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Congregationalism (with an upper-case C) is a
distinctive religious tradition that has had and should continue to
have a valued place in American culture, including a particular
importance and significance that extends beyond the commonplace (and
often trite) trilogy of “faith, freedom, and fellowship,” which are
generic articles of affirmation shared by many other religious
bodies.
Congregationalism in America began in the seventeenth century as an
English Puritan movement within the larger Reformed Calvinist
tradition. The Congregationalists of early New England took
seriously their resolve both to purify the church and to transform
the whole of society to reflect the model set forth in scripture. To
address their mission those Congregationalists assessed the
religious and secular situation in which they found themselves and,
trusting in God’s providence, acted accordingly.
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The Congregationalists’ response to ecclesiastical and
secular concerns was one that stressed an intellectual and affectional approach
that included openness to the philosophical, scientific, and social issues of
their day, which meant that education was emphasized and led to the founding of
Harvard and Yale Colleges and the establishment of the first printing press in
the New World. Social responsibility was equally embraced as a new civil
commonwealth was ordered.
Addressing Concerns of the New World
This progressive approach to religion demanded that Congregationalists not fail
to address new developments in scientific, philosophical, and social thinking.
Lockean philosophy, Newtonian physics, and modern medicine (as evidenced by
Cotton Mather’s early advocacy of smallpox vaccination) were all eagerly
embraced. New approaches to religion generated by both the Great Awakening and
the rational theology of the Enlightenment were advanced by Congregationalists,
who in the early nineteenth century reevaluated Calvinist doctrine to adapt it
to the concerns of the modern world in the New Divinity theology of New England.
Later abolition, the social gospel, and liberal theology, including both modern
biblical criticism and evolutionary theory, were causes promoted by
Congregationalists. Likewise, attention was focused upon the education of women,
for whom Congregationalists founded institutions like Wellesley and Smith
Colleges to provide schooling equal to that offered men at Harvard and Yale,
while in the South, Congregationalists founded schools and colleges for newly
emancipated African-Americans. Moreover, acknowledging the equality of the
sexes, Congregationalists were among the first to ordain women to the ministry.
When a sometimes too vapid liberalism was called to confront the presence of
evil in the world more earnestly, Congregationalists were among those who saw
much merit in the changing conditions in the church and in the culture. A
progressive perspective within the mainstream of American Protestant thought and
action has characterized this distinctive tradition as Congregationalists have
constantly been pioneers endeavoring to relate faith in God to the circumstances
of the times, which means that today issues such as euthanasia, cloning,
abortion, sexual preference, civil rights, and the environment can be and are
actively discussed and addressed in Congregational circles.
The perspective that has always distinguished Congregationalism is that of open
engagement with contemporary thought grounded in affirmation of a covenantal
relationship with God, the ground of all being. Congregationalism has changed,
is changing, and will always change as it continues its commitment to taking
seriously a progressive approach to dealing with religious outlook in relation
to the issues God presents to each generation. This progressive, ever evolving,
perspective grounded in a rich tradition persistently prepared to engage the
future with courage and intelligence is the genesis and the genius of the
Congregational Way.
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About the Author Steven H. Ware Bailey,
an alumnus of Carleton College, Harvard University, and the
University of Chicago, has served on several boards and divisions
of our Association including being Chairman of the Executive
Committee and Moderator of the 2003 Annual Meeting.
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