Robert H. Abzug theme of Cosmos Crumbling “explores the religious roots of reform and argues for the crucial importance of cosmological thinking to its creation.” These reforms occurred primarily as political and social actions during the first forty years of the nineteenth century. Abzug describes the new millennial age of reformers who “apply religious imagination and passion to issues that most Americans considered worldly” by eliminating the evils of society before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The main evils facing society, alcohol abuse, the lack of observance of the Sabbath, church ministry and education, slavery, individual health, and woman’s rights. Abzug primary focus is on the actual reformers, their history before and during the reform movement of discussion.
Abzug divides his book in three sections: Part One: Foundation of the Reform Cosmology, Part Two: Evangelical Reform, and Part Three: Radical Transformation. In part one
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Abzug sets the foundation of the reform movement and the reformers who were the key participants. The first reformer he describes is Benjamin Rush (a physician) going in great detail of his history, religious upbringing, education, participation in the Revolutionary War, his faith, the struggles he faced with the different religious groups, the people who influenced him, and the reform movements he led – temperance and abolitionism. This narrative became the theme Abzug followed throughout part one, continuing with Timothy Dwight, Lyman Beecher, Arthur and Lewis Tappan, Charles G. Finney, and Nathan S. S. Beman. Throughout Abzug discusses the visions of reformers and how their reforms movements affects individuals and society. These reformers possessed differing opinions within their religious groups and with each other, but they believed that religion was an integral part of their lives and believing that the Second Coming of Christ was at hand. Part two, Abzug discusses the evangelical reform of temperance, Sabbatarianism, and manual labor.
“A symbol of sin against Godly order” became a theme in Abzug discussion of the evangelical reform and the reformers who became the key participants. Often the evangelical reformers became too radical developing conflicts with the church. For example, in the temperance movement Reverend J. Edwards wanted to declare wage war “not on the drunkard but on those who countenanced the practice of moderate drinking and who engaged in the production and distribution of strong drink.” Ultimately the reform movements led to societies, than to pledges to abstain. Abzug presents a caution citing one critic against pledges, Reverend Leonard Withington: “He (Withington) feared that for every social evil there might be a pledge, and that soon the Ten Commandments itself would be “surrounded with human pledges.” Commandments would no longer be kept because of love of God but rather because of fear of
man.” Part Three: Radical Transformation discusses radical reformers going against traditional religious concerns in their reform movements on abolitionism, feminism, and in the case of body reforms “concentrating on the private rather than public sphere.” Here reformers felt “alienated from the web of social and church order, radical reformers sought to make American society holy by broadening and sacralizing the meaning of equality.” In conclusion, Abzug goes into great detail about the particular reformer and their personal history, meeting what he states he will accomplish in this book. Instead of discussing the “secular” significance from religion, Abzug concentrated on the imagination of the religious reformers in grasping the nature of the reform and by discussing the originators of reform instead of the details of the social movement. Abzug meets his argument for providing the crucial importance of the reform movement.
In the first chapter of Nathan Hatch’s book, The Democratization of American Christianity, he immediately states his central theme: democratization is central to understanding the development of American Christianity. In proving the significance of his thesis, he examines five distinct traditions of Christianity that developed in the nineteenth century: the Christian movement, Methodists, Baptists, Mormons and black churches. Despite these groups having diverse structural organization and theological demeanor, they all shared the commonality of the primacy of the individual conscience.
Walter Rauschenbusch is widely regarded are a great American theological leader who is regarded as the founder of the social gospel movement in America, that transformed the church and the society in general . His main belief was that religion was not an individual activity or a phenomenon that affected only a single person. Instead, he believed that religion affected the entire society and therefore, the impetus for social reform and raising one’s voice against any sort of social evils or injustice should also come under the ambit of religion and church1. In this write-up an attempt is made to understand the religious philosophies of Walter Rauschenbusch and elaborate his principles of the social gospel movement. The Social Gospel movement also had a significant impact on the Protestant stream of thought prevalent in America .
Robert Laurence Moore has written a delightful, enlightening, and provocative survey of American church history centered around the theme of "mixing" the "sacred" with the "secular" and vice versa. The major points of conversation covered include the polarization caused by the public display of religious symbols, the important contribution that women and Africans have made to the American religious mosaic, the harmony and friction that has existed between science and religion, the impact of immigration on religious pluralism, and the twin push toward the union and separation of religion and politics.
The Second Great Awaking consisted of new applications of religion that deviated from rationalism, which sparked promotion of democracy and freedom. The message of salvation rather than condemnation was evident in this movement as spoken by Charles G. Finney. He sought to remove sin from reformed churches and organize sinners to unity and freedom (Doc B). This practice showed the crucial democrati...
Religious services bridged the elite with under-classmen as well as the government with the common man. Quite often divine will was debated on the issues of slavery, social reform, abolishment, and the roles in which men and women were to play. The fact that these issues were debated illuminated the dark-gray areas in which morality first penetrated. Through the veins of morality come a fairness doctrine that is all too consuming when applied to one's self. No one wanted to be cheated out of their freedom and access to it. Social morality was the driving force of cooperation and debate during the Jacksonian Era.
The author explains that the revival enabled the social control that assisted in this transition. Not to be confused with Marxism, it was not a capitalist plot, but a way to legitimize free labor. Finney shows up as government fails to assert control. He then creates the evangelical army led by the Masters and filtered down to the workers, by presenting a free moral agent philosophy within the community. The correct interpretation the separation of church and state, in the US Constitution, is that it does not forbid contact between church and state, it protects the religious liberty for the entire country.
The. The Age of Reform. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1972. Josephson, Matthew. The.
Due to the incorrect application of religion, religious movements also had repercussions in political spheres. Many religious scholars believed that through changes in societal laws, they can bring peace and salvation. As a result, the reforms like abolitionist, women’s rights, and education begin to take shape. In short, Second Great Awakening gave rise to religious change, which encouraged people to bring change in creation and laws of society in order to achieve redemption.
Religion of the protestant church was an important factor in the pre-war timeline culture. The Second great awakening, which occurred in the 19th century, greatly impacted American society. This new point of view in terms and matters of faith led northerners to cherish the theory of Christian perfection, a theory that in fact was applied to society in an attempt to eliminate social imperfection. On the other hand, southerners reacted by cherishing a faith of personal piety, which focused mainly on a reading of the Bible; however, it expressed very little concern in addressing society’s problems.1
The United States is commonly thought to be on an inevitable march towards secularization. Scientific thought and the failure of the enlightenment to reconcile the concept of god within a scientific framework are commonly thought to have created the antithesis of religious practice in the rise of the scientific method. However, the rise of doubt and the perception that secularization is increasing over time has in actuality caused an increase in religious practice in the United States through episodic revivals. Moreover, practice of unbelief has developed into a movement based in the positive assertion in the supplantation of God by the foundations of science, or even in the outright disbelief in God. The perception of increasing secularism in the United States spurs religious revivalism which underscores the ebb and flow of religious practice in the United States and the foundation of alternative movements which combines to form the reality that the United States is not marching towards secularism but instead religious diversity.
...d represent a mechanism of social control and did instigate the connection between religion and the need for social reform. In Taking Sides, although Rumbarger and Rorabaugh both had strong, compelling points on the Antebellum Temperance Movement, I believe that W.J. Rorabaugh provided enough evidence that convinced me that the Church’s definitely furthered the movement of Antebellum Temperance Reform. Since drinking was labeled as the “devil’s tool”, many of the temperance movements and the participation thereof consisted of women and pastors. I believe that the two combined were a powerful entity and really wanted to believe that ultimately, people could make better choices for their lives. Therefore, it was easier to convince society that by living a life with a moral code, free of alcohol and all the turmoil it brought, further helped reshape the society.
In the North we saw a different religious awakening. Reform was popping up all over the Northeast. This reform came in different faces, depending on which state it wa...
The Great Awakening was an event that occurred in the early 18th century characterized by fervent and enthusiastic worship in a series of revivals that spread throughout the American colonies. This event was noted for the growth of the Christian church and the promotion of traditional Puritan views on the issues of election and salvation. The success of the Great Awakening rests in the pluralistic, ecumenical, and sociological efforts of men from various theological backgrounds, yet espousing a unified message of repentance, forgiveness, and hope for the masses. Research available on this period ranges from 18th century newspapers and letters to current literary criticism of discourse of the period. However, the resources selected for this review can be placed into three categories: 1) ministers 2) sermons and correspondence and 3) historic, sociological, and religious significance.
During the postbellum and early 19th century, people started to challenge what religion meant to them. Lincoln questioned how warring factions could both pray to the same God, yet he concluded that God had “his own purpose” for this war. From these notions, such thought as “the Lost Cause”, was spurred. Another important aspect is people started to challenge their theology with the advent of new science and technology. The effect was to create a competitive marketplace in religion that allowed men and women to shop for religious institutions that they thought best meet their needs. The growing prestige of science compelled Americans reformulating theology; two popular theologies include New Theology, Theodore Munger, and Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy (Goff and Harvey 21-25). These religions are known as NRM, encompassing newer religious groups and old alternative groups, which, together, have challenged mainstream religious traditions and the secular society back in the 19th century, and still to this day. The three popular NRMs during the 19th century are Christian Science, Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormonism), and Jehovah’s Witnesses. According to Daschke and Ashcraft, people are intrigued by NRMs for a number of reasons: new understanding, new self, new family, new society, and new world (Daschke and Ashcraft 1-13). Conversely...
We have seen how America and Ancient Rome are similar. The first similarity lies in society. The deterioration of art, of entertainment, and the prevalence of crime are the first three parallels. The second similarity is in the government. Governmental corruption is at least as prevalent today as it was during the decline of Ancient Rome.When examining the various parallels, the two nations seem nearly identical. However, the great difference lies in America’s foundation in God, and it is the difference that could very well be America’s saving grace.