Jonathan Edwards – American History to 1877

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In his blog post, “Religious Awakening in the Colonies,” Kurt points out that traditional American history classes portray the Puritans as conservative dissenters from the Church of England who fled religious persecution in England, and settled in America to seek religious tolerance. Kurt acutely acknowledges that this singular, romanticized narrative does not take into account the complexities of religion in the early American colonies. Contrary to popular belief, America was not settled as a land of religious freedom. Early colonists saw religious practice as black and white; their faith was the absolute word of God, and every other faith was wrong. Further, church and state were interconnected, and religion primarily dictated political alliances. This created a societal climate where religious groups battled for political dominance, fearing their subjugation on behalf of another group’s hegemony.

Chapter 15: “Awakenings, 1700-75” of American Colonies effectively outlines the complexities of religion in early America (as summarized above), which facilitated the spiritual revival of the eighteenth century. Taylor’s analysis exceeds other religious histories I have read, because it does not attempt to depict American religion as a straightforward, uncontroversial narrative. I especially appreciated Taylor’s attention to the denominational divide between the evangelicals and rationalists, and the demographics that characterized each sect. The evangelicals, led by Jonathon Edwards and George Whitefield, provided colonists the opportunity to have a personal, emotional relationship with God—one that was not mediated by the socially stratified institution of the Church and clergymen. Evangelicals preached that in the religious sphere, social status was not indicative of one’s ability to access God and attain salvation. Rather, any sinner who accepted his or her absolute deference to God could experience emotional conversion, and consequently, God’s grace (Taylor 345). Evangelism’s inclusive nature provided a spiritual arena for marginalized members of society to take control of their destiny, despite the political, social, and economic restraints that characterized their position in the community. Women, in particular, used evangelism to assert their personal freedom in a patriarchal, misogynistic world. Taylor affirms that “by claiming utter submission to God’s command, and by speaking his words rather than their own…women claimed a freedom from the social restraints placed upon their gender” (351). In essence, by affirming the absolute authority of God, women bypassed the institutionalized patriarchy of gender oppression, and rejected their inferiority to men. Indians and Africans also utilized evangelism as a space for control, individualism, and freedom that colonial society prohibited. It is crucial to note, though, that the liberty evangelism provided was limited to the spiritual realm. The Great Awakening did not positively impact the status of women, Africans, and Indians in the political and social order of colonial America, but merely offered a temporary recluse for individual control. Unfortunately, marginalized members of society never experienced equality in their lifetime, but clung to evangelism as the key to future salvation and freedom.

Taylor, Alan. American Colonies. New York: Penguin Group, 2001.

Current day thoughts about religious motivation in the colonies can be far from the truth. When most students learn early on about the pilgrims, the mayflower, and thanksgiving, they automatically view the pilgrims as a group who came to escape religious persecution and develop a place where everyone was free to worship as they please. However, Taylor describes that this is not the case with most colonial settlers. As Taylor states “Not all colonists had felt persecuted at home, and few wanted to live in a society that tolerated a plurality of religions”(339). The early colonists did not practice the freedom of religion as it is known today, and this lead to spiritual divide between differing regions of the colonies. This divide also went deeper to inter-faith divide, with the the New Lights and the Old Lights differing on the correct ways to practice religion. This divides played a large role in the events known as the The Great Awakening.

Taylor paints a clear picture of the different types of religious beliefs throughout the colonies. He makes this clear by giving the number of churches each specific religion has and the region it is in. Although the church numbers were high, as were the attendance rates, Taylor explains that in many places Church was drifting from place a deep worship to a more social gathering. That along with the emergence rationalists, who Taylor describes as people who “instead found guidance in the science that depicted nature as orderly and predictable operation of fundamental and discernible laws”(344), made the reality that strong christian faith was a thing of the past.

This set the stage for key revivalists to bring the fundamental core of Christian beliefs back to the people of the Colonies. This all started with Reverend Jonathan Edwards, who was taught deep religious ideals by his Grandfather Solomon Stoddard. Edward set out on a tour and preached to thousands of how people and churches must get back to their strong fundamental faith. This effort by him sparked the great awakening and inspired the “most extensive and synchronized set of revivals in colonial experience”(346). His work also inspired Whitefield to come across the Atlantic from England and make a nation wide tour, enthusiastically preaching his message of deep religious faith and the work of God, further contributing to the Great Awakening.

As one of my classmates points out in “Religious Revival in the American Colonies” the main divide of the old lights vs. new lights serves as the main conflict throughout the Great Awakening. While the old lights preferred carefully planned out sermons and scriptures, the new lights preached spontaneously and emotionally to demonstrate the holy spirit inside them.

Taylor clearly portrays the events and feeling feeling throughout the Great Awakening. He speaks of specific examples and people who played a key role in the process. My main critique would be for him to go into more detail on the overall effects that the Great Awakening had on the Colonists.

Tag: Jonathan Edwards

Evangelism: the Spiritual Arena for Liberty

Religious Awakening in the Colonies