Christians in the American Revolution begins with a brief survey of the political and religious background of the pre-Revolutionary years. The author then examines the influence of various religious convictions on the movement for independence and, conversely, the effect of the Revolution on colonial church bodies and their understanding of Christian truth. Colonial Christians responded in four major ways to the Revolution: they supported complete freedom in politics and religion; they advocated social and political reform; they called for submission to English authority; and they argued against involvement of Christians in the war effort. Whether Patriot, Reformer, Loyalist or Pacifist, American Christian colonials influenced not only the fledgling nation, but the development of religious thought to the present. This revised edition includes a new bibliographic essay detailing contributions to this field since the first edition was published in 1977.
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