C H A P T E R 4

RELIGION IN THE COLONIES

ELIZABETHAN SETTLEMENT

Queen Elizabeth

Puritan Anglican Separatists• Purify church

of England• Clean it of

unbiblical practices

• Low = agree with puritans; don’t have a problem with unbiblical practices

• High= believe unbiblical practices are biblical

• Must separate from church of England completely

• Pilgrims• Baptists,

etc.

4

PILGRIMS VS. PURITANS

Few Many

Early (1620) Later (1629-30)

Poor class Upper middle class

Uneducated Educated

Separatists from state church Loyal

Settled in Plymouth Salem, Boston

Wm. Bradford, Wm. Brewster John Endicott, Miles Standish,John Winthrop

5

PURITAN: MYTHS VS. REALITY

“Haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be happy”

Books, music, beer, rum, swam, skated, bowled

Wore black Blue, violet, green, yellow

Narrow minded +100: Oxford & Cambridge

“Dumme Doggs” Established Harvard after 6 years

Women sheltered Literate, well read, managed household

Song-less A capella, in unison

Minority 1776: 75% of Puritan roots

POLITY (CHURCH ORGANIZATION)

Episcopal

• Monarch appoints archbishop

• Archbishop• bishop• parish (vicar)• Ex. Church of

England

Presbyterian

• Church members vote for church leadership

• Vote for presbytery and synod

• Governed by church Assembly

• Ex. Church of Scotland

Congregationalist

• Congregation elects officials of church

• Churches independent of each other

• Ex. Most Puritans in American colonies

PURITAN DECLINE

• Religious zeal decline with each generation• More concerned with monetary gain than spiritual gain

• Halfway Covenant• Accept membership of non converted (but outwardly pure) to

fill increase membership• Allows non-saved people into churches• Compromise on principles of puritan ancestors

• Salem Witch Trials 1692• Fanaticism and hysteria• Girls accuse witches of afflicting them • 20 innocent people killed• Later people confessed accusations• Spiritual depression until Great Awakening

ANGLICANISM IN AMERICA

• Beginnings• Anglican ministers• devout in faith

• Bray and Blair• Start William and Mary College• Start missionary work in the colonies

• Expansion • Grows throughout colonies

• Established church in:• Virginia• Maryland• Carolinas• Georgia• NY & NJ (parts of)

Big on tradition

Not big on true spiritual worship

NON-ESTABLISHED DENOMINATIONS

BAPTISTS

• Roger Williams = founder• Rhode Island• Him and a friend baptized each other• Baptize only truly repentant• No baptize babies• Largest number in Pennsylvania

QUAKERS

• George Fox• “Friends”• Shake while worshipping• Guided by “inner light” salvation• Simple worship• No ministers• No Baptism or Communion• Welcome in:• Pennsylvania and Rhode Island

PRESBYTERIANS

• Last major separatist group to come to America• Doctrine similar to Congregationalist but

Presbyterian polity (organization)

• Francis Makemie• Founder• Won court cases to ensure

religious freedom of worship in colonies

LUTHERANS

• Follow teachings of Martin Luther• New Sweden (Delaware) • New Amsterdam ( NY)• Pennsylvania (mostly)

• Henry Muhlenberg• Lay foundation for Lutheran church in America• Encouraged unity between Lutherans from Delaware, NY

and Pennsylvania

WHERE ARE THE LUTHERANS TODAY?

ANABAPTIST GROUPS

MENNONITE & AMISH

• Refused to have anything to do with the state• No military service (no buttons)• No voting or political activity• No modern technology

• Simple and holy life• Mennonites = followers of Menno Sims• Amish = conservative Mennonites• No electricity• Old language (High German)• Reject modern ways of life• Little contact with outsiders

MORAVIANS

• Follow teachings of John Huss from Bohemia• Conducted missionary work to slaves in Caribbean

and slaves in America• Emphasis on • conversion • leading a holy life

• Not on: doctrine• Legacy:• Lead to John Wesley conversion• Easter Sunrise Service

• Settled:• North Carolina• Pennsylvania

ROMAN CATHOLIC

• Center Maryland• Haven for Catholics

• Minority until Irish migration in 1840s• Feared by many colonists• Catholic countries (Spain and France) threatened

existence of colonies• WHY???

• Found in:• Maryland• Pennsylvania• NY

WHERE ARE THE CATHOLICS?

WORSHIP

MUSIC

• Singing important during services• Many adapted from Psalms

• Book of Psalms (1640) • First published book in America

“The Whole Booke of PsalmesFaithfullyTRANSLATED into ENGLISH

Metre.Whereunto is prefixed a discoursedeclaring not only the lawfullnes, but

alsothe necessity of the heavenly Ordinanceof singing Scripture Psalmes

inthe Churches of God.Imprinted, 1640”

• Long prayer• Long sermon• No instruments• Hard wooden benches• No heat• Ushers

PEWS FOR RENT

GREAT AWAKENING

Great Awakening 1720s – 60s

Religious

Political

Social

BACKGROUND

• Religious life is in decline

• Church attendance as a tradition

• Some ministers are not really

converted

EARLY STIRRINGS

• 1720 Dutch reformer – Frelinghuysen• Gr. Awakening begins in New Jersey• Friend Gilbert Tennent • Preaches throughout colonies

“Old Lights”• Oppose

awakening• No emotions

towards religion

“New Lights”• Support

awakening • Tripled in size

Presbyterians

JONATHAN EDWARDS

• “Greatest Theologian of Great Awakening”• Passionate devotion to God• Lived what he preached• Justification through faith not works• Opposed to Anglican, Catholic, etc.

• Famous sermon: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

GEORGE WHITEFIELD

• “Greatest Evangelist of Gr. Awakening”• 30 year ministry• 7 preaching tours throughout colonies

• Powerful voice• Could reach 30,000 people with no amplification

GR. AWAKENING IN THE SOUTH

• Samuel Doak

• Pastor in Virginia &Tennessee

• Pioneer for abolishment of slavery

• Founded school in Tennessee

• Washington College1795

RESULTS OF GREAT AWAKENING

CHURCHES

• Growth

• Membership

• # of churches

• Especially Presbyterians

and Baptists

COLLEGES

• Growth • Princeton, Brown, Rutgers, Dartmouth formed• Yale grew

Under the Protection of God She Flourishes

SPIRITUAL LIFE

• Brought true repentance to many thousands

• Brought unity to the Americans

Paved the way for unity between the colonies needed for the revolution against England

DIVISION

• Within denominations• Presbyterians• Dutch

• Oppositions to awakening:• Upset “good church order”• Oppose personal experience with God• Mostly from Anglican Church

Many colonists associated

Anglican Church with British govt.

POLITICAL

• First national movement in America

• Affected every:

• race

• gender

• social class

PERSONAL

• Increase in personal liberty

• All equal before God

• Greater freedom of worship *

• Freedom of speech *

• Freedom of assembly *

NEGATIVE

• Authority of ministers diminished

• Cults appeared in 19th century

• Mormons (Latter Day Saints)

• Jehovah’s Witnesses

• #5.) Polygamy: “The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy.” (Journal of Discourse, Volume 11, Page 269, 1866)

• #4.) Adam is God: “Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth, Jew and Gentile, Saint and sinner! When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is MICHAEL, the archangel, the ANCIENT OF DAYS! About whom holy men have written and spoken—HE is our FATHER and our GOD, and the only God with whom WE have to do. Every man upon the earth, professing Christians or non-professing, must hear it, and will know it sooner or later.” (Journal of Discourse, Volume 1, Page 50, 1852, and The Millennial Star, Volume 15, Page 769)

• #3.) Men on the moon and sun: “Who can tell us of the inhabitants of this little planet that shines of an evening, called the moon? When we view its face we may see what is termed “the man in the moon,” and what some philosophers declare are the shadows of mountains. But these sayings are very vague, and amount to nothing; and when you inquire about the inhabitants of that sphere you find that the most learned are as ignorant in regard to them as the most ignorant of their fellows. So it is with regard to the inhabitants of the sun. Do you think it is inhabited? I rather think it is. Do you think there is any life there? No question of it; it was not made in vain.” (Journal of Discourses,Volume 13, Page 271, 1870)

• #2.) Blood Atonement: “Now take a person in this congregation who has knowledge with regard to being saved in the kingdom . . . and suppose that he is overtaken in a gross fault, that he has committed a sin that he knows will deprive him of that exaltation which he desires, and he cannot attain to it without the shedding of his blood, and also knows that by having his blood shed he will atone for that sin, and be saved and exalted with the Gods, is there a man or woman in this house but what would say, “shed my blood that I may be saved and exalted with the Gods?” All mankind love themselves, and let these principles be known by an individual, and he would be glad to have his blood shed. That would be loving themselves, even unto an eternal exaltation. Will you love your brothers or sisters likewise, when they have committed a sin that cannot be atoned for without the shedding of their blood? Will you love that man or woman well enough to shed their blood?” (Journal of Discourse, Volume 4, Page 219, 1857)

• #1.) The Black Race is Cursed: “You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable, and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind. . . . Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin.” (Journal of Discourses, Volume 7, Page 291, 1859)

Many movements started in the Great

Awakening that would be fully developed in

the American Revolution