How Preachers Incited Revolution

Christianity Today International ^ | Spring 1996 | Harry S. Stout

[2timothy3.16]

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[LiteKeeper]

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[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

How inspiring.

We were men here, in those days. Cumberland, not yet part of Rhode Island, sent more men to fight in the revolution than world war two. Pretty much everyone who could carry a weapon or a tool. Many had only a bag of shot and a bit of powder, standing in the rear rank ready to pick up any weapons that fell.

That's actually where the "well regulated" part comes in, since if you had shot for a musket, a squirrel rifle was just a beautifully made club.

[wideawake]

Some historical inaccuracies here:

The vast majority of colonists were Reformed or Calvinist

Not really.

[newgeezer]

Unfortunately for America today, the vast majority of preachers kowtow to the IRS regs which allegedly "prevent" them from engaging in political speech and/or activism.

However, the problem isn't the IRS; it's the preachers and congregations. They exhibit a fundamental lack of faith, bowing to the almighty dollar and their fear of budget shortfalls, instead of saying and doing what's right.

Meanwhile, many in those congregations vote either incorrectly or not at all, owing to simple ignorance of the issues and the candidates.

[TERMINATTOR]

Pray enlighten us. What religions were they?

Molon Labe!

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

The church I went to as a kid was a Congregationalist. It was built before the war with Metacomet(King Phillip).

Pews faced front, no windows on the first floor, and all the pews had notches for muskets so if anyone unwelcome came in the door they were toast.

Other old churches are mostly Baptist.

[joesnuffy]

There are a couple of preachers of that character around these days
D James Kennedy is an American preacher of the grand ole kind - imo

[Russell Scott]

Fear not, a supernatural, revolutionary army of formally mortal humans, with the power to raise the dead, heal the sick, cast out devils, and remove the curse of Adam from the whole creation, is only months, if not weeks away from making their appearance. Then the mouths of the wicked will be silenced, either by shame and repentance, or wrath and destruction.

Romans 8
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

[Commander8]

If we had modernists back then (like the Gene Robinson supporters in the Episcopalian Church and the Universalist Unitarian weirdos who cross out God in hymnals and replace Him with "Goddess"), we'd be sipping tea at four in the afternoon and gossiping about the Royals.

"Oh, Prince Harry was photraphed puffing on a fag, oh, the SCANDAL!!!"

[TERMINATTOR]

So if your shot didn't match your weapon you were poorly-regulated, and if it did you were well-regulated? I think I'm begining to see the light, maybe!

I don't doubt that you're right, but do you have a link for this?

Militia - Got Liberty?

[El Gato]

The Old North Bridge, "where once the embattled farmers stood" is but a few tens of yards from Emersons house, "Old Manse".

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***Some historical inaccuracies here:

The vast majority of colonists were Reformed or Calvinist

Not really.***

The war was often referred to as "The Presbyterian rebellion" and "The Protestant war".

[JZoback]

bump

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

King George once said his biggest enemy in the American colonies was that "black robed army", referring to the preachers of the time.

[narby]

I read an editorial by Walter Williams one time where he said "Well Regulated" meant "Well Equipped". I think he made the point that a "Regulation" uniform meant that everyone was dressed appropriatly.

To be without a part of your military equipment, is to be "non-Regulation".

[VRW Conspirator]

When understood in its own times, the American Revolution was first and foremost a religious event. This is especially true in New England, where the first blood was shed.

How true! Somebody gets it. The entire foundation of the new nation hung on the linch pin embodied in the Declaration of Independence:

...We hold these truths to be self evident...we are endowed by the Creator with certain inalienable rights...

The term "Creator" was used here over the term "God". The "Creator" is the God of the Bible, not Budda, Allah or just a supernatural power. This concept was held as "self-evident". So, the agreement was unanimous.

This simple statement is also where the culture war is being fought today. The concept and definitions of rights are being wrangled out the hands of God and into the hands of man for further manipulation. So now we have abortion and sodomy as "acts of privacy" rather than immoral acts of murder and perversion. This country is only as good and moral as the people are good and moral.

[SpookBrat]

Bookmarking

[Veracious Poet]

Here's a bit more:

http://www.concordma.com/magazine/mayjun01/emerson.html

Many colonial church ministers in 1775 sided with the Whigs against British oppression. They were not pacifists and spoke strongly in favor of American freedoms. Among their numbers was the Rev. William Emerson, pastor, First Parish in Concord, who according to one British spy was "a very bad subject of his majesty."

Using his pulpit to indicate the injustices of British rule, Emerson was selected chaplain to the Provincial Congress when it met at Concord in October 1774 and served the same capacity with the local militia. His fiery words enticed minute company enlistments and at a March 1775 muster he sermonized, "Behold God himself is with us for our Captain and his priests with sounding trumphets to cry alarm..." Some weeks later his Tory brother-in-law Daniel Bliss would flee Concord.

The time for action to replace words came on the morning of 19 April 1775 as British regulars fresh from killing Americans on Lexington Green approached Concord. At the first sounding of the alarm bell, Rev. Emerson mustered on the Common in his black minister's frock, musket in hand. As rumors swirled about and courses of action were discussed, tradition has it that Emerson exhorted, "Let us stand our ground; if we die, let us die here." Encouraging a frightened 18 year old Harry Gould, the Reverend said, "Stand your ground Harry! Your cause is just and God will bless you."