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The New England Pulpit and the American Revolution; When American Pastors Preached Politics, Resisted Tyranny, and Founded a Nation on the Bible
A reprint of a book long since out of print. Ms. Baldwin originally wrote the book in order, to show the intimate relation between the thought life of the New England minister and its affects on the political ideology expounded from the pulpit. From the introduction we get the author's purpose: "first, to make clear the similarity, the identity, of Puritan theology and fundamental political thought; second, to show how the New England clergy preserved, extended, and popularized the essential doctrines of political philosophy, thus making familiar to every church-going New Englander long before 1763 not only to the doctrines of natural right, the social contract, and the right of resistance, but also the fundamental principle of American constitutional law, that government, like its citizens, is bounded by law and when it transcends its authority it acts illegally." However, the study deals primarily with Nonconformists or Congregationalists and Presbyterians of the time.
Covering the period from 100 years prior and up through the entire revolutionary era, she concludes that the central force behind it all was the pulpit’s application of the Word of God to politics and government. She says, “It must not be forgotten, in the multiplicity of authors mentioned, that the source of greatest authority and the one most commonly used was the Bible.” And she proves that “from the law of God they derived their political theories.”
This reprint by American Vision is to make available this studied work in order to encourage the Church to be aware of its historic role in the founding of our Constitutional Republic. Where the pulpits used Biblical principles of rights, and "law of God" to make the case of freedom. Something now lost in our churches today that in many cases have been brought upon by the self-censor of the clergy themselves and in part Christians as a whole. Not to mention the parallel of today's loyalists to tyranny shouting, "Don't preach politics!"
Originally published under Durham, North Carolina, Duke University Press in 1928. There have been other additions as late as 1965 under F. Ungar Pub. Co. in New York.
Also, available in the latest formats from American Vision.
Alice Mary Baldwin, Ph.D. (1879-1960)
Covering the period from 100 years prior and up through the entire revolutionary era, she concludes that the central force behind it all was the pulpit’s application of the Word of God to politics and government. She says, “It must not be forgotten, in the multiplicity of authors mentioned, that the source of greatest authority and the one most commonly used was the Bible.” And she proves that “from the law of God they derived their political theories.”
This reprint by American Vision is to make available this studied work in order to encourage the Church to be aware of its historic role in the founding of our Constitutional Republic. Where the pulpits used Biblical principles of rights, and "law of God" to make the case of freedom. Something now lost in our churches today that in many cases have been brought upon by the self-censor of the clergy themselves and in part Christians as a whole. Not to mention the parallel of today's loyalists to tyranny shouting, "Don't preach politics!"
Originally published under Durham, North Carolina, Duke University Press in 1928. There have been other additions as late as 1965 under F. Ungar Pub. Co. in New York.
Also, available in the latest formats from American Vision.
Alice Mary Baldwin, Ph.D. (1879-1960)
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1928
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 31, 2016
Alice Baldwin demonstrates the power and authority the preachers of New England had upon the American colonies in the one hundred years leading up to the American Revolution. The book is meticulously researched and argued.
The book was originally published in 1928, but was seemingly forgotten, until recently republished by American Vision. Baldwin's credentials are impressive, having received a Ph.D from the University of Chicago and teaching at Duke University. The bibilography is 26 pages long. Baldwin clearly did her research.
Reading this book is a whirlwind review of what New England preachers believed and taught their congregations-all the political teaching would shock modern churchmen. It is the pastors that taught the political philosophy to their congregants which later manifested itself in the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress, and the United States Constitution.
Liberty was praised as being given by God, and those that would take it away ought to be opposed even to the point of death. It is at this point that contemporary Christians simply cannot fathom that such a thing could be a biblical idea. We've obviously fallen far in our understanding of law, liberty, and opposition to tyranny. Aren't we to submit to the governing authorities? Aren't we to be meek and use non-violence to oppose injustice?
In the conclusion, Baldwin writes, "Probably the most fundamental principle of the American constitutional system is the principle that no one is bound to obey an unconstitutional act... No single idea was more fully stressed, no principle more often repeated, through the first sixty years of the eighteenth century, than that governments must obey law and that he who resisted one in authority who was violating that law was not himself a rebel but a protector of law." p. 212
This shocks our sensibilities, and seems quixotic in its idealism. But imagine what would happen today, if the governor of your state were to refuse to obey federal laws on abortion, taxes, eminent domain, drug laws, etc.? The church would condemn such a governor as a rebel and accuse him of sedition and lawlessness. But the Bible teaches something quite different, and quite in opposition. Not only that, but our nation was founded upon the opposite perspective.
This book will awaken its readers into realizing how the church has lost its saltiness and has allowed the state to become tyrannical. This is a book that needs to be read widely--especially by pastors. Highly, highly recommended.
The book was originally published in 1928, but was seemingly forgotten, until recently republished by American Vision. Baldwin's credentials are impressive, having received a Ph.D from the University of Chicago and teaching at Duke University. The bibilography is 26 pages long. Baldwin clearly did her research.
Reading this book is a whirlwind review of what New England preachers believed and taught their congregations-all the political teaching would shock modern churchmen. It is the pastors that taught the political philosophy to their congregants which later manifested itself in the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress, and the United States Constitution.
Liberty was praised as being given by God, and those that would take it away ought to be opposed even to the point of death. It is at this point that contemporary Christians simply cannot fathom that such a thing could be a biblical idea. We've obviously fallen far in our understanding of law, liberty, and opposition to tyranny. Aren't we to submit to the governing authorities? Aren't we to be meek and use non-violence to oppose injustice?
In the conclusion, Baldwin writes, "Probably the most fundamental principle of the American constitutional system is the principle that no one is bound to obey an unconstitutional act... No single idea was more fully stressed, no principle more often repeated, through the first sixty years of the eighteenth century, than that governments must obey law and that he who resisted one in authority who was violating that law was not himself a rebel but a protector of law." p. 212
This shocks our sensibilities, and seems quixotic in its idealism. But imagine what would happen today, if the governor of your state were to refuse to obey federal laws on abortion, taxes, eminent domain, drug laws, etc.? The church would condemn such a governor as a rebel and accuse him of sedition and lawlessness. But the Bible teaches something quite different, and quite in opposition. Not only that, but our nation was founded upon the opposite perspective.
This book will awaken its readers into realizing how the church has lost its saltiness and has allowed the state to become tyrannical. This is a book that needs to be read widely--especially by pastors. Highly, highly recommended.
February 20, 2019
Where has our nation gone? Where are the pastors who will boldly speak the truth from the pulpit? Prior to the American Revolution, sermons were preached from the pulpit to exhort men to think biblically about their freedom and how that plays out in the government. Preachers called men to take up their arms and fight for their God-given rights to freedom.
July 22, 2018
Very good read. Shows how instrumental the Church was in influencing the Revolution and Founding
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews