Calvinist New England

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Calvinist New England
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I. Christian Witness with a Calvinist Accent

• 1517 Luther Reformation The Reformed
  Tradition
• John Calvin (1509-1564)
• The Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536
  later)

Copy of Letter handwritten by Calvin, to King
Edward VI of England
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The Calvinist Movement

• From the 1530s until the 1630s, Calvinism was the
  dominant movement within the Reform tradition

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The English Example

• 1534 Act of Supremacy - Henry VIII creates the
  Church of England
• Should this new Church be more like the Catholic
  or more like the Reform tradition?

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The English Example

• 1530 ? Anglicans v. Calvinists
• Religious debate ? fundamental political issues
  freedom of conscience, speech, assembly

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Aside the Calvinist conventicles

• Everyone had to attend Anglican services
• BUT Calvinist-Anglicans set up their own small,
  unofficial, semi-legal, prayer-groups called
  conventicles
• These become the cells of the Calvinist movement

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English Separatists

• Robert Browne
• W. Brewster Scrooby Non-Conformists
• To Holland
• 1620 The Mayflower
• The Mayflower Compact

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The English Puritans

• Calvinist Anglicans
• Who stay in the Anglican Church
• But want to Purify it
• 1530s ? Growing conflict between Anglicans
  Puritans

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1642-49 ENGLISH CIVIL WAR!

• Puritans win!
• King Charles I executed
• 1650-1660 Puritan Commonwealth led by O.
  Cromwell (and briefly, his son and heir)
• 1660 Monarch Anglican Church restored

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II. Case Study Colonial New England, An Errand
into the Wilderness

• Early 1600s Puritan movement stalls in England
• Separate from Anglican Church (R. Browne,
  Separatists)
• Stay in church and continue struggle (Puritans)

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1608 William Brewster Scrooby separatists to
Amsterdam with plans to go to New World
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1619 First enslaved Africans arrive in
Jamestown, Va.

• At first theyre indentured servants
• But slavery becomes (1) permanent (2)
  hereditary (3) racial
• Legal and very big business

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1620 Pilgrims (Separatists) land in New
England
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1630 Massive wave of Puritan refugees to
Massachusetts

• The Massachusetts Bay Company
• Owned operated by Puritans
• To be a citizen you must be a church member in
  good standing

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1630s ? a unique New England Puritan culture
evolves

• John Winthrop is first Governor
• (will develop into Congregationalist church)

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1630s ? Puritan New England

• Dominated by the Calvinist Christianity
• Central role of clergy
• Tone earnest, sober, hard-working
• EDUCATION
• Not a democracy! but lots of room for debate,
  dissent

John Winthrop, Considerations for the Plantation
of New England
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1635 Roger Williams expelled

• Clashes with Mass. leadership
• Sets up his own colony in Rhode Island
• Still Calvinist but
• Insists on radical autonomy of local congregation
• Origins of U.S. Baptist Church

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1638 Anne Hutchinson expelled

• She insisted that she communicated directly with
  God
• Hence no need for Bible or clergy!
• Trial
• Sent to Rhode island

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1656 Quakers hanged on Boston Common as
heretics
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1662 Half-Way Covenant

• Only church members can vote so church
  membership is really important!
• Gathered church full members must demonstrate
  certainty of election
• BUT how shall we define experience of election?

EVOLUTION OR DECLINE OF NEW ENGLAND THEOLOGY?
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1662 Half-Way Covenant

• What does experience of election mean? One
  definition? Multiple definitions?
• What of people who dont fit official definition?
• Example parents undergo dramatic conversion
  experience but children have different
  experience can children still be church
  members?

Solution YES, children can be partial, not
full members of the Church and as partial
members, they can vote in local elections
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1675-6 King Philips War
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1692 Salem Witch Scare
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AMERICAS FIRST GREAT POET ANNE BRADSTREET
(1612-1672)
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Americas first great scholar Jonathan Edwards
(1703-58)

• Americas first great theologian
• Fascinated by Science
• Committed to Calvinist-style Christianity
• Prodigious scholarship sermons, translations,
  theology, Bible studies

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III. Calvinism CONFESSION

• CONFESSION A FORMAL SUMMARY OF FUNDAMENTAL
  BELIEFS
• Calvin insisted that Christians, as well as they
  are able, understand that to which they witness

Westminster Confession, 1646
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Not all Christian Churches are confessional
why is a formal confession so important?

• Obligation to bear witness to the Word
• Need to make the Word clear
• Danger of spiritual anarchy Salvation no longer
  defined by institutional Church, yet neither is
  it simply a matter of private judgement

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Not all Christian Churches are confessional
why is a formal confession so important?

• Imperative to speak clearly and articulately
  about the Faith
•  Luthers "95 Theses" "Catechism" Calvins
  Institutes Catholic Council of Trent

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Some Calvinist Confessions

• The Institutes (1536)
• Synod of Dordt (1618-1619)
• The 39 Articles (1563)
• Westminster Confession (1646)

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Calvinism is also a kind of Spiritual Direction

• DEPRAVITY
• Personal dislocation disorientation
  dissatisfaction encounter with evil shocking
  realization that I-am-not-God Otherness of God

Using the (simplified even a bit misleading!)
acronym TULIP to suggest some Calvinist themes
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Calvinism is also a kind of spiritual direction

• UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION
• SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
• Encounter with God experienced as "intrusion"
  "election" NOT my choice or decision
• Sense of "having been touched/elected/chosen" by
  God
• Humility
• Good News! even worst of sinners can be
  chosen.

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Calvinism is also a kind of spiritual direction

• PREDESTINATION
• Salvation fundamentally Gods work
• God saves, not me
• Who, How, When, God saves remains mysterious
• But we are not without comfort

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Calvinism is also a kind of spiritual direction

• LIMITED ATONEMENT
• For the Christian, Christs sacrifice is the
  final sacrifice needed because it is God who is
  the Sacrificial Victim
• But for others, Christs sacrifice seems without
  meaning

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Calvinism is also a kind of spiritual direction

• IRRESISTIBLE GRACE
• Salvation is Gods action Gods grace is
  decisive
• Not a matter of human decision, choice,
  negotiation
• My experience is that of "being held" by the
  Divine

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Calvinism is also a kind of spiritual direction

• PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS
• Salvation is Gods work
• God can be trusted
• Trust, joy, confidence

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IV. Calvinist Voices
ANNE BRADSTREET, JOHN WINTHROP, THOMAS HOOKER,
WILLIAM BILLINGS, THOMAS HARRISON
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V. HOMO CALVANICUS? Does a Calvinist-accented
Christianity encourage distinctive values?

• 1. INTROSPECTION
• Discontent yearning no confidence in human
  institutions
• looking for signs of Gods presence
• constant self-examination, self-criticism

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HOMO CALVANICUS?

• 2. INTELLECTUALISM
• Scripture need for literacy Confessional
  clarity skilled scholarship (Hebrew, Greek,
  Latin, philosophy, logic, theology)
• God experienced as Love also as WISDOM

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HOMO CALVANICUS?

• 3. WORLDLY VOCATION
• "Priesthood of all Believers"
• go about ones "secular" task as if it were a
  religious calling
• seriousness sobriety earnestness

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HOMO CALVANICUS?

• 4. WORLDLY ASCETICISM
• Transformation of affections from this world to
  next
• Indifference to things worldly
• Plain living

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HOMO CALVANICUS?

• 5. JUSTICE/HIGHER LAW
• Long struggle against Britains kings
• There is a Law Higher than Human Law

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V. HOMO CALVANICUS?

• 6. SOCIAL CRITICISM
• All human institutions are weak and potentially
  sinful
• all are subject to the Higher Law

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HOMO CALVANICUS?

• 7. CHRISTIAN "REALISM"
• Intense awareness of human frailty
• Suspicion of all human institutions
• Skepticism toward all utopias
• Checks balances" (J. Adams).

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HOMO CALVANICUS?

• 8. COVENANT
• Is central to religion
• Faith is Relational
• Divine-Human Covenant as model for all
  relationships
• Covenant as freely-entered into agreement among
  free people
• roots of Constitutional system

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HOMO CALVANICUS?

• 9. MISSION
• We are on a mission from God
• we are to be Gods hands in building Gods Kingdom