Shattered and Divided: Itinerancy, Ecclesiology, and Revivalism in the Presbyterian Awakening
This study explores the practice of itinerancy (revivalist ministers preaching outside their own parishes) in colonial Presbyterianism as a lens through which to understand the doctrinal dynamics of the first Great Awakening. The theological implications of the itinerancy debate explain to a large d...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
2003
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| In: |
The journal of Presbyterian history
Year: 2003, Volume: 81, Issue: 1, Pages: 18-34 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This study explores the practice of itinerancy (revivalist ministers preaching outside their own parishes) in colonial Presbyterianism as a lens through which to understand the doctrinal dynamics of the first Great Awakening. The theological implications of the itinerancy debate explain to a large degree why the anti-revival party (“the Old Side") reacted as strongly as they did over issues that, from the perspective of a quarter-millennium or more, appear inconsequential. The revivalists were, at least on occasion, calling for the abandonment of the traditional Presbyterian understanding of both ecclesiology (the doctrine of the church) and soteriology (the doctrine of salvation) and arguing instead for a voluntary association of those who had experienced conversion. By defending itinerancy, these revivalists were instrumental in creating the pluralism that came to characterize the American religious environment. This study provides an interpretive outline for understanding this change. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: The journal of Presbyterian history
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