05/16/2010 1

Enlightenment and Deism:Rationalism in 18th Century America

“From the Reformation to the Constitution”

Bill Petro

your friendly neighborhood historian

billpetro.com/v7pc

05/16/2010 2

ObjectivesBy the end of this session you should be able to

• Trace the rise of the Enlightenment

• Identify the key players in the Enlightenment

• Discuss Deism and Unitarianism

• Identify the political theory of John Locke and its

influence on the Founding Fathers

05/16/2010 3

American Church History

Colonial National Modern

1787 1865

Calvinism ArminianismBiblistic Rationalism

LiberalismSubjectivismExistentialism

Theocentrism Anthropocentrism Liberalism

05/16/2010 4

Summary of the Great Awakening

• Increase of new members: 30-40,000

• Increase of new churches: 1740-60: 150 congs.

• Increase in students to prepare for the ministry

• Increase in new denominations: Bapt. & Methodists

• New stress on Missions

• Aided in beginning the American Revolution

05/16/2010 5

Colleges• 1636: Harvard – Puritans, to train clergy• 1701: Yale – “to train men to preach the Gospel• 1749: College of Phila – U. of Penn (revival hall)• 1762: Queens – became Rutgers• 1726: College of New Jersey – Princeton• Moore’s Indian Charity Training College – to train

Indians, moved to Dartmouth• College of R.I. (Baptist) – Brown• Kings College of N.Y. – Colombia, to train Indians• All Ivy League Colleges (except Cornell) were to train

men for the ministry

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Emotional - Intellectual

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Enlightenment

• Post-Reformation

• Rebellion against it, in the guise of intellectualism,

empiricism that really denied the faith of the

Reformation

• “Reality is what I observe with my own senses”

05/16/2010 8

Immanuel Kant

• Professor of Logic,

Koniegsburg, Prussia

• Critique of Pure Reason

• Critique of Practical Reason

• Religion reduced to moral acts,

revising the Reformation

• God no longer active

• Man must reach out to God

05/16/2010 9

Approaches to Authority and the Enlightenment Reformation

16 & 17th centuryEnlightenment

18th century

Aut

horit

yS

alva

tion

Roman Catholicism Protestantism Rationalism

God

Church

Man

Holy Church

AuthoritarianismPope and Councils

Holy Bible

Creeds(Secondary)

Human Reason

PhilosophicalSystems

God

Christ

Man

God

Man

05/16/2010 10

From Revelation to Reason

Rev

elat

ion

Tra

dit

ion

Rea

son

Past: InfancyPresent: Adulthood

Rej

ecte

dIn

Ref

orm

atio

n

Rej

ecte

dIn

Enl

ight

enm

ent

Sol

e A

utho

rity

External Authority Innate Authority

Irrationality (Myth Makers)Traditional Religion (superstition)

ReasonRational Religion

Progression

05/16/2010 11

19th Century culture

• Framework: => U.S. & French Revolutions

• Music: Baroque & Classical

• Art: Neo-classical

• Politics: => Socialism & Communism

05/16/2010 12

19th Century features

• Moralism

• Optimism: logical positivism

• Pelagianism

• Closed System Universe

05/16/2010 13

05/16/2010 14

Isaac Newton

• Principia Mathematica

• Implicit: man has ability to discover secrets of the universe, control destiny

• Narrowing gulf between God and man

• Effect: corrosive effect on Calvinistic orthodoxy, more rational, less emotional

05/16/2010 15

Deism

• A system of belief that a transcendent God left his creation to be governed by Natural Laws discernable by reason.

• “God is absentee”

• No miracles, no revelation, no God-man

• Jesus as Moral Teacher

• Bible as guidebook for ethical life, virtue, piety

05/16/2010 16

Deism: Origin• Science: universe operated on fixed principles,

hence, is a machine operating by fixed natural laws– Copernicus, Galileo (helio-centricism), Newton (gravity)

• Philosophy: if universe runs on fixed laws,then the universe can be known by Reason, without Revelation– Francis Bacon – Inductive method (observe vs. authority)

• Theology: man can start with himself and find truth apart from any help– Descartes: “I think, therefore I am” (mathematical laws)

05/16/2010 17

Deism: Spread

• Herbert of Cherbury & David Hume

• Carried into France, picked up by Rousseau,

Voltaire, Diderot. Strong impetus from French

Revolution

• Carried to America by English immigrants and

mercenaries (Lafayette)

05/16/2010 18

Deism: Results

• Contributed to the concept that: if a ruler failed in

responsibility, the people could revolt

– Root of American Revolution

• Developed the concept of man’s goodness

• Developed theory on destructive criticism of Bible

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Unitarianism

• Strict monotheism (not Trinitarianism)

• Deny Christ’s two natures (deity)

• Christ’s death was only to be an example of

true devotion to God

• Deny election and future punishment

• Key to Life: love toward God’s fellow man

05/16/2010 20

Unitarianism: Origin 1755-1805

• Rose out of practical experience of the people

Wealthy wanted autonomy

• Moneyed classes tended to Nationalism

• Anti-revivalistic attitude

– King’s Church – 1st church to go Unitarian 1782

05/16/2010 21

Orthodoxy, Unitarianism, and Deism

Source of Truth

God

Medium of Revelation

Person of Christ

Nature of Sin

Atonement

ReformationEmpiricismRationalism

Theistic;Plural, personal

Supernatural,Natural

God/Man

Derived & Personal depravity;Moral inability

Penal

EmpiricismRationalism

Theistic;Single, transcendent

Natural

Exemplary Man

Personal depravityMoral ability

(none)

Orthodoxy Unitarianism Deism

EmpiricismRationalismReformation

Theistic;Single, personal

Natural,Supernatural

Archetypal Man

Personal depravityMoral ability

Exemplary

05/16/2010 22

John Locke

• 1632-1704

• Political philosopher

• Argued for the

“reasonableness” of

Christianity

05/16/2010 23

Letter Concerning Toleration

• Became a “Bible” in the

18th Century

• “Reasonableness” of

Christianity

05/16/2010 24

Religion and the American Revolution

• Religion as a Cause of the Revolution

• Religion as a Participant in the Revolution

• Religion in Consequence of the Revolution

05/16/2010 25

Religion as a Cause of the Revolution

• Influence of the 1st Great Awakening

• Fear of English political control thru Anglicanism

• Clergy molded public opinion by political sermons

05/16/2010 26

Religion as a Participant in the Revolution

• Congregationalists – most active

• Anglicans – loyalists, but 2/3 of signers of DoI

• Quakers – generally pacifists, but Betsy Ross

• Presbyterians – 1st to accept DoI & identify w/Rev.

• Baptists – intensely loyal, suffered in R.I.

• Methodists – despised as loyalists

• Catholics – non-committal

05/16/2010 27

Religion in Consequence of the RevolutionPositively:

• Anglicanism disestablished as state religion

• Congregationalism disestablished in New England

• Churches organized nationally:

– Anglican → Protestant Episcopal Church

– Methodist Episcopal Church – Asbury & Coke

– Catholics: Nationally

– Presbyterians: General Assembly w/ John Witherspoon

05/16/2010 28

Religion in Consequence of the RevolutionNegatively:

• Religion declined because of attention to War

• Reorganizational process for denominations led to a

decline of interest in evangelism

• Stress on rights & worth of the individual led to a

decline of Calvinism

• Not all American leaders were orthodox religiously

05/16/2010 29

Fundamental 18th-19th Century Shift

Calvinism

Deism(Rationalism)

(modified)

Evangelicalism

Sovereign God Sovereign Man

05/16/2010 30

1-Word Summary

• Pilgrims Separatists• Puritans Saints• Denominations Inclusive• Whitefield Dramatic• Wesley Methodism• Edwards Glory• Great Awakening Fire• Enlightenment Rationalism• Deism Mechanistic