Christianity paved the path for a better future for an African. After the abolition of slavery in the north; religion began to take a serious role in the succession of African Americans in society. Beginning with the black Methodists being the first to show true definitive by seizing independent control of all means, of their church finances. The underground Railroad consisted of ministers and other Christians such as Christopher Rush, Theodore Wright, and Henry Highland Garnet , helping out slaves from the south in hiding along the way to the North, for freedom. At the time slaves were still legal in the south; therefore the act of of helping them escape to freedom was illegal.
Emily Mullins Block two 9/28 1. John Winthrop and “a model of Christian charity”- J. Winthrop was the governor of the puritans’ “city on a hill”. This was a model of Christianity and set utopian goals for itself. The puritans changed English society and caused colonies to grow 2. Roger Williams- his beliefs differed from the puritans.
“[The church] should be purified of their unregenerate members…heretical clergymen…bishops and archbishops, but they were nevertheless churches and must be embraced as churches” (Morgan 31). These non-separating Puritans made it their goal to create a superlative Christian community in the New World. In doing so they hoped to serve as an example to encourage reform within the Church of England. Morgan, author of The Puritan Dilemma, describes the non-separating Puritans overall view of the Church of England to be more positive than negative. “[The church] had bought the means of salvation to many of their members and might still do so” (Morgan 31).
Puritans agree that only visible saints should have Church membership but in England everyone could have Church membership so the Puritans came to the Americas to set up a Church where only “visible saints” could have membership. The Massachusetts Bay colony was set up by non-Separatist Puritans and they came also to set up their own Church because the changes in the way the Church in England was run was too slow for them. The way their government and schools were set up reflected their religious reasons. The government was to enforce God's commandments and every child was taught the Lord's words along with their curriculum. Harvard was established to train local boys for the ministry.
I believe these two viewpoints in this chapter are equally convincing and valid, they demonstrate how puritan’s attitude toward the Indians changed over time. From John Eliot’s account of his interaction with the Native American tribes, we can tell that he viewed the Indians as subjects for conversion to Christianity and treated them fairly. “It may be they are better soil for the gospel than we can think”, said John. It’s necessary to take into account the motivation of puritan colonists here. They believed that they are “God’s chosen people”, called by God to build a “city on the hill” in the newfound land.
Different motivation stands for each of these people in what they did for the reformation. Calvin born and raised a Frenchman, had received a degree in law to find out he was not interested in the subject had changed his interest in life to religion reformation. At a young age Calvin had been in an area where the population was being stirred by the writings about the Catholic Church by Luther and Erasmus. Calvin was enlightened by the idea and thought that Luther had about the Catholic Church. Calvin’s motivation for his acts during the reformation was to start a transition into making and becoming a healthy Church that was seen correct under the eyes above the Bible.
John Winthrop, the first governor of Massachusetts, emphasized in his sermon that they were to be “a city upon a hill”, where everyone can see them and can be represented as a model Christian community (Doc A), which would also shame England into truly reforming the Church of England. Unlike the Puritans, settlers in Chesapeake were blinded by thoughts of seeking gold, in which they did not find any (Doc F). Most of the Puritans came as families (Doc B) because they believed that society’s foundation rested not on the
The slaveholding system had become self-sufficient and this dictated the end of many tribal practices among black slaves. Blake, by Martin R. Delany, takes place in the antebellum period in America. One may realize that most of the slaves depicted in the novel are now converted to Christianity, their masters’ religion. The problem here is that this conversion is nothing less than a subversive way to control the group of slaves in the Franks plantation. Master Frank uses religion to pour fear and obedience in his slaves’ minds.
The Portuguese community in Kongo and Angola supported priests and missionaries who introduced Roman Catholic Christianity. Beyond the ruling courts, however, Christian teachings blended with African traditions to form syncretic cults. Although Christianity did not win man converts in China. Nestorian Christians had established churches and monasteries in China and Roman Catholic communities were prominent in Chinese
Apess was then sent to preach to the Pequots, an American Indian tribe who originated from southern New England, in 1831 by the New York Annual Conference of Protestant Methodists. Not much is known about Apess from 1831-1833. However, during this time he wrote a sermon entitled, “An Indian’s Looking-Glass for the White Man,” which addressed the Euro-Americans’ ignorance and judgement of the Native Americans of New England. Although leaders of both the church and state rejected the thought of an Indian preaching Christianity, Apess believed that “Christ died for all mankind.” He was aware that Native Americans and African Americans were experiencing discrimination through racism. Through his writing, “An Indian’s Looking-Glass for the White Man,” William Apess is able to argue against inequality by using his knowledge and practice of Christianity.