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Protestant Experience and Continuity of Political Thought in Early America, 1630-1789

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Protestant Experience and Continuity of Political Thought in Early America, 1630-1789 Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School July 2020 Protestant Experience and Continuity of Political Thought in Early America, 1630-1789 Stephen Michael Wolfe Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Political History Commons, Political Theory Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Wolfe, Stephen Michael, "Protestant Experience and Continuity of Political Thought in Early America, 1630-1789" (2020). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 5344. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/5344 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. PROTESTANT EXPERIENCE AND CONTINUITY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT IN EARLY AMERICA, 1630-1789 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Political Science by Stephen Michael Wolfe B.S., United States Military Academy (West Point), 2008 M.A., Louisiana State University, 2016, 2018 August 2020 Acknowledgements I owe my interest in politics to my father, who over the years, beginning when I was young, talked with me for countless hours about American politics, usually while driving to one of our outdoor adventures. He has relentlessly inspired, encouraged, and supported me in my various endeavors, from attending West Point to completing graduate school. It is difficult to express my gratitude for his early and repeated admonishes for me to do my best. Alongside his late wife and my step-mother, Patti Wolfe, he devoted his attention to his many grandchildren for which I am exceedingly grateful. Grandma Patti, who was loved dearly and is missed by all who knew her, brought more love and well-being to my extended family, especially in trying times, than she realized. We will never forget her commitment to our good and her courage in facing the cancer that eventually took her life. My mother, Nancy Lewis, is the humblest, most caring, and cheerful person I will ever know—a woman whose steadfast love and self-sacrifice for her children and grandchildren is a constant reminder to me of what is really important in life. No career, no matter how accomplished, is comparable to being a good parent. She (with Linda Satkowski) read every word of this dissertation, noticing those silly mistakes that I missed after several readings. (No doubt, I’ve since added more silly mistakes.) She did the same for me when I was an elementary school kid. Hopefully, my writing has improved since then, though reading a paper by a first-grader is probably more enjoyable than reading this dissertation. Thank you, Mom, for everything. My step-father, Patrick Lewis, who has called me “Admiral” since I became a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army, is my “bonus dad” and is (oddly enough) friends with my father. Patrick, along with his mother, Muni, encouraged me throughout these many years since graduating high school. Some of my fondest memories include talking politics with Patrick and my father, while drinking Patrick’s wine. Thank you for the many joyful and lighthearted memories. Jack, my step-brother and friend, was one of the smartest guys I knew, and I can see him ii smiling in congratulations for my accomplishment. To my sister, Michelle, you were my first debate opponent. Thank you for your Christian witness to me many years ago. To Tim and Stephanie Cooney, my in-laws, thank you for the moral support through all these years and for introducing to me the Sazerac, which helped me to imagine this dissertation. For much of the content of this work, I’m indebted to recent efforts in “protestant ressourcement,” which involves the recovery and translation of classical Protestant works of the 16th and17th centuries. I’m grateful in particular for the Davenant Institute, an organization for scholarship on classical Protestantism, for providing me opportunities to present and publish my work. The thinking behind this work originated and grew out of discussions on these old ideas and formulations with people associated with Davenant or in its orbit. I’m thankful for Peter Escalante, Jonathan Tomes, David Talcott, Christian Finnigan, Kelby Carlson, Michael Lynch, Joseph Minich, Eric Parker, Billy Rosano, Eric Hutchinson, and Brad Littlejohn. Brian Auten, who is on the board at Davenant, provided invaluable comments on an earlier draft of this work. I certainly received more from these scholars and pastors than I gave, and I hope that this and my future work contributes to their overall project of restoring the importance of Reformed orthodoxy. Many of my fellow graduate students at LSU and other friends were constant sources of encouragement and helped me refine my ideas openly. I’m particularly grateful for Thomas Varacalli, John Boersma, and Simeon Burns as well as Thomas Achord and Paul Barth. I thank Scott Piland, who took a risk and offered me an online teaching job which paid the bills. The students at Memoria Online Press Academy were a joy to teach. Stay logical! Glenn Moots, professor at Northwood University in Michigan, was my long-distant mentor throughout my graduate studies. Somehow, he was able to tolerate my bad and poorly articulated ideas and plans and offer me realistic and direct advice, which to my detriment I didn’t always take. He is more than a great scholar; he’s a man to emulate in life—a devoted iii father, husband, and Christian. It is an honor that I can call him a mentor and friend. My pastor, Brandon Bernard, is a faithful minister of the Gospel and has been a blessing to my family, and our fellow members at Westminster Presbyterian Church have lovingly served and prayed for us over the last few years. Professor James Stoner, my dissertation committee chair, brought an excitement to my project that gave me the confidence to complete this work. Professor Stoner is a true gentleman and scholar, and certainly a very patient committee chair. Professor Cecil Eubanks, a member of my committee, is a master teacher and provided insightful comments on my dissertation. I thank Professor Mary Sirridge, who agreed to join my committee after retiring from decades of teaching, and I thank Professor Leonard Ray with whom I could always discuss a different topic—French politics. Professor Andrew Burstein, a late and welcomed addition to my committee, offered valuable suggestions for improving this work. When my wife and I first arrived in Baton Rouge in 2013, we had one child—Alice— who was only 11 months old at the time. Since then, my wife has given me three more children—Jane, Rutherford, and Arthur. One of my greatest joys over these years has been to walk through the door in the evening or after a National Guard weekend drill and hear “daddy!” and receive a hug from the girls and a loving kick to the shin from one of the boys. My wife, Megan, my partner through all of this—from the excitement in my successes and the sorrow and self-doubt in my failures—has been loving, supportive and reassuring. She has followed me around the country over the last twelve years of marriage and has endured my absence for weeks while I attended military training each year. Her devotion to our family has made a place of warmth and love; she has made our home. I am eternally grateful for Megan, my heart’s delight, and I’m ready to go on a new adventure with her. Finally, I thank God for his divine providence, which has blessed me with many undeserved earthly goods and opportunities that have led me to this point. Soli Deo Gloria. iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………ii Abstract………………………………………………………………………………..vii Part I: Theological Foundations 1. Introduction 1. Introduction to Topic…………………………………………………..….....…2 2. The Research Problem……………………………………….....………………5 3. Statement of the Question…………….………………………..…………….…7 4. Terminology…………………………………………………..………….…......8 5. Literature Review……………………………………………..………………..10 6. Problems in the Literature……………………………………..……………….21 7. Summary of the Argument.…………………………………..………….….….26 8. Chapter Summary................................................................................................27 2. Clarifying Reformed Theology 1. Problems in Scholarship……………………………………..……….……..….30 2. Reformed Orthodoxy………………………………………..……………….…34 3. Reformed Political Theory…………………………………..…………….…....53 Part II: Puritan New England 3. The First Generation: John Davenport and John Cotton 1. Introduction………………………………………………….…….…….……..69 2. Civil Government in a New Plantation…………………………..……….…....70 3. Civil Suppression of Dissent and Heresy………………….……….…….…….82 4. Conclusion…………………………………………….………….……..….…..95 4. Samuel Willard 1. Introduction……………………………………………….…….…….……..…96 2. Biographical Sketch…………………………………….……….…….….……97 3. Reformed Theological Anthropology…………………….……….………...…100 4. Willard’s Political Theory………………………………….………….….……115 5. Puritan New England and Religious Dissent: Historical Examples 1. A Fledgling Plantation………………………………………………............…127 2. Roger Williams……………………………………………….……....….….…130 3. The
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