Author Description

Hartford Puritanism Argues For A New Paradigm On New England Puritianism. Hartford's Founding Ministers, Baird Tipson Shows, Both Fully Embraced--and Even Harshened--calvin's Double Predestination. Tipson Explores The Contributions Of The Lesser-known William Perkins, Alexander Richardson, And John Rogers To Thomas Hooker's Thought And Practice: The Art And Content Of His Preaching, As Well As His Determination To Define And Impose A Distinctive Notion Of Conversion On His Hearers. The Book Draws Heavily On Samuel Stone's The Whole Body Of Divinity, A Comprehensive Exposition Of His Thought And The First Systematic Theology Written In The American Colonies. Virtually Unknown Today, The Whole Body Of Divinity Not Only Provides The Indispensable Intellectual Context For The Religious Development Of Early Connecticut But Also Offers A More Comprehensive Description Of The Puritanism Of Early New England Than Any Other Document.--jacket Flap. Creating The Thomas Hooker Brand -- Hooker And Stone In England, Holland, And New England -- The Reformation Of Manners In Chelmsford -- Why People Want What They Want: St. Augustine Of Hippo And His God -- The Search For Alternatives To Extreme Augustinianism -- The Terrifying God Of William Perkins, Thomas Hooker, And Samuel Stone -- Richardsonian Ramism -- Preaching The Gospel In Chelmsford And Hartford -- Learning How To Imagine Conversion -- Hooker And Stone Preach Conversion -- Gaining Assurance Of Salvation -- Identifying The Saints -- Concluding Reflections -- Hooker's Metaphors Of Conversion. Baird Tipson. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.