D. Bruce Hindmarsh
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199245758
- eISBN:
- 9780191602436
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199245754.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
Picks up the story of conversion narrative among evangelical Anglicans through a close reading of three case studies. Associated with the town of Olney, John Newton, William Cowper, and Thomas Scott ...
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Picks up the story of conversion narrative among evangelical Anglicans through a close reading of three case studies. Associated with the town of Olney, John Newton, William Cowper, and Thomas Scott lived near one another in the north-eastern corner of Buckinghamshire, where Newton and Scott were clergymen in the Church of England, and Cowper was a local gentleman-poet living on patronage. Like most evangelical Anglicans, they were moderate Calvinists when they wrote their narratives in the 1760s and 1770s, and the Calvinistic order of salvation provided a model for their self-understanding. However, in their autobiographies we find a vivid display of personality that appears not despite the presence of a model, but because of it. Within a similar theological framework, Newton interpreted his life typologically, Scott intellectually, and Cowper psychologically—each offering a unique expression of personal adherence to a common gospel.Less
Picks up the story of conversion narrative among evangelical Anglicans through a close reading of three case studies. Associated with the town of Olney, John Newton, William Cowper, and Thomas Scott lived near one another in the north-eastern corner of Buckinghamshire, where Newton and Scott were clergymen in the Church of England, and Cowper was a local gentleman-poet living on patronage. Like most evangelical Anglicans, they were moderate Calvinists when they wrote their narratives in the 1760s and 1770s, and the Calvinistic order of salvation provided a model for their self-understanding. However, in their autobiographies we find a vivid display of personality that appears not despite the presence of a model, but because of it. Within a similar theological framework, Newton interpreted his life typologically, Scott intellectually, and Cowper psychologically—each offering a unique expression of personal adherence to a common gospel.
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.
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.
D. G. Hart
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390971
- eISBN:
- 9780199777099
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390971.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Church History
From 1776 until approximately 1970, American Protestant clergy and academics argued that Calvinism was crucial to their nation’s political institutions and ideals. It was common among the mainstream ...
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From 1776 until approximately 1970, American Protestant clergy and academics argued that Calvinism was crucial to their nation’s political institutions and ideals. It was common among the mainstream Presbyterian groups (termed "libertarian Calvinists") to aver that Calvinism provided the only adequate basis for the American experiment of a republic based on limited government and civil liberty. This chapter examines the contortions necessary for these arguments. Then, the chapter examines the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (termed "authoritarian Calvinists"). It holds closely to the language in the original Westminster Confession, which calls upon the state to protect and foster Christian faith. Given these differing perspectives, the chapter concludes, agreeing with Philip Benedict, that Calvinism’s importance has less to do with its contributions to political theory and more to do with its role as a religion that shapes the personal and familial identities of its adherents.Less
From 1776 until approximately 1970, American Protestant clergy and academics argued that Calvinism was crucial to their nation’s political institutions and ideals. It was common among the mainstream Presbyterian groups (termed "libertarian Calvinists") to aver that Calvinism provided the only adequate basis for the American experiment of a republic based on limited government and civil liberty. This chapter examines the contortions necessary for these arguments. Then, the chapter examines the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (termed "authoritarian Calvinists"). It holds closely to the language in the original Westminster Confession, which calls upon the state to protect and foster Christian faith. Given these differing perspectives, the chapter concludes, agreeing with Philip Benedict, that Calvinism’s importance has less to do with its contributions to political theory and more to do with its role as a religion that shapes the personal and familial identities of its adherents.
Stephen D. Crocco
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390971
- eISBN:
- 9780199777099
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390971.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Church History
In 1898, Abraham Kuyper delivered his Lectures on Calvinism at Princeton Theological Seminary. A few years later, Princeton’s B. B. Warfield pared back Kuyper’s Calvinism as a positive force in the ...
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In 1898, Abraham Kuyper delivered his Lectures on Calvinism at Princeton Theological Seminary. A few years later, Princeton’s B. B. Warfield pared back Kuyper’s Calvinism as a positive force in the broad realms of human culture by stressing Calvin’s usefulness for defending Protestant orthodoxy. Both Kuyper’s "neo-Calvinism" and Warfield’s "Westminster Confession" Calvinism found homes in American Protestantism. Later, H. Richard Niebuhr and Joseph Haroutunian claimed Calvin as a predecessor of a Protestant realism associated with neo-orthodoxy. In contrast, liberal theologian Wilhelm Pauck engaged orthodox Calvinists to portray Calvin as a key figure for an ecumenical Protestant theology that could resurrect a moribund liberal tradition. Later still, James M. Gustafson embraced Calvin as a precursor to his own post-Christian theocentric theology. This chapter charts these debates, exploring the extent to which Calvin’s writings shaped developments in American theology and to what extent his contributions have been defined by those developments.Less
In 1898, Abraham Kuyper delivered his Lectures on Calvinism at Princeton Theological Seminary. A few years later, Princeton’s B. B. Warfield pared back Kuyper’s Calvinism as a positive force in the broad realms of human culture by stressing Calvin’s usefulness for defending Protestant orthodoxy. Both Kuyper’s "neo-Calvinism" and Warfield’s "Westminster Confession" Calvinism found homes in American Protestantism. Later, H. Richard Niebuhr and Joseph Haroutunian claimed Calvin as a predecessor of a Protestant realism associated with neo-orthodoxy. In contrast, liberal theologian Wilhelm Pauck engaged orthodox Calvinists to portray Calvin as a key figure for an ecumenical Protestant theology that could resurrect a moribund liberal tradition. Later still, James M. Gustafson embraced Calvin as a precursor to his own post-Christian theocentric theology. This chapter charts these debates, exploring the extent to which Calvin’s writings shaped developments in American theology and to what extent his contributions have been defined by those developments.
Douglas A. Sweeney
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390971
- eISBN:
- 9780199777099
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390971.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Church History
Few matters were more hotly debated by Reformed divines in nineteenth-century America than the nature, history, and contemporary expression of the Calvinist system of thought. John Williamson Nevin ...
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Few matters were more hotly debated by Reformed divines in nineteenth-century America than the nature, history, and contemporary expression of the Calvinist system of thought. John Williamson Nevin of Mercersburg Seminary contended that most Americans had abandoned Calvin’s system long ago (especially in regard to the Eucharist). The New England theologians (led by Edwards Amasa Park) claimed to be faithful modern Calvinists, but no longer bound to Calvin’s own doctrinal preferences. Princeton theologians (led by Charles Hodge) criticized both of these other groups, trying their best to shore up a sense of mainstream orthodox Calvinist unity from the time of the Reformation to their own age. This chapter will use these debates to examine the status of Calvinism and reassess Calvin’s legacy in nineteenth-century America. It will also engage the interpretations of many recent historians who interpret the nineteenth century as one in which most American "Calvinists" abandoned Calvin’s legacy.Less
Few matters were more hotly debated by Reformed divines in nineteenth-century America than the nature, history, and contemporary expression of the Calvinist system of thought. John Williamson Nevin of Mercersburg Seminary contended that most Americans had abandoned Calvin’s system long ago (especially in regard to the Eucharist). The New England theologians (led by Edwards Amasa Park) claimed to be faithful modern Calvinists, but no longer bound to Calvin’s own doctrinal preferences. Princeton theologians (led by Charles Hodge) criticized both of these other groups, trying their best to shore up a sense of mainstream orthodox Calvinist unity from the time of the Reformation to their own age. This chapter will use these debates to examine the status of Calvinism and reassess Calvin’s legacy in nineteenth-century America. It will also engage the interpretations of many recent historians who interpret the nineteenth century as one in which most American "Calvinists" abandoned Calvin’s legacy.
David D. Hall
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390971
- eISBN:
- 9780199777099
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390971.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Church History
At the end of the first-ever National Council of Congregational Churches (1865), Congregationalists were reluctant to embrace either the figure of John Calvin or the words that descend from him ...
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At the end of the first-ever National Council of Congregational Churches (1865), Congregationalists were reluctant to embrace either the figure of John Calvin or the words that descend from him (Calvinistic, Calvinism). Why? This question animates the chapter. The story starts with the Unitarian controversy of the 1820s and 1830s when newly self-identified "Unitarians" disputed the legitimacy of Calvinism with their orthodox opponents. Thereafter, the chapter turns to the debates at the National Council and, at the end of the century, a New England Congregationalist’s (Williston Walker) study of Calvin. It concludes with the problem of Calvin and Calvinism within American Puritan studies as refracted through the writings of the most significant American student of Puritanism, Perry Miller. The more that nineteenth-century liberal Protestants distanced themselves from the Reformation, the more they caricatured Calvin and Calvinism. Some of the ironies and contradictions of that process will be noted.Less
At the end of the first-ever National Council of Congregational Churches (1865), Congregationalists were reluctant to embrace either the figure of John Calvin or the words that descend from him (Calvinistic, Calvinism). Why? This question animates the chapter. The story starts with the Unitarian controversy of the 1820s and 1830s when newly self-identified "Unitarians" disputed the legitimacy of Calvinism with their orthodox opponents. Thereafter, the chapter turns to the debates at the National Council and, at the end of the century, a New England Congregationalist’s (Williston Walker) study of Calvin. It concludes with the problem of Calvin and Calvinism within American Puritan studies as refracted through the writings of the most significant American student of Puritanism, Perry Miller. The more that nineteenth-century liberal Protestants distanced themselves from the Reformation, the more they caricatured Calvin and Calvinism. Some of the ironies and contradictions of that process will be noted.
Denise T. Askin
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390971
- eISBN:
- 9780199777099
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390971.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Church History
It is a well-known argument that Calvin’s influence, particularly in the New England tradition, is a foundational element of the national literary identity of the United States. A less well-traveled ...
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It is a well-known argument that Calvin’s influence, particularly in the New England tradition, is a foundational element of the national literary identity of the United States. A less well-traveled path, however, is the journey Calvin made into the world of the American Indian, a journey most significantly realized in the preaching and literary efforts of the Mohegan missionary, Samson Occom. Throughout his long career as a Presbyterian minister, Occom preached thousands of sermons, both formal and spontaneous, scholarly and simple. This chapter addresses Occom’s use of literary and rhetorical devices in his sermons, focusing particularly on his style, strategies, and cultural message and distinguishes the several "voices" he used in giving utterance to Calvin’s theology among the Native American and frontier populations of North America at the dawn of its national identity.Less
It is a well-known argument that Calvin’s influence, particularly in the New England tradition, is a foundational element of the national literary identity of the United States. A less well-traveled path, however, is the journey Calvin made into the world of the American Indian, a journey most significantly realized in the preaching and literary efforts of the Mohegan missionary, Samson Occom. Throughout his long career as a Presbyterian minister, Occom preached thousands of sermons, both formal and spontaneous, scholarly and simple. This chapter addresses Occom’s use of literary and rhetorical devices in his sermons, focusing particularly on his style, strategies, and cultural message and distinguishes the several "voices" he used in giving utterance to Calvin’s theology among the Native American and frontier populations of North America at the dawn of its national identity.
Ian J. Shaw
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199250776
- eISBN:
- 9780191600739
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199250774.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
In urban areas of England during the early nineteenth century, the work of a number of Christian ministers was strongly influenced by the shades of Calvinism they espoused. This book discusses the ...
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In urban areas of England during the early nineteenth century, the work of a number of Christian ministers was strongly influenced by the shades of Calvinism they espoused. This book discusses the work of high Calvinists in Manchester, the ‘shock city’ of the age, and London, then the largest city in the world. Six substantial case studies examine the response of ministers and their churches to socio‐economic change. The work of two Christian ministers who upheld evangelical Calvinism, rather than high Calvinism, is explored in order to provide instructive contrasts. Breadth of denominational coverage is maintained––the book features studies of one Anglican, two Strict Baptist, one Presbyterian, and two Independent ministers and their churches. On the basis of manuscripts, printed sources, sermons, and local and denominational press, the study reveals a series of religious subcultures that were remarkably vibrant and active. The popular caricature of high Calvinism is challenged and evidence is presented to show that high Calvinists played a vigorous and successful part in the response of early nineteenth‐century churches to the process of urbanization. Particular attention is given to activity in the realm of evangelism, social concern, education, politics, and responses to poverty. High Calvinism, in the native English tradition, remained a live option in the early nineteenth century.Less
In urban areas of England during the early nineteenth century, the work of a number of Christian ministers was strongly influenced by the shades of Calvinism they espoused. This book discusses the work of high Calvinists in Manchester, the ‘shock city’ of the age, and London, then the largest city in the world. Six substantial case studies examine the response of ministers and their churches to socio‐economic change. The work of two Christian ministers who upheld evangelical Calvinism, rather than high Calvinism, is explored in order to provide instructive contrasts. Breadth of denominational coverage is maintained––the book features studies of one Anglican, two Strict Baptist, one Presbyterian, and two Independent ministers and their churches. On the basis of manuscripts, printed sources, sermons, and local and denominational press, the study reveals a series of religious subcultures that were remarkably vibrant and active. The popular caricature of high Calvinism is challenged and evidence is presented to show that high Calvinists played a vigorous and successful part in the response of early nineteenth‐century churches to the process of urbanization. Particular attention is given to activity in the realm of evangelism, social concern, education, politics, and responses to poverty. High Calvinism, in the native English tradition, remained a live option in the early nineteenth century.
Peter J. Thuesen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390971
- eISBN:
- 9780199777099
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390971.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Church History
In June 1853, Harriet Beecher Stowe, exhausted from a triumphant publicity tour in England for her antislavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, crossed the English Channel for a few weeks of leisure travel ...
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In June 1853, Harriet Beecher Stowe, exhausted from a triumphant publicity tour in England for her antislavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, crossed the English Channel for a few weeks of leisure travel on the Continent. One of her first stops was Geneva, which afforded her the chance to reflect on Calvin and his legacy in Western culture. Gazing on the view of Mont Blanc from the city, she wrote: "Calvinism, in its essential features, will never cease from the earth, because the great fundamental facts of nature are Calvinistic, and men with strong minds and wills always discover it." It was a striking statement, given her otherwise tortured relationship to her New England Puritan heritage, but it signaled a theme she would later develop in her fiction in ways that anticipated the arguments of Max Weber a half century later in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. This chapter will explore this incident and its ramifications.Less
In June 1853, Harriet Beecher Stowe, exhausted from a triumphant publicity tour in England for her antislavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, crossed the English Channel for a few weeks of leisure travel on the Continent. One of her first stops was Geneva, which afforded her the chance to reflect on Calvin and his legacy in Western culture. Gazing on the view of Mont Blanc from the city, she wrote: "Calvinism, in its essential features, will never cease from the earth, because the great fundamental facts of nature are Calvinistic, and men with strong minds and wills always discover it." It was a striking statement, given her otherwise tortured relationship to her New England Puritan heritage, but it signaled a theme she would later develop in her fiction in ways that anticipated the arguments of Max Weber a half century later in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. This chapter will explore this incident and its ramifications.
Ian J. Shaw
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199250776
- eISBN:
- 9780191600739
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199250774.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
The development of Calvinism to c.1860 is explored, from its roots in the work of John Calvin to early nineteenth‐century proponents. Key figures in the development of evangelical Calvinism were ...
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The development of Calvinism to c.1860 is explored, from its roots in the work of John Calvin to early nineteenth‐century proponents. Key figures in the development of evangelical Calvinism were Jonathan Edwards and Andrew Fuller. High Calvinism in the native English tradition owed much to the work of John Gill, William Huntington, and Robert Hawker. The influence of these traditions on social concern is explored.Less
The development of Calvinism to c.1860 is explored, from its roots in the work of John Calvin to early nineteenth‐century proponents. Key figures in the development of evangelical Calvinism were Jonathan Edwards and Andrew Fuller. High Calvinism in the native English tradition owed much to the work of John Gill, William Huntington, and Robert Hawker. The influence of these traditions on social concern is explored.
Thomas J. Davis
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390971
- eISBN:
- 9780199777099
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390971.003.0000
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Church History
This chapter presents a brief overview of John Calvin’s life and the stereotypes that surround many assessments of that life. The usefulness of such stereotypes is questioned, for they can not only ...
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This chapter presents a brief overview of John Calvin’s life and the stereotypes that surround many assessments of that life. The usefulness of such stereotypes is questioned, for they can not only impede the study of Calvin the man but they also can cloud one’s understanding of Calvin’s influence in American culture, one that can be traced not only through the positive appropriations of the Calvinist tradition but also through the ways in which even people who reject that tradition end up wrestling with the fruits of Calvin’s influence. There then follows a short narrative tracing the movement of Calvinism from Europe to the New World. Finally, there is a brief introduction to the contents of the book through a brief summary of each of the chapters.Less
This chapter presents a brief overview of John Calvin’s life and the stereotypes that surround many assessments of that life. The usefulness of such stereotypes is questioned, for they can not only impede the study of Calvin the man but they also can cloud one’s understanding of Calvin’s influence in American culture, one that can be traced not only through the positive appropriations of the Calvinist tradition but also through the ways in which even people who reject that tradition end up wrestling with the fruits of Calvin’s influence. There then follows a short narrative tracing the movement of Calvinism from Europe to the New World. Finally, there is a brief introduction to the contents of the book through a brief summary of each of the chapters.
Ann Lee Bressler
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195129861
- eISBN:
- 9780199834013
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195129865.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This book offers the first cultural history of Universalism and the Universalist idea – the idea that an all-good and all-powerful God saves all souls. Ann Bressler argues that Universalism began as ...
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This book offers the first cultural history of Universalism and the Universalist idea – the idea that an all-good and all-powerful God saves all souls. Ann Bressler argues that Universalism began as a radical, eschatological, and communally oriented faith, and only later became a “comfortably established” progressive and individualistic one. Although Universalists are usually classed with Unitarians as pioneering Protestant liberals, the author argues that they were in fact quite different from both contemporary and later liberalism in their ideas and goals. Unitarians began by rejecting the Calvinist idea of sin as corporate, universal, and absolute, replacing it with their moral self-cultivation. Universalists, on the other hand, accepted the Calvinist view of absolute corporeal sinfulness but insisted on absolute corporeal salvation. Bressler’s claim is that Universalists, in their defiance of individualistic moralism, were for much of the nineteenth century the only consistent Calvinists in America. She traces the emergence of the Universalists’ “improved” Calvinism and its gradual erosion over the course of the nineteenth century, when the effort to maintain the early synthesis of Calvinist and Enlightenment ideals failed as the Universalists were swept up in the tide of American religious individualism and moralism. By the late nineteenth century they increasingly extolled moral responsibility and self-cultivation.Less
This book offers the first cultural history of Universalism and the Universalist idea – the idea that an all-good and all-powerful God saves all souls. Ann Bressler argues that Universalism began as a radical, eschatological, and communally oriented faith, and only later became a “comfortably established” progressive and individualistic one. Although Universalists are usually classed with Unitarians as pioneering Protestant liberals, the author argues that they were in fact quite different from both contemporary and later liberalism in their ideas and goals. Unitarians began by rejecting the Calvinist idea of sin as corporate, universal, and absolute, replacing it with their moral self-cultivation. Universalists, on the other hand, accepted the Calvinist view of absolute corporeal sinfulness but insisted on absolute corporeal salvation. Bressler’s claim is that Universalists, in their defiance of individualistic moralism, were for much of the nineteenth century the only consistent Calvinists in America. She traces the emergence of the Universalists’ “improved” Calvinism and its gradual erosion over the course of the nineteenth century, when the effort to maintain the early synthesis of Calvinist and Enlightenment ideals failed as the Universalists were swept up in the tide of American religious individualism and moralism. By the late nineteenth century they increasingly extolled moral responsibility and self-cultivation.
Nicholas Tyacke
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198201847
- eISBN:
- 9780191675041
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198201847.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History, History of Religion
This is a study of the rise of English Arminianism and the growing religious division in the Church of England during the decades before the Civil War of the 1640s. The widely accepted view has been ...
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This is a study of the rise of English Arminianism and the growing religious division in the Church of England during the decades before the Civil War of the 1640s. The widely accepted view has been that the rise of Puritanism was a major cause of the war; this book argues that it was Arminianism — suspect not only because it sought the overthrow of Calvinism but also because it was embraced by, and imposed by, an increasingly absolutist Charles I — which heightened the religious and political tensions of the period. Almost all English Protestants were members of the established Church. Consequently, what was a theological dispute about rival views of the Christian faith assumed wider significance as a struggle for control of that Church. When Arminianism triumphed, Puritan opposition to the established Church was rekindled. Politically, Charles and his advisers also feared the consequences of Calvinist predestinarian teaching as being incompatible with ‘civil government in the commonwealth’.Less
This is a study of the rise of English Arminianism and the growing religious division in the Church of England during the decades before the Civil War of the 1640s. The widely accepted view has been that the rise of Puritanism was a major cause of the war; this book argues that it was Arminianism — suspect not only because it sought the overthrow of Calvinism but also because it was embraced by, and imposed by, an increasingly absolutist Charles I — which heightened the religious and political tensions of the period. Almost all English Protestants were members of the established Church. Consequently, what was a theological dispute about rival views of the Christian faith assumed wider significance as a struggle for control of that Church. When Arminianism triumphed, Puritan opposition to the established Church was rekindled. Politically, Charles and his advisers also feared the consequences of Calvinist predestinarian teaching as being incompatible with ‘civil government in the commonwealth’.
Joe B. Fulton
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390971
- eISBN:
- 9780199777099
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390971.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Church History
Mark Twain grappled seriously with theologians from the Calvinist tradition. While many of his comments seem dismissive (and funny), it is clear that Calvinism charged his writing with what one might ...
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Mark Twain grappled seriously with theologians from the Calvinist tradition. While many of his comments seem dismissive (and funny), it is clear that Calvinism charged his writing with what one might call an insistent humorousness of purpose. Reflecting on free will, election, and predestination, Twain read especially Jonathan Edwards; not just as one of whom to make fun but as one with whom he had much in common. Edwards provided more than just a whipping boy for Twain’s philosophical comedy—they shared a theological vocabulary, metaphysical assumptions, and a view of God as sovereign. Their disagreements were substantial, but Mark Twain and the Calvinists were partners in the same enterprise. Thus, one can argue that Twain’s growth as a writer came, not, as some have argued, only insofar as he could distance himself from his Calvinist upbringing and influences, but rather as he fully engaged and wrestled with that tradition.Less
Mark Twain grappled seriously with theologians from the Calvinist tradition. While many of his comments seem dismissive (and funny), it is clear that Calvinism charged his writing with what one might call an insistent humorousness of purpose. Reflecting on free will, election, and predestination, Twain read especially Jonathan Edwards; not just as one of whom to make fun but as one with whom he had much in common. Edwards provided more than just a whipping boy for Twain’s philosophical comedy—they shared a theological vocabulary, metaphysical assumptions, and a view of God as sovereign. Their disagreements were substantial, but Mark Twain and the Calvinists were partners in the same enterprise. Thus, one can argue that Twain’s growth as a writer came, not, as some have argued, only insofar as he could distance himself from his Calvinist upbringing and influences, but rather as he fully engaged and wrestled with that tradition.
Ann Lee Bressler
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195129861
- eISBN:
- 9780199834013
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195129865.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
At first glance, American Universalism seems to have been one of the clearest manifestations of the rational spirit of the revolutionary era, and with its bold assertion of salvation for all, the ...
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At first glance, American Universalism seems to have been one of the clearest manifestations of the rational spirit of the revolutionary era, and with its bold assertion of salvation for all, the Universalist movement was shocking even in an atmosphere charged with challenges to orthodox Calvinist doctrines. In the nineteenth century, Universalists became even more closely identified with rationalistic dissent. Drawing upon eighteenth-century evangelical Calvinism on the one hand and Enlightenment liberalism on the other, Universalism emerged as an attempt to nourish piety through rational conviction. Reason, Universalists argued, dictated that a benevolent God would redeem all of creation; the doctrine of universal salvation was God’s way of influencing human affections and turning naturally self-centred human beings to the love of God and the greater creation. This chapter traces the early development of the movement and the notable figures involved.Less
At first glance, American Universalism seems to have been one of the clearest manifestations of the rational spirit of the revolutionary era, and with its bold assertion of salvation for all, the Universalist movement was shocking even in an atmosphere charged with challenges to orthodox Calvinist doctrines. In the nineteenth century, Universalists became even more closely identified with rationalistic dissent. Drawing upon eighteenth-century evangelical Calvinism on the one hand and Enlightenment liberalism on the other, Universalism emerged as an attempt to nourish piety through rational conviction. Reason, Universalists argued, dictated that a benevolent God would redeem all of creation; the doctrine of universal salvation was God’s way of influencing human affections and turning naturally self-centred human beings to the love of God and the greater creation. This chapter traces the early development of the movement and the notable figures involved.
Ian J. Shaw
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199250776
- eISBN:
- 9780191600739
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199250774.003.0011
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
The preceding chapters demonstrate the need for a re‐examination of the image of the isolated, scholastic, proponent of high Calvinism, unable to engage with the world around. Although high Calvinism ...
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The preceding chapters demonstrate the need for a re‐examination of the image of the isolated, scholastic, proponent of high Calvinism, unable to engage with the world around. Although high Calvinism did not have a clearly formulated urban theology, it was a more widespread and complex phenomenon than has often been recognized: its attractiveness to the poor owed much to its experiential emphasis and also its active social concern. The Manchester context helped override reservations on the part of high Calvinists about practical activity to a greater degree than was the case in London. Amongst high Calvinists, there were significant nuances of approach to political theology, social concern, and the issue of Sunday schools, but all stood or fell by their preaching. Evangelical Calvinism allowed for greater latitude of co‐operative work in response to religious and social needs. With both groups of Calvinists, the overall pattern was frequently overridden by personal, urban contextual, denominational, and historical factors.Less
The preceding chapters demonstrate the need for a re‐examination of the image of the isolated, scholastic, proponent of high Calvinism, unable to engage with the world around. Although high Calvinism did not have a clearly formulated urban theology, it was a more widespread and complex phenomenon than has often been recognized: its attractiveness to the poor owed much to its experiential emphasis and also its active social concern. The Manchester context helped override reservations on the part of high Calvinists about practical activity to a greater degree than was the case in London. Amongst high Calvinists, there were significant nuances of approach to political theology, social concern, and the issue of Sunday schools, but all stood or fell by their preaching. Evangelical Calvinism allowed for greater latitude of co‐operative work in response to religious and social needs. With both groups of Calvinists, the overall pattern was frequently overridden by personal, urban contextual, denominational, and historical factors.
John F. Padgett
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691148670
- eISBN:
- 9781400845552
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691148670.003.0007
- Subject:
- Sociology, Economic Sociology
This chapter argues that certain Dutch organizational innovations were all interlinked through their common genesis mechanism of “migration and homology.” Migration refers to two tidal waves of ...
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This chapter argues that certain Dutch organizational innovations were all interlinked through their common genesis mechanism of “migration and homology.” Migration refers to two tidal waves of persecuted Calvinist merchants and artisans out of what is now Belgium into what is now the Netherlands, but within what was then the unitary region of the Spanish Netherlands. Homology refers to parallel organizational structures of nested councils in three institutional pillars: regents in federalist governments, consistories and synods in the Dutch Reformed Church, and boards of directors and shareholders in joint-stock companies and stock markets. Organizational innovations, shaped through civil, religious, and colonial wars, cascaded from domain to domain because they came to operate through the shared relational protocol of “lateral control” or public peer pressure.Less
This chapter argues that certain Dutch organizational innovations were all interlinked through their common genesis mechanism of “migration and homology.” Migration refers to two tidal waves of persecuted Calvinist merchants and artisans out of what is now Belgium into what is now the Netherlands, but within what was then the unitary region of the Spanish Netherlands. Homology refers to parallel organizational structures of nested councils in three institutional pillars: regents in federalist governments, consistories and synods in the Dutch Reformed Church, and boards of directors and shareholders in joint-stock companies and stock markets. Organizational innovations, shaped through civil, religious, and colonial wars, cascaded from domain to domain because they came to operate through the shared relational protocol of “lateral control” or public peer pressure.
Susan Karant-Nunn
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195399738
- eISBN:
- 9780199777198
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195399738.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Religion and Society
The Reformation of Feeling looks beyond and beneath the formal doctrinal and moral demands of the Reformation in Germany in order to examine the emotional tenor of the programs that the ...
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The Reformation of Feeling looks beyond and beneath the formal doctrinal and moral demands of the Reformation in Germany in order to examine the emotional tenor of the programs that the emerging creeds—revised Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Calvinism/Reformed theology—developed for their members. As revealed by the surviving sermons from this period, preaching clergy of each faith both explicitly and implicitly provided their listeners with distinct models of a mood to be cultivated. To encourage their parishioners to make an emotional investment in their faith, all three drew upon rhetorical elements that were already present in late medieval Catholicism and elevated them into confessional touchstones. Looking at archival materials containing direct references to feeling, this book focuses on treatments of death and sermons on the Passion. It amplifies these sources with considerations of the decorative, liturgical, musical, and disciplinary changes that ecclesiastical leaders introduced during the period from the late fifteenth to the end of the sventeenth century. Within individual sermons, it also examines topical elements—including Jews at the crucifixion, the Virgin Mary's voluminous weeping below the Cross, and struggles against competing denominations—which were intended to arouse particular kinds of sentiment. Finally, it discusses surviving testimony from the laity in order to assess at least some Christians' reception of these lessons on proper devotional feeling. This book presents a cultural rather than theological or behavioral study of the broader movement to remake Christianity. As it demonstrates, in the eyes of the Reformation's formative personalities, strict adherence to doctrine and upright demeanor did not constitute an adequate piety. The truly devout had to engage their hearts in their faith.Less
The Reformation of Feeling looks beyond and beneath the formal doctrinal and moral demands of the Reformation in Germany in order to examine the emotional tenor of the programs that the emerging creeds—revised Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Calvinism/Reformed theology—developed for their members. As revealed by the surviving sermons from this period, preaching clergy of each faith both explicitly and implicitly provided their listeners with distinct models of a mood to be cultivated. To encourage their parishioners to make an emotional investment in their faith, all three drew upon rhetorical elements that were already present in late medieval Catholicism and elevated them into confessional touchstones. Looking at archival materials containing direct references to feeling, this book focuses on treatments of death and sermons on the Passion. It amplifies these sources with considerations of the decorative, liturgical, musical, and disciplinary changes that ecclesiastical leaders introduced during the period from the late fifteenth to the end of the sventeenth century. Within individual sermons, it also examines topical elements—including Jews at the crucifixion, the Virgin Mary's voluminous weeping below the Cross, and struggles against competing denominations—which were intended to arouse particular kinds of sentiment. Finally, it discusses surviving testimony from the laity in order to assess at least some Christians' reception of these lessons on proper devotional feeling. This book presents a cultural rather than theological or behavioral study of the broader movement to remake Christianity. As it demonstrates, in the eyes of the Reformation's formative personalities, strict adherence to doctrine and upright demeanor did not constitute an adequate piety. The truly devout had to engage their hearts in their faith.
Friedrich Wilhelm Graf, Irena Backus, and Susanna Gebhardt
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199751846
- eISBN:
- 9780199914562
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199751846.003.0013
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies
While confessional hostility between Lutherans and Calvinists marked German history from the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century, reflection about the distinguishing characteristics of these ...
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While confessional hostility between Lutherans and Calvinists marked German history from the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century, reflection about the distinguishing characteristics of these two Protestant confessions took on a new historical depth in the years between 1820 and 1848, against the backdrop of disputes within German Protestantism over whether or not to merge the two confessions into a single church. Particularly influential was the analysis of Matthias Schneckenburger (1804‐1848). His depiction of the confessions as different forms of subjectivity was in turn elaborated by a series of thinkers who suggested that each in turn promoted different constitutional regimes. Their ideas form the intellectual matrix out of which emerged the classic sociological interpretations of Ernst Troeltsch and Max Weber on the relationship between Calvinism, democracy, and capitalism. The essay also examines the modern Calvinist Pentecostal movement and shows it to be very far removed from Calvin's theology despite its claims to the contrary.Less
While confessional hostility between Lutherans and Calvinists marked German history from the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century, reflection about the distinguishing characteristics of these two Protestant confessions took on a new historical depth in the years between 1820 and 1848, against the backdrop of disputes within German Protestantism over whether or not to merge the two confessions into a single church. Particularly influential was the analysis of Matthias Schneckenburger (1804‐1848). His depiction of the confessions as different forms of subjectivity was in turn elaborated by a series of thinkers who suggested that each in turn promoted different constitutional regimes. Their ideas form the intellectual matrix out of which emerged the classic sociological interpretations of Ernst Troeltsch and Max Weber on the relationship between Calvinism, democracy, and capitalism. The essay also examines the modern Calvinist Pentecostal movement and shows it to be very far removed from Calvin's theology despite its claims to the contrary.
