The Center Shifts:

Colonial America, Revival and Revolution

Lesson 12 8 January 2012

Colonial America
Spanish Colonial Expansion (1519 1820)
Led by the Jesuits, Franciscans and Dominicans Established missions among the native indians in SW US and in Florida (St. Augustine) Tended to combine Roman Catholicism with local religious practices

French Colonial Expansion (1500s 1700s)

Led by Jesuits Canada (Quebec), the Mississippi River Valley and New Orleans Focused more on economic activities (fur trading) than evangelism

English Colonial Expansion (1500s 1700s)

Protestant in nature: Anglican in South, Puritan/Separatists in New England Later joined by Scots Irish (Presbyterians), Lutherans (German), Dutch Reformed, and Roman Catholic in the Middle Colonies Most were founded as commercial adventures (joint stock companies) which would later gain royal charters Emphasized the religious freedom of the group in control the area Plurality of religion developed due to the amount of land available Emphasized education, moral purity and Calvinism with a focus on hard work

The Colonies
Virginia: Founded in 1607 by the Virginia Company (Jamestown)
Became Viable through the exploitation of tobacco Anglican Church was dominate, later Baptist settle William and Mary College founded in 1693 as a public university English Separatists in Plymouth; The Mayflower Compact Massachusetts Bay and Salem: 1630 founded by Congregationalist Puritans 1691: Formed into one Colony (Massachusetts), established the Congregational Church First colony to establish a University of higher learning (Harvard 1636)

Massachusetts: Founded in 1620 at Plymouth

Connecticut: 1633 Thomas Hooker in Connecticut River Valley; 1638 Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
Yale University founded in New Haven in 1701 to off-set Harvard Brown University founded in 1764 by American Baptists

Rhode Island: 1644 founded by Roger Williams (English Separatist)

Pennsylvania: 1661 founded by William Penn (Quaker), Lutherans, Moravians New York: Founded by the Dutch, taken over by English in 1664
Kings College (Columbia) in 1754 Princeton University: Founded in 1746

New Jersey: Founded by Dutch, English control in 1664, settled by Presbyterians Maryland: 1634 settled by English Catholics (Lord Baltimore) Other Colonies: mainly plantations, South heavy Anglican; Delaware separated from Pennsylvania over slavery

Revivals and Movements in Europe

Pietism
Lutheran Church in Germany, Moravia and Bohemia Reaction against the formal scholasticism of the Lutheran Church Emphasized the individual daily reading of the Bible and Prayer Count Nicolas von Zinzendorf founded Moravian Brethren in Pennsylvania

Quietism The Quakers, Roman Catholics and Swedenborgism

Emphasized the inner light and belief that only Holy Spirit was required for truth Rejected the organized church, use of titles, formal clergy training, but emphasized personal education Heavily persecuted in England and in New England

The Methodist Movement - 2nd Reformation of England

George Whitefield, John and Charles Wesley and the Holy Club at Oxford Grew out of the Anglicans and sought to reform, not separate from Church Called Methodists for emphasis on their methods of Bible study Whitefield and Wesley separate over their disputes on Calvinism and Holiness Charles Wesley wrote 7000 hymns during life John Wesley converted by hearing the introduction to Luthers Commentary on Romans; traveled 200,000 miles on horse back, preached 42,000 sermons, wrote 200 books

The First Great Awakening

Began in the Dutch Reformed Church in New Jersey in 1726
Theodore Freylinghuysen

Spread to the Presbyterian Church in New Jersey

William and Gilbert Tennent among the Scots-Irish

Jonathan Edwards (1703 1758) the First American Theologian

Graduated from Yale in 1720 at the age of 17 Pastor of Northampton Church in Massachusetts Famous sermon: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God 1750 - 1758: Missionary to the Indians, becomes President of Princeton University

George Whitefield 7 visits to Americas between 1738 - 1769 The New Light versus the Old Light Calvinists
New Lights emphasized preaching and conversion (Jonathan Edwards) Old Lights hyper-Calvinists, emphasized morality and hard work

Impact
Estimated in excess of 200,000 conversions (in a pop. of 1.5 million) Emphasized the social covenant aspect that would underpin the US Constitution Unified the population in the colonies beyond narrow sectarian positions

The American Revolution

The French and Indian (Seven Years) War: 1753 1760
The first true world war Ended French influence in the Americas; results in English Canada Differences in view of governance The Non-Conformists View and the desire for continuation of the Acts of Toleration Princeton: John Witherspoon and the training of the leadership Major Denominations: Congregationalist, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Anglican Most attendees were Christian Franklin and Jefferson were anti-clerical Christians Few were Deists New England: Many Congregationalist Churches remain loyal (50k leave to Canada) Mid-Atlantic: Enthusiastic revolutionaries (King George III Presbyterian Revolt) South: Anglican Churches supported separation Becomes American Episcopal Most churches severed ties with English churches American Baptist, American Methodist Emphasis will be on pluralism in the US Religious Freedom 1786: Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom

Pre-War

The Declaration of Independence and Constitution

Impact of the War on the Church

The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment Movement emphasized Rationalism and Science
Rene Descartes: (1637) Cognito, Ego Sum Francis Bacon: (1620) Novum Organum basis for the Scientific Method Isaac Newton: (1687) Principia Mathematica mechanical physics and natural law John Locke: (1690) Essay Concerning Human Understanding empiricism and social contract Emphasis is on human reason, human understanding and natural law Basic Tenet: God is the first cause of all things, but is not involved in day to day operations God created using natural laws that man can discern through study and reason Christ: a moral object lesson only (no miracles, no resurrection) Repent of wrong doing and lead an ethical life which would guarantee immortality of the soul Emphasis on human rights and improving the human condition Influential Deists: Thomas Paine, Ethan Allen, Rousseau, Voltaire, Diderot, Immanuel Kant A revolt of the educated middle class many who were heavily influenced by Voltaire and Rousseau Emphasized the social contract in which the state was subject only to the sovereign people and not any other force including God Emphasized the goodness and perfectibility of mankind

Deism

Impact The French Revolution (1789 1796)

References
Brown, Colin. Christianity and Western Thought vol. 2 Cairns, Earle E. Christianity Through the Centuries Cross, F. L. and E. A. Livingstone ed. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church Edwards, Jonathan. Freedom of the Will