Few, probably, are aware of that awful deterioration of religious views, feelings and practice which has swept over New England within the last thirty or forty years, and which threatens to sweep away every thing worthy the name of religion. One thing is certain. Unbelief is the order of the day; the fatal malady of the age. That religion which our pilgrim fathers brought with them, which they cherished as their dearest possession, and which they grasped to their hearts in life and death, is, by thousands of their descendants, ignored, or denied, or treated with neglect or contempt.Given the stoic, unemotional, skeptical, stubbornly self-reliant, and fiercely private nature of typical New England culture, it is a miracle the Great Awakening happened in the first place. And it will be a miracle if it happens again.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
New England's Return to Slumber
When did the Great Awakening die out? When did New England return to sleep? David Wallace was charting the dryness back in 1856 in his Theology of New England.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
Why do you live in New England if you dislike it so much?
Praise God that He is in the business of making miracles happen everyday.
Anonymous, why do you think I dislike it?
I love it.
David: Exactly!
It is always a miracle when a heart accepts the Lord. Praise God for and keep praying for miracles!
Jared,
Do you know any good books about the history of the church in New England from the Pilgrims to the 1880s? (or anywhere within that).
Sam, most are old books. Aside from Wallace's Theology of New England, maybe check out Isaac Backus's Church History of New England from 1620 to 1804 or Warfield's essay on "The New England Theology."
The Wallace and Backus books are available "full view" on GoogleBooks.
Thanks very much!
Post a Comment