The Hidden Balance Religion and the Social Theories of Charles Chauncy and Jonathan Mayhew
The Hidden Balance: Religion and the Social Theories of Charles Chauncy and Jonathan Mayhew by John Corrigan, published by Cambridge University Press on November 2, 2006, offers an in-depth examination of the influential Boston Congregationalist ministers in the mid-eighteenth century. This reissue, comprising 176 pages, explores how Chauncy and Mayhew developed a coherent body of ideas centered around the principle of “balance,” integrating their writings on society, government, and theology within the broader context of English thought and Boston’s intellectual landscape.
Readers will find a detailed analysis of how Chauncy and Mayhew contributed to the transition from Puritanism to religious rationalism in New England. The book highlights their roles in shaping political and social critiques that ultimately influenced the American Revolution. By illustrating the connections between their religious and political leadership, The Hidden Balance enhances the understanding of their significant impact on contemporary thought and the social history of the period. This scholarly work engages with themes of religion, political science, and social history, providing a comprehensive look at two pivotal figures in American history.
Official synopsis Publisher
Boston Congregationalist ministers Charles Chauncy and Jonathan Mayhew were among the most influential social and religious thinkers in Boston in the mid-eighteenth century. This study argues, against the interpretations of some previous historians, that Chauncy and Mayhew produced a complex but coherent body of ideas, and that these ideas were organized closely and self-consciously around the principle of “balance.” Writings on society and government are treated alongside theological works, rather than apart from them, and each man’s corpus is placed against the background of English ideas as well as within the context of intellectual and social life in Boston. Chauncy and Mayhew were the leading architects of the mid-eighteenth century New England transition from Puritanism to religious rationalism. They were also instrumental in formulating and popularizing the political and social criticisms that led to the American Revolution. The Hidden Balance illustrates the connections between their religious leadership and their political leadership, and in so doing clarifies our understanding of why Chauncy and Mayhew exercised such a profound influence upon their contemporaries.
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