to Calvin’s heirs, the New England Puritans. In particular, Huntington drew a connection between the Puritans and what is known as the American creed, which is a collection of legal and political ideals associated with American constitutionalism. Huntington concluded that America was from the start and still is a Christian nation. John Witte’s work, however, shows that, while some Puritans (John Winthrop and John Cotton, for example) were close to Huntington’s point of view, others (Roger Williams, for example) were not. This chapter argues that the deep division over religion and national identity did not originate with the New England Puritans. Rather, that ambivalence is at the root of the Calvinist tradition, going back to John Calvin.
Jason C. Bivins
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195340815
- eISBN:
- 9780199867158
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195340815.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter establishes four contextual factors shaping the Religion of Fear: the history of evangelicalism, political fear, American Christian demonology, and the evangelical mediascape. By ...
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This chapter establishes four contextual factors shaping the Religion of Fear: the history of evangelicalism, political fear, American Christian demonology, and the evangelical mediascape. By situating the Religion of Fear historically and comparing it with both political fear and earlier forms of demonology, this chapter reveals its specific contours. The chapter examines the fearful qualities of religion. It then describes the emergence of evangelicalism within a cluster of concerns to establish religious identity against fearful Others. This chapter next describes the way in which elements of horror and the Gothic resonate with religious strategies of alterity. The chapter concludes by describing the evangelical culture industry, which is part of the work on religious identities.Less
This chapter establishes four contextual factors shaping the Religion of Fear: the history of evangelicalism, political fear, American Christian demonology, and the evangelical mediascape. By situating the Religion of Fear historically and comparing it with both political fear and earlier forms of demonology, this chapter reveals its specific contours. The chapter examines the fearful qualities of religion. It then describes the emergence of evangelicalism within a cluster of concerns to establish religious identity against fearful Others. This chapter next describes the way in which elements of horror and the Gothic resonate with religious strategies of alterity. The chapter concludes by describing the evangelical culture industry, which is part of the work on religious identities.
William E. Nelson
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195327281
- eISBN:
- 9780199870677
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195327281.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, American History: early to 18th Century
Maryland was founded as a refuge for upper-class Roman Catholics, and its early law served their needs. Later, Puritans settled in Maryland, took control of its government, and attempted to impose ...
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Maryland was founded as a refuge for upper-class Roman Catholics, and its early law served their needs. Later, Puritans settled in Maryland, took control of its government, and attempted to impose New England law on the province. When Lord Baltimore, the Catholic proprietor, regained control, economic forces similar to those in Virginia pushed Maryland's planters to emulate the legal system of their southerly neighbor. The end result was that Maryland developed a common-law based legal order that focused on obtaining labor from servants, collecting debts, and thereby encouraging English investors to lend money to Maryland planters.Less
Maryland was founded as a refuge for upper-class Roman Catholics, and its early law served their needs. Later, Puritans settled in Maryland, took control of its government, and attempted to impose New England law on the province. When Lord Baltimore, the Catholic proprietor, regained control, economic forces similar to those in Virginia pushed Maryland's planters to emulate the legal system of their southerly neighbor. The end result was that Maryland developed a common-law based legal order that focused on obtaining labor from servants, collecting debts, and thereby encouraging English investors to lend money to Maryland planters.
Dan P. McAdams
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195176933
- eISBN:
- 9780199786787
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195176933.003.0002
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology
This chapter begins with a case study of a highly generative African-American schoolteacher and a content analysis of lead stories in People magazine in order to introduce the theme of redemption in ...
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This chapter begins with a case study of a highly generative African-American schoolteacher and a content analysis of lead stories in People magazine in order to introduce the theme of redemption in people's life stories and in American cultural texts. It examines the theme of redemption in (1) psychological research on confession, self-disclosure, and benefit-finding in the face of personal adversity, and (2) such quintessential American narratives as the Puritans' accounts of spiritual transformation, Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, Horatio Alger stories, and narratives of escaped African-American slaves in the 19th century. Psychological and cultural analysis suggests six different languages of redemption in American society: atonement (religious), emancipation (political), upward mobility (economic), recovery (medical, psychological), enlightenment (education), and development (familial, psychological).Less
This chapter begins with a case study of a highly generative African-American schoolteacher and a content analysis of lead stories in People magazine in order to introduce the theme of redemption in people's life stories and in American cultural texts. It examines the theme of redemption in (1) psychological research on confession, self-disclosure, and benefit-finding in the face of personal adversity, and (2) such quintessential American narratives as the Puritans' accounts of spiritual transformation, Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, Horatio Alger stories, and narratives of escaped African-American slaves in the 19th century. Psychological and cultural analysis suggests six different languages of redemption in American society: atonement (religious), emancipation (political), upward mobility (economic), recovery (medical, psychological), enlightenment (education), and development (familial, psychological).
Thomas O Beebee
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195339383
- eISBN:
- 9780199867097
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195339383.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 20th Century Literature, American, 18th Century and Early American Literature
Within a few decades of the Spanish and Portuguese arrival on the mainland of the Americas, a process of mutual translation of millennial expectations was at work. No better example of the need for ...
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Within a few decades of the Spanish and Portuguese arrival on the mainland of the Americas, a process of mutual translation of millennial expectations was at work. No better example of the need for revitalization can be found than in the defeated First Nations, whose values and beliefs had been shattered by military defeat. At the same time, simply winning the “ground war” in the New World was not sufficient for the Europeans, who still needed to account for the apparent absence of the American continents and their aboriginal cultures from the Biblical narrative. Hence, the two sides held complementary ends of the tesseron of millennial expectations. For the Indians, the eschaton was something recently experienced; for the Europeans, it was something prophesied. The process of joining the two ends of this tesseron through a mutual belief in the end of the world is reflected in the double title of this chapter, where the New Jerusalem is posited as the translation for the Guarani concept of “Land Without Evil.” This chapter follows this translation process through its many twists and turns in the early colonial period, using as sources accounts by Franciscan and Jesuit missionaries and by early Puritans.Less
Within a few decades of the Spanish and Portuguese arrival on the mainland of the Americas, a process of mutual translation of millennial expectations was at work. No better example of the need for revitalization can be found than in the defeated First Nations, whose values and beliefs had been shattered by military defeat. At the same time, simply winning the “ground war” in the New World was not sufficient for the Europeans, who still needed to account for the apparent absence of the American continents and their aboriginal cultures from the Biblical narrative. Hence, the two sides held complementary ends of the tesseron of millennial expectations. For the Indians, the eschaton was something recently experienced; for the Europeans, it was something prophesied. The process of joining the two ends of this tesseron through a mutual belief in the end of the world is reflected in the double title of this chapter, where the New Jerusalem is posited as the translation for the Guarani concept of “Land Without Evil.” This chapter follows this translation process through its many twists and turns in the early colonial period, using as sources accounts by Franciscan and Jesuit missionaries and by early Puritans.
M. Gail Hamner
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195155471
- eISBN:
- 9780199834266
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195155475.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
A brief look is taken at the meanings of the terms ‘Puritans’, ‘Puritanism’ and ‘Puritan imagery’, giving a clarification of what they mean, and how they affect the author's reading of the ...
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A brief look is taken at the meanings of the terms ‘Puritans’, ‘Puritanism’ and ‘Puritan imagery’, giving a clarification of what they mean, and how they affect the author's reading of the pragmatists. An examination is also made of how the meaning of ‘Puritan’ changed over the course of the nineteenth century. In order to establish the cultural force of Puritan imagery, an investigation is also made of the context and means by which the American pragmatists took hold of and reinvented certain European scientific concepts. By examining the appeals to Puritanism from the Second Great Awakening to the Civil War, and from Reconstruction to the Gilded Age, it is shown how at different times and on behalf of particular causes, different stories about the history and destiny of America were inflected, in selective and specialized ways, by this or the other understandings of Puritanism.Less
A brief look is taken at the meanings of the terms ‘Puritans’, ‘Puritanism’ and ‘Puritan imagery’, giving a clarification of what they mean, and how they affect the author's reading of the pragmatists. An examination is also made of how the meaning of ‘Puritan’ changed over the course of the nineteenth century. In order to establish the cultural force of Puritan imagery, an investigation is also made of the context and means by which the American pragmatists took hold of and reinvented certain European scientific concepts. By examining the appeals to Puritanism from the Second Great Awakening to the Civil War, and from Reconstruction to the Gilded Age, it is shown how at different times and on behalf of particular causes, different stories about the history and destiny of America were inflected, in selective and specialized ways, by this or the other understandings of Puritanism.
Amanda Porterfield
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195131376
- eISBN:
- 9780199834570
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195131371.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Since the 1960s, many Americans embraced the personal and experiential aspect of religion, even as their allegiance to religious institutions and particular doctrines lessened. This enthusiasm for ...
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Since the 1960s, many Americans embraced the personal and experiential aspect of religion, even as their allegiance to religious institutions and particular doctrines lessened. This enthusiasm for spirituality involved openness to a variety of different religious traditions, and interest in mining other traditions for their spiritual insight. However, while certain aspects of this enthusiasm for spirituality were unprecedented, it was not an entirely new phenomenon. As this introduction explains, some of the roots of this awakening to spirituality can be traced to the New England Puritans, and especially to those like Anne Hutchinson, whose experience of the Holy Spirit challenged ministerial and governmental authority.Less
Since the 1960s, many Americans embraced the personal and experiential aspect of religion, even as their allegiance to religious institutions and particular doctrines lessened. This enthusiasm for spirituality involved openness to a variety of different religious traditions, and interest in mining other traditions for their spiritual insight. However, while certain aspects of this enthusiasm for spirituality were unprecedented, it was not an entirely new phenomenon. As this introduction explains, some of the roots of this awakening to spirituality can be traced to the New England Puritans, and especially to those like Anne Hutchinson, whose experience of the Holy Spirit challenged ministerial and governmental authority.
Amanda Porterfield
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195131376
- eISBN:
- 9780199834570
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195131371.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
The changes that took place in American religious life during the late twentieth century were, in some important respects, unprecedented. As the U.S. became hospitable to virtually all the religions ...
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The changes that took place in American religious life during the late twentieth century were, in some important respects, unprecedented. As the U.S. became hospitable to virtually all the religions of the world, more religious switching and experimenting occurred than ever before. In other respects, the enthusiasm for spirituality in this period was similar to previous Great Awakenings that have marked American religious history in the past. This concluding chapter compares the transformation of American religion in the late twentieth century to previous awakenings, suggesting that the impetus to spiritual expansion can be traced back through the American Transcendentalists to the New England Puritans and their influential role in shaping American culture.Less
The changes that took place in American religious life during the late twentieth century were, in some important respects, unprecedented. As the U.S. became hospitable to virtually all the religions of the world, more religious switching and experimenting occurred than ever before. In other respects, the enthusiasm for spirituality in this period was similar to previous Great Awakenings that have marked American religious history in the past. This concluding chapter compares the transformation of American religion in the late twentieth century to previous awakenings, suggesting that the impetus to spiritual expansion can be traced back through the American Transcendentalists to the New England Puritans and their influential role in shaping American culture.
Mark A. Noll
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195151114
- eISBN:
- 9780199834532
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195151119.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
By 1790, American Christians also embraced the “new moral philosophy,” a way of understanding their faith through “commonsense moral reasoning.” Because they came to believe that God had created ...
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By 1790, American Christians also embraced the “new moral philosophy,” a way of understanding their faith through “commonsense moral reasoning.” Because they came to believe that God had created humans with a capacity for moral reasoning, American Christians largely gave up the traditional, hierarchical arbiters of truth found in the established churches of Europe and took into their own hands the determination of religious truth and control of the churches.Less
By 1790, American Christians also embraced the “new moral philosophy,” a way of understanding their faith through “commonsense moral reasoning.” Because they came to believe that God had created humans with a capacity for moral reasoning, American Christians largely gave up the traditional, hierarchical arbiters of truth found in the established churches of Europe and took into their own hands the determination of religious truth and control of the churches.
James Calvin Davis and Charles Mathewes
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199769063
- eISBN:
- 9780199896851
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199769063.003.0004
- Subject:
- Sociology, Economic Sociology
This chapter examines the rich theological framework within which the Puritan ideal of thrift first developed. The Puritans believed quite explicitly that thrift was a necessary condition for human ...
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This chapter examines the rich theological framework within which the Puritan ideal of thrift first developed. The Puritans believed quite explicitly that thrift was a necessary condition for human thriving because it was the proper response to divine grace. As such, Puritan thrift expressed an ethic of responsible, profitable, and pious management of time, talents, and treasure. As important as such “inner-worldly asceticism” may have been as a mark of salvation to the individual believer, thrift was not reducible to a private, individual practice for the Puritans. Rather, it was as much a spiritual calling for whole communities as it was for the individuals who constituted them.Less
This chapter examines the rich theological framework within which the Puritan ideal of thrift first developed. The Puritans believed quite explicitly that thrift was a necessary condition for human thriving because it was the proper response to divine grace. As such, Puritan thrift expressed an ethic of responsible, profitable, and pious management of time, talents, and treasure. As important as such “inner-worldly asceticism” may have been as a mark of salvation to the individual believer, thrift was not reducible to a private, individual practice for the Puritans. Rather, it was as much a spiritual calling for whole communities as it was for the individuals who constituted them.
Dan McKanan
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195145328
- eISBN:
- 9780199834471
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195145321.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Examines the rediscovery of imago dei theology by early nineteenth‐century liberal theologians, most especially William Ellery Channing and other Unitarians. This theology was fleshed out by such ...
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Examines the rediscovery of imago dei theology by early nineteenth‐century liberal theologians, most especially William Ellery Channing and other Unitarians. This theology was fleshed out by such sentimental novelists as Catharine Sedgwick, Lydia Maria Child, Eliza Buckminster Lee, and Eliza Sigourney, particularly in their historical fiction on the Puritans. For these writers, Puritan violence against Native Americans and witches was rooted in a false theology that saw God's presence more in the violence of history than in the loving affections of individuals.Less
Examines the rediscovery of imago dei theology by early nineteenth‐century liberal theologians, most especially William Ellery Channing and other Unitarians. This theology was fleshed out by such sentimental novelists as Catharine Sedgwick, Lydia Maria Child, Eliza Buckminster Lee, and Eliza Sigourney, particularly in their historical fiction on the Puritans. For these writers, Puritan violence against Native Americans and witches was rooted in a false theology that saw God's presence more in the violence of history than in the loving affections of individuals.
David Paul Nord
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195173116
- eISBN:
- 9780199835683
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195173112.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter discusses the historical context that produced an entrepreneur of religion and reading such as missionary Samuel Mills. It describes how the interplay of Protestant doctrine and New ...
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This chapter discusses the historical context that produced an entrepreneur of religion and reading such as missionary Samuel Mills. It describes how the interplay of Protestant doctrine and New England family and social organizations nurtured a linking for print. Although early Puritans did not believe that God’s grace could be summoned by human agency, they did believe that reading the word was a means through humankind received God’s grace.Less
This chapter discusses the historical context that produced an entrepreneur of religion and reading such as missionary Samuel Mills. It describes how the interplay of Protestant doctrine and New England family and social organizations nurtured a linking for print. Although early Puritans did not believe that God’s grace could be summoned by human agency, they did believe that reading the word was a means through humankind received God’s grace.
