One Glorious Temple of God: Eighteenth-Century Accommodation to Changing Reality in New England

O n e G lo rio u s T e m p le o f G o d :zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA E ig h te e n th -C e n tu r y A c c o m m o d a tio n to C h a n g in g R e a lity in N e w E n g la n d D O U G L A S H . S W E E T ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Historians have traditionally viewed the spread of religious pluralism in American society as a nineteenth-century phenomenon. The agree­ ment between the Congregationalists and Presbyterians at the beginning of that century and the widespread cooperation in tract, Bible, and mis­ sionary societies beginning in later years are well-documented evidence of the growing inclination to share in the religious concerns of the American people. For most historians, these developments do not signal the end of sectarian rivalry or the cessation of theological controversy, but they do suggest a lessening of denominational tension and an awareness that there were gains to be made through pooled effort in some areas. What are the eighteenth-century developments out of which that spirit of nineteenth-century cooperation may have grown? When did the clergy begin to talk about the need for, and advantages of, a more pluralistic ap­ proach to church objectives? and what forces prompted those thoughts? Answers to these questions might be sought through many avenues and in many localities. For somewhat, although not entirely, arbitrary reasons, the following essay will concentrate on New England and its Congrega­ tional clergy. The entrenchment of Congregationalism in New England and the sectarian rivalries that arose with such gusto during and after the Great Awakening and the bitter denunciations so frequently couched in pulpit oratory make this time and place especially interesting. 311 312 / SWEET Of all the forces that agitated mid-eighteenth-century New England, few had greater impact than did the Great Awakening. This movement brought about great difficulty in many churches, as well as in communi­ ties as a whole. Disagreements split churches and towns, helping to create a movement of population into frontier areas composed of people who could no longer live in a town that had experienced such intensive inter­ nal strife. That the Great Awakening was a disruptive force in the colonies should come as no surprise to anyone. The disruption caused was particularly acute in New England where, from the beginning, consensus had been a mainstay in tradition if not wholly in reality. One of the primary focuses of community and social control in town life was the church. Except for the few commercial centers of coastal New England, virtually every community had been settled and maintained as an internally cohe­ sive, politically homogeneous, religiously single-churched town well into the eighteenth century. The Great Awakening, among several forces, brought significant changes to many of these tradition-bound communi­ ties. Disputes arose over such issues as the essentials of piety, modes of worship, and those qualifications required of 'Ambassadors of Christ." These disputes led to withdrawals and dismissions from church member­ ship, separations, and the gathering of new congregations —perhaps of a different denomination —providing alternatives where there had previ­ ously been but one religious body. Itinerant evangelists, the spread of printing presses and of their issue, and expanding highways and consequent mobility exposed communities and their inhabitants to a variety of ideas and religious influences that lay beyond local control. Itinerancy was of particular concern to the religious leadership of many communities. Zealous preachers moved from place to place bringing novel theological ideas that encouraged defection, while they served the spiritual needs of those already removed from the original church. Of equal concern with the new ideas they spread may well have been their itinerancy itself. These "wandering stars," as they were often called, did not remain in one place for long. They came from outside of the local community and were little subject to its influence or control. Their constant movement was unpredictable, unreliable, and brought them into regular contact with changing ideas, values, and influences—all notions at odds with, and threatening to, the internal cohesion...