"The Faith of the Fathers": Evangelical Piety of Maritime Regular Baptist Patriarchs and Preachers, 1790-1855
Publication Details
This dissertation explores a Maritime Canadian evangelical pietistic tradition from the 1790s to the 1850s. Rooted in the enthusiastic New Light religion of the First Great Awakening in Nova Scotia, this Christian spirituality was transferred to the Regular Baptist experience in the Maritimes during the first half of the nineteenth century. This transition was directed by a group of "founders," later known as "Fathers," of whom three--Harris Harding, Joseph Crandall, and Edward Manning--are examined in detail. The piety advocated and modeled by these "Patriarchs"--which became known as the "Faith of the Fathers"--was characterized by the revival, the New Birth and its ritualization in immersionist baptism. In spite of the denominational structures created around this collection of beliefs and practices, the "Faith of the Fathers" remained largely intact and continued to embody many characteristics of late eighteenth-century New Lightism. It fell to the second generation of Regular Baptist preachers to defend and advance this religious tradition in the post 1820 period. The piety and ministerial practice of Charles Tupper, Ingram Bill and Samuel Elder--all second generation preachers--during the 1820s, 1830s and 1840s reveal a remarkable continuity and faithfulness to the spirituality of the patriarchs. During the Maritime Baptismal controversy (1811-1848) a number of key second generation Regular Baptist preachers engaged in both "popular" and "academic" debate to defend immersionist baptism, their identity-giving ritual. Although many preachers became confident and polished denominational apologists during this period, the "collective" confidence and identity of the Maritime Regular Baptist community was shaken by the 1850s when the "Fathers" began to die in quick succession. This "crisis" was largely resolved by the mid-1850s as the denomination renewed its commitment to the "Faith of Fathers" and recognized within their tradition a wide-ranging and multi-faceted approach to piety and church life.
Physical Description: 389 pp.