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Elizabeth Gaskell's historical novella "Lois the Witch" (1859) employs Gothicism to depict foreign religion as abhorrent, upholding English superiority by portraying American Puritans as religious fanatics. But the story's condemnation of the Salem witch trials shifts to readers who may also struggle to practice a rational, caring religion. Lois' recollections of witchcraft in England enable the tale to function as a juridical parable by asking readers to evaluate and internalize tolerance toward the Puritan characters and to themselves. This study complicates the functions of both religion and the Gothic in "Lois the Witch," which has been read through the lenses of Gaskell's Unitarianism but not in terms of its function as a juridical parable or its use of the ambiguous supernatural. Gothicism underlines the call for tolerance, with supernaturalism neither "explained" nor "real.» Instead, the question of supernatural activities (prophecies, spells) remains ambiguous, suggesting the Puritans' cruelly in the name of religion supersedes the issue of witchcraft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Protestant doctrine considers social and economic success as a sign of divine election. The Puritan ideal of hard work that leads to salvation and divine election is also omnipresent in eighteenth-century thinking. Nevertheless, the Protestant England of the Enlightenment that adopted a mercantile system inexorably leading to capitalism chose, in a way, to marginalize a part of its society. In such a changing environment, realizing social and economic success was at the expense of ethics, notably at one major value, that of hard work. Some individuals were reintegrated once economic success was realized no matter what means had been employed. One may wonder whether the portrayal of such cases is an ironic way of criticizing religious and Puritan hypocrisy or just a truthful representation of a major dilemma between two main forces; Protestant ethics and capitalism (to borrow the famous expression from Max Weber). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the publication of Pamela (1740), Clarissa (1747-1748) and Sir Charles Grandison (1753-1754), Samuel Richardson (1689-1761) no doubt revolutionized prose fiction by introducing the theme of ordinary English life as the focus of a literary work. Thereby he brought a major contribution (in the form of epistolary novels) to the rise of what is now known as the "domestic" novel. In the list of three novels mentioned, Pamela was chronologically the first, a Cinderella story of sorts, in which romance and anti-romance clash together in an attempt to tell the story of a representative couple, in whom all social contradictions (Puritan versus aristocratic; rich versus poor; etc) are well crystalized. The following paper highlights some of the main concerns that Richardson had in mind when he engaged in the making of this remarkable epistolary novel, which reveals -- given its happy ending -- the drama underlying the achievement of a social success, which, from the perspective of the heroine (Pamela), is nothing if not a marvelous something beyond her wildest dreams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this essay, I examine Nathaniel Hawthorne's humanism in Young Goodman Brown and The Minister's Black Veil. I argue that Hawthorne promotes a humanist world that prizes the intrinsic value of man above religious zeal or political ideology. In each of the two stories, the humanist world was inaugurated by its protagonist, whom I will analyse through invoking Prometheus, who was known for giving fire to humanity and being punished for it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of puritan women is examined here through two contrasting descriptions of a puritan from the 1620s, one positive and one negative. These descriptions raise wider questions about the definition of puritanism, especially when assessing the role of women within the movement. Defining puritanism in relation to women invites us to consider the ways in which they expressed their religious views and how those views were interpreted by their contemporaries. Just as Catholic survivalism was promoted by women who transmitted Catholicism to younger generations, puritan women also furthered the religious traditions of their families. After the Reformation this process naturally included the newly legitimised families of the clergy. Moreover, women living in puritan households, where there was an emphasis on literacy combined with religious education, used their knowledge of the Bible to influence others in a variety of ways including the production of unpublished texts. This paper will explore some of the contributions made by women to the rise of puritanism from Elizabeth’s reign to the Civil Wars as well as contemporary reactions to the religious authority displayed by female Puritans as patrons, authors and educators.

Puritans were wary of routine or of regular piety, as their theology convinced them that the Christian life ought to consist of steady and observable progress towards godliness. This created a distinct fear of ‘backsliding’ or of religious stasis, and could produce anxiety if their lives failed to match this ideal. The essay explores various ways puritans tried to manage this problem, from ‘pacing’ their moral progress to attempts to shock themselves out of routine by making the daily business of repentance transformative. It concludes by analysing one particular widely-used technique, namely the devotional use of martyr-narratives, in which puritans placed themselves imaginatively in order to awaken their drowsy piety; and by suggesting that this may have sharpened their readiness to see the world in confrontational terms.

In his later years, Puritan pastor Richard Baxter developed a perspective on spiritual formation that highlighted the centrality of the love of God. Interestingly, Baxter emphasized the ways in which a delight in earthly pleasures—such as nature, relationships, and food—could help Christians cultivate the love of God. He viewed these pleasures as "love-tokens" from God, sent in order to help human beings see his goodness and expand their love for the giver of these gifts. While he recognized the potential of such earthly delights to lure hearts away from God, he also recognized that they could serve as powerful "glasses" through which earth-bound creatures could see God's beauty and goodness and thus grow in godly delight. In the end, Baxter was able to forge a pathway between asceticism and materialism, encouraging Christians to grow their love for God by tracing earthly mercies back to their divine source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of French Journal of British Studies / Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique is the property of Centre de Recherches et d'Etudes en Civilisation Britannique and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Scarlet Letter serves as both a critique of society and a window into Hawthorne's thoughts. In opposition to a patriarchal depiction, he wants to allow women's individuality some room. He does not advocate setting rules and imposing them on the individual to be governed by them. Thus, he created the character of Hester Prynne who appears as commenting upon the situation of women in the 19th century of New England society. She struggles to win a place in society and she succeeds in winning it in her revolt against the very order that once humiliates and condemns her and honours and accepts her later. The article traces Hester's individual rebellion in an alien land against an artificially created corrupt religious and moral order which exploits her body and denies her humanity at first and ultimately bows down to her consistent individual morality and actions. In doing so, the article tries to show certain feminist approaches adopted by the author long before feminism would come to the mainstream of literary thoughts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identity, as a central concept in contemporary historical archaeology theory, has been enlivened by recent scholarship that is increasingly mindful of the bodily experience. While some scholars espouse a focus on embodiment, others explore further sensory dimensions of historical identities embodied in human and material interactions. Using such concepts as emotion, memory, sensuality, and nostalgia, they investigate the sensing body in the material world through sound, smell, touch, sexuality, and emotion. The intent in focusing on sensual concerns is not to set sensuality against materiality, but rather to seek greater balance between the exploration of the material world and bodily experience and expression. In this article, I discuss a sensual approach to the archaeology of colonial New England by focusing on small finds from 17th- and 18th-century Harvard College that are related to bodily care for physical and spiritual health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the grammar of Christian spirituality, meditation and contemplation are often seen as synonyms. Is there a difference? This paper traces out the origin of contemplation, locating the practice of contemplation in Lectio Divina, reformed spirituality, and the experimental piety of the Puritans. This paper shows the differences in meditation and contemplation, and how they cooperate in the spirituality of those whose faith is seeking understanding. The clarification and retrieval of contemplation in evangelical spirituality is well served by attending to the Puritans and their understanding of how contemplation functions in the life of those who have been raised with Christ and are setting their minds on things above, where Christ is. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Narrative Theology" has often been construed in contrast to broader humanistic discourse. Protestant and particularly Reformed Christianity has often set the "Old, Old Story" apart from humanism and the humanities. This chapter explores the juxtaposition of humanism and reformed thinking in Paul Ricoeur. Ricoeur's hermeneutics is compared with the Reformed "covenant theology" of 17th Century Puritanism. Covenant theology balanced the belief that God exceeds our powers of knowing and language and the conviction that God consents to be known within the limits of human understanding, as developed through the liberal arts. Similarly, Ricoeur sees God as limiting and disrupting human language, but while, for Ricoeur, encounter with God may begin as impossible dialogue, it develops by dispersing the names and signs of the divine throughout the tropes and genres of human discourse, narrative chief among them. Ricoeur's thought is interpreted as a Christian humanism in which religious inquiry and secular humanistic thought coexist and mutually enhance one another. Ricoeur's humanism will be preferred over approaches to narrative that set the Christian story and its hearers apart from the broader conversation of culture; a solipsism of faith is inadequate to the challenges of a modern pluralist culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religion is a principle that has been taught since the early age. Therefore, religion is difficult to change and even contributes to form one’s soul. However, it does not mean that one’s religious understanding or religion cannot change. Religious change, which is often synonymous with religious conversion, can be considered as the transfer of mażab (schools) or religious beliefs, such as from Nahdlatul ’Ulama (NU) to Majelis Tafsir Al-Qur’an (MTA). To explain that phenomenon, this study is conducted based on three main issues: the process of conversion from NU to MTA, the basis of its rationality, and further implications. Those issues are examined using qualitative research method, applying phenomenological approach. The following results are the research’s findings: changes on understanding from NU to MTA are often caused by one’s psychological factors, while its complementer is caused by social factors. The process of the changes does not happen suddenly, but gradually with the basis of rationality. There are seven phases of the conversion from NU to MTA, namely curiosity and crisis, quest, encounter, interaction, commitment, consequences, and deployable agent. Meanwhile, its basis of rationality consists of clarity and certainty of the basis of Islam, obedience to Al-Qur’an and al-Hadiṡ, and egalitarianism. The phenomenon of conversion may result in counterproductive effects, such as verbal violence towards the perpetrator and social exclusion. Thus, to avoid conflict, one of the important things to do is to give tasamuh education to the moslem community so that they are willing to accept differences wisely.

Copyright of Jurnal Ilmiah Islam Futura is the property of Jurnal Ilmiah Islam Futura and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Two of America's most noteworthy scholars, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Arthur Miller have turned into the most imperative mediatorsoif the Puritan to the world. Reference book volume on Miller has been an undertaking affection and revelation. Nathaniel Hawthorne has been known as the first soul of American writing. Mr. Miller's plays are established in a reasonably basic perspective on American life and impelled by the extraordinary individual conviction of a man who cares what he expounds on and expounds on something that matters. Miller is regularly matched with Nathaniel Hawthorne, topics that show up in his work have frequently been inspected in connection to different journalists also. As anyone might expect, 'The Crucible' is frequently considered with 'The Scarlet Letter'. The prohibitive and smothering puritanical society basic connection between 'The Crucible' and the Scarlet Letter. The Puritans had a seriously imperative part in the game plan of Early America, and furthermore a religion that influenced our underlying American Society. These two explicit writers who made out of Puritan times passed on in their substance, the likeness' of religion discipline, and infidelity in the Puritan society of seventeenth Century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Puritans’ doctrine on the preparation for grace, whose substance was an effort to find and to ascertain the true marks of conversion in a Christian through several preparatory steps which began with conviction or awakening, proceeded to humiliation caused by a sense of terror of God’s condemnation, and finally arrived into regeneration, introduced in the writings of such first Puritans as William Perkins (1558-1602) and William Ames (1576-1633), has much been debated by scholars. It was accused as teaching salvation by works, a denial of faith and assurance, and a divergence from Reformed teaching of human's total depravity. This paper, on the other hand, suggesting anthropology as theological presupposition behind this Puritan’s preparatory doctrine, through a historical-theological analysis and elaboration of the post-fall anthropology of Calvin as the most influential theologian in England during Elizabethan era will argue that this doctrine was fit well within Reformed system of believe.

This article proposes that the temporality of Jonathan Edwards's aesthetic projection of himself as simultaneously godly and depraved provides an alternative model of early American selfhood from the secular capitalist paradigm of Benjamin Franklin, championed by Max Weber and perpetuated by Charles Taylor's account of secular time-consciousness in A Secular Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While scholars and American religious historians have mainly addressed the effects of republicanism on church and state in the early United States, very few have examined how this ideology shaped theology proper. This article therefore presents the republican doctrine of God in America between 1750 and 1835. In the years between the First Great Awakening and the end of the Second, American Christians conceived of God as a reasonable, honorable, disinterested governor of a very public universe rather than an arbitrary, self-loving autocrat unaccountable to his subjects. During this time, God was essentially cast in the mold of the virtuous public servant, and this republicanization of theology both mirrored and reinforced the republicanization of America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Jurnal Ilmiah Islam Futura is the property of Jurnal Ilmiah Islam Futura and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article presents the concepts of puritan spirituality found in one of the most famous speeches of the founding fathers of America, entitled A Model of Christian Charity. A religious speech delivered by John Winthrop on board of Arbella during the great migration to America in 1630, to be perceived by his fellows as their modes of survival in the harsh wilderness of America. A qualitative technique combined with a socio-historical approach is applied to investigate the Puritans' values in the sermon grounding the foundation of America as a new exceptional nation of the world. The values of kindness, charity, love, and communalism are encouraged for the pilgrims to survive in the New Land and to make it a "City upon a Hill". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1662 the Cavalier Parliament passed the Act of Uniformity to impose ecclesiastical conformity. Ministers were ordered to declare in front of their congregations their “unfeigned assent and consent” to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. The act stipulated the deprivation of those who refused and three months imprisonment for those who continued to preach. Unable to comply, some changed profession and others took the risk of gathering separate churches. However, there were some who remained involved in the national church. This article first establishes the common characteristics of three nonconforming ministers which would have made it unlikely for them to conform. Secondly, it presents circumstances, relationships and personal qualities which helped these godly clergymen to continue ministering within the Church of England post 1662. Through their autobiographies and their diaries, this article analyses the personal narratives of Ralph Josselin of Earls Colne (Essex), Edmund Trench (Kent), and Oliver Heywood (Yorkshire).

The Reformation and scientific revolution are characterised by an overlap in time, location and a special locus of events that dramatically impacted world history. Precursors for both movements abound, yet the historiographic development characteristics of the era are prominent and distinguishable. The historical context and the developments leading to the Reformation and scientific revolution, specifically the influence of the precursors of both the Reformation and scientific revolution, the prevailing Zeitgeist, the influence of the institutionalised church and ecclesiastical authority, pervasive beyond the realm of the church, the philosophical and theological paradigms of the time and the influence of the press, are appraised to determine the mutual influence of the Reformation and the scientific revolution. The basis for a causal relationship between the Reformation and the scientific revolution is presented, and explanations premised on mere coincidence and other factors are refuted. The continued mutual influence between ideas of the Reformation and science throughout the Enlightenment and modern era is discussed in relation to the interaction between science and faith. It is argued that a mutually supportive model of interaction in a reconciliation model best resonates with the ideas of the Reformation as well as finding authenticity in and concordance between science and views of scripture.

Copyright of Journal of American Studies of Turkey (JAST) is the property of Journal of American Studies of Turkey (JAST) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Reformation and scientific revolution are characterised by an overlap in time, location and a special locus of events that dramatically impacted world history. Precursors for both movements abound, yet the historiographic development characteristics of the era are prominent and distinguishable. The historical context and the developments leading to the Reformation and scientific revolution, specifically the influence of the precursors of both the Reformation and scientific revolution, the prevailing Zeitgeist , the influence of the institutionalised church and ecclesiastical authority, pervasive beyond the realm of the church, the philosophical and theological paradigms of the time and the influence of the press, are appraised to determine the mutual influence of the Reformation and the scientific revolution. The basis for a causal relationship between the Reformation and the scientific revolution is presented, and explanations premised on mere coincidence and other factors are refuted. The continued mutual influence between ideas of the Reformation and science throughout the Enlightenment and modern era is discussed in relation to the interaction between science and faith. It is argued that a mutually supportive model of interaction in a reconciliation model best resonates with the ideas of the Reformation as well as finding authenticity in and concordance between science and views of scripture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes that the temporality of Jonathan Edwards's aesthetic projection of himself as simultaneously godly and depraved provides an alternative model of early American selfhood from the secular capitalist paradigm of Benjamin Franklin, championed by Max Weber and perpetuated by Charles Taylor's account of secular time-consciousness in A Secular Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shakespeare's structural allusions to the Jacob narrative in The Merchant of Venice subvert traditional readings of the play, which posit Jew against Christian, law against charity, or wealth against love, problematizing these dichotomies until they ultimately collapse. Distinctions between Jew and Christian become ideologically irrelevant; instead, the willingness to negotiate, barter, and settle for imperfect love holds tragedy at bay. In conflating religious identity, and reversing the conventions that posit religious identity as central to state politics, the play suggests that political accommodation rooted in pragmatism offers an uneasy peace as an alternative to a violent and tragic end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Christian books today readers can find dozens of spiritual practices. One resource of the Protestant tradition, however, that has largely been forgotten is the Puritan practice of conference. This article describes how for the English Puritans conference exemplified the importance of communal spiritual life, then considers applications for the contemporary church. Conference refers to intentional conversation among believers about spiritual matters. Conference particularly expresses the value of Christian community and the need for the body of Christ to function together on the journey of faith. Understanding this practice not only illuminates the past but also offers valuable insights for the church today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]