John Winthrop A Model Of Christian Charity

A Model Of Christian Charity's Irrelevence

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Times have changed since the Puritans came to America in 1630. Our culture’s values have changed from strict, religious morality to uninhibited and loose. Religion is no longer a major part of most of our lives. John Winthrop, the leader of the Separatists who left England for the New World in 1630, was the governor and religious model of the colony. His sermon A Model of Christian Charity was designed for a community of 700 Puritan ideologists. The sermon emphasizes God’s total power. People in modern times have realized that God doesn’t punish them for keeping their surplus or making a profit. People no longer fear God’s wrath the way they did 400 years ago. A Model of Christian

Charity has become irrelevant in a modern, materialistic world.
Winthrop believes that God has made people rich and poor on purpose. God made some members of the community rich and some poor so that the two groups would give to each other, instead of relying on holy miracles. He states, “…counting himself more honored in dispensing his gifts to man by man, than if he did it by his own immediate hands.” Winthrop is very religious, so he never doubts God’s omnipotence. In his mind, God is giving the Puritans the chance to prove themselves. Also, God is looking for a chance to smite the bad. By creating a class difference, he is given the opportunity to prove his power to those who disobey his law. Winthrop says, “…that He might have the more occasion to manifest the work of his Spirit: first upon the wicked in moderating and restraining them, so that the rich and mighty should not eat up the poor, nor the poor and despised rise up against and shake off their yoke.” The Separatists’ economic structure is fixed to create interdependence; members of a certain class are unable to move up in wealth so that they need one another. Winthrop proclaims, “Thirdly, that every man might have need of others…” Winthrop knows a sense of community is necessary to survival in the colonies. God has made two separate classes to make generosity, show of His power, and to create dependence between people.
In our society, people should be able to move through the economic world, not forced to accept their unfavorable situation as destiny. Rags-to-riches stories are extremely common in popular culture. Movies like Annie, where the main character rises from a poor, unhappy life to one of wealth and joy, are very popular. Role models such as Warren Buffett have risen from relatively poor economic standings to make millions. Despite years in a new economic niche, they still have not been smote by God. Finally, since the 1700s, people have flocked to America in hopes of a better life. They moved across oceans to change their economic situation. Economic flexibility is built into our lives. God’s power has not yet been shown to the hundreds who “disobey” Winthrop’s interpretation of God’s words everyday.
Another belief of Winthrop’s is that while saving is perfectly fine in normal circumstances, in hard times, not giving your surplus (and more) to your neighbor makes you unworthy.

Winthrop expects people to reject the concept; he counters the potential argument. According to Winthrop, a man who continues to save instead of giving his surplus to a neighbor in need is “…worse than an infidel who through his own sloth and voluptuousness shall neglect to provide for his family.” Many of the Puritans believe that those who didn’t have the foresight to save deserve the consequences. People who were smart enough to save for the future deserve their stored goods. Giving up your own food for someone else is worth it in Winthrop’s mind. He says, “For first he that gives to the poor, lends to the Lord and He will repay him even in this life a hundredfold to him or his.” The Puritans devote most of their lives hoping to undergo the conversion that proves they belong in Heaven. Knowing the rewards that would await them in Heaven would be more than an acceptable incentive for people to give. Winthrop also threatens the colonists with the possibility that unused storages will be eaten, stolen, or ruined by thieves, bugs, or rust. He tells the colonists, “The first is that they are subject to the moth, the rust, the thief.” With the horrible storage conditions and “savage” Indians surrounding them, the Puritans would have accepted his statement very quickly. Finally, Winthrop tells the

community that everything they own belongs to God. Since Winthrop believes he understands God, he wouldn’t hesitate in taking away someone’s surplus in the name of the Lord. The religious members of the community would begin to share their goods instantly to try and win the affection of God.
To a modern culture, giving up your storage of goods seems ridiculous. If someone has worked to save up for the future, giving it up will make them seem foolish and ignorant. People who are greedy still remain in our culture; God has not punished them yet. Investors and billionaires who hoard their money and give nothing to the poor still live happy lives. Anther point of Winthrop’s that has become irrelevant is the futility of storing goods. Modern technology has made storage of food and money safe and simple. Refrigerators protect food from mold and bugs, alarm systems prevent thieves from stealing money or valuables, and advances in housing protects items from rust. Also, many banks, in particular Chase, provide clients with plans to help them save for the future. Saving for the future is highly regarding in today’s world, not frowned upon as it was in Winthrop’s city on a hill.
In his most famous sermon, Winthrop states, “For we must consider that we shall be as a city on a hill.

The eyes of all people are upon us.” He believes his colony should become a model for other Christian communities around the world. People would use the community as an example for other godly experiments. All the colonists have in the New World is their religion, so knowing the journey would inspire religious fervor in others would make them feel more than worthy. Winthrop tells the people, “…when He shall make us a praise and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations, ‘may the Lord make it like that of New England.” The colonists had recently emigrated from their home, risking everything to create a Puritan colony that would bring them closer to God. Hearing that their adventure would be an inspiration of historical proportions would be very comforting to them. Winthrop also declares, “...we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world.” Winthrop knows that the colonization of New England will be important to the future generations. By telling the colonists the sheer importance of the settlement, he hopes to invoke a good spirit in all of the Puritans. He hopes that the sermon will make them act even more religiously and become a golden, idealistic community. John Winthrop wants to inspire the settlers to their hearts. He wants them to do everything they find God’s

approval.
Winthrop’s belief that his community will become a standard for all future religious colonies is still relevant today. John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan both referenced the passage in speeches made to the American public. Both of those speeches were made to inspire citizens. The basic principles of the speech have even filtered down to sports. A big inspiration for athletes is to prove the people who are doubting you wrong. You have to set a standard for future generations. The “city on a hill” metaphor relates an individual’s success to the potential of a world. During the Olympics, several billion people are watching ten athletes compete. Those althetes are put on a pedestal-metaphorically and literally. In the figurative sense, those people need to face the pressure and desires forced upon them by an entire world of people. Additionally, individuals are forced to try their best at everything they do. With modern technology and increased standards, it seems that someone is always watching. A common feeling is that people are constantly waiting for an individual to make a mistake, so hard work is constantly needed.