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American Heretic: Theodore Parker and Transcendentalism

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Grodzins has written an astonishingly thorough and readable biography of an important but neglected 19th Century American. Parker is one of the most influential Americans of the mid-1800s, a brilliant scholar and powerful preacher who became a crucial figure in our religious and political history.

The book is destined to become the standard biography of Parker for generations. Anyone interested in American political thought and the evolution of American religious doctrine will find this book invaluable. Any New Englander will find this a treasure trove of well-written stories.

Transcendentalism has never been easy to define, all the more so because its two most well-known adherents, Emerson and Thoreau, were highly poetic souls who had much better uses for their rhetoric than the crafting creeds or clear-cut manifestoes. It is a pleasure then to read Grodzins' biography of Theodore Parker, in whose life and work we can see more clearly the philosophical and personal dramas that played themselves out within the Unitarian Church in regard to its Transcendentalist sympathizers - in particular, the attempts of one Transcendentalist to define his views against the charges of Deism. Religion is a key concern for Transcendentalism, though in Emerson and Thoreau there is no sense that organized religion can play a key role in the individual's enlightenment. Parker remained in the Church as he struggled to know and preach Truth, and gained a large following. Our understanding of Transcendentalism is eminently richer for our appreciation of his struggle.

How did "the most powerful minister of the mid-19th century" fade away into oblivion. Why is a literary figure, Ralph Waldo Emerson, credited as the father of transcendentalism when this Parker genius who spokes 20 languages, translated a 14th century John Wycliffe bible, is quoted by Pres Lincoln and Dr. Martin Luther King (quotes currently decorating the oval office), the grandson of a national icon, etc. passed over by history. It's as if Parker's work was given to the less controversial Emerson. The same Emerson who places the "shot heard round the world" at Concord instead of Lexington where Rev Parker's grandfather and his minutemen bravely faced a trained military force with 10 times their number?

Why is Parker conspicuously absent from the history books?

This is probably the best biography I've ever read... of anyone. Grodzins must have spent a decade or more scouring the depths of libraries and archives, and yet each chapter is coherent, readable, and fascinating. The book is a thorough account of the life and career of the famous preacher, theologian, and activist Theodore Parker (1810-60), stopping before the final phase of his career, when he moved from preaching to political activism. Grodzins delivers a finely sketched, sympathetic portrait of this complex man. It isn't hagiography - Grodzins notes his shortcomings in painful detail, even delving into his code-written diaries. You see Parker's evolution from a relatively traditional early 18th c. Unitarian Christian to a self-proclaimed prophet of what he thought was the real essence of Jesus' teaching. But the thing I most enjoyed about the book was its thorough picture of Parker's intellectual environment - Transcendentalism, Boston Unitarianism, congretationalism, a few utopians, controversies about Christian ethics, the Trinity, biblical criticism, belief in miracles, religious experience, freedom of conscience, creeds. This is rich, rich stuff. Grodzins provides even-handed summaries of countless books and articles, both by Parker and his friends and foes. He handles the theology and philosophy accurately enough, without bogging down the storylines. You get a real feel for other fascinating characters, and even pictures of them, such as Andrews Norton, William Ellery Channing, and Convers Francis. Grodzins summarizes many complex controversies between Parker and his Unitarian and Orthodox opponents. I could not put this book down! Highly recommended for those interested in 19th c. American history, theology, or philosophy of religion. You'll learn a lot about American religion and theology in the first half of the 19th c.

A very thorough biography about an amazing individual. Parker would be proud of the term-"heretic" which literally means "chooser." When it comes down to it, we are all heretics since ultimately; we believe what we want to believe. Worth putting your life on back burner and letting this book consume your time. Requires some wading through background info, but overall wheat/chaff ratio is excellent. It is very encouraging to see a liberal non-literal approach to the Bible comes with deep historical roots. Current similar thinkers such as Shelby Spong and Marcus Borg owe Parker a lot. If every religion would admit the large degree of cognitive dissonance necessary to swallow many seemingly self-evident axioms this would be a more peaceful world.

Dean Grodzins created a masterpiece in "American Heretic." It could also have been subtitled "The Life and Times of Theodore Parker."

Grodzins wove together a deft combination of the chronology of Parker's life (up until his leaving the ministry) with analysis of Parker's thinking and actions. I assume Grodzins is working on a book about the last 15 years of Parker's life?

As a Christian conservative, i lamented the movement leftward, so to speak, of Parker's religious thought, but even for that, i gained a lot of insight for that 'move' on the part of Parker and the rest of the transcendentalists.

So moving was Grodzins' description of Parker's mostly unhappy married domestic life, mostly due to the very negative influence of his wife's live-in aunt.

This book does a splendid job of not being a hagiography nor a hatchet-job.

On p. 117, in his personal journal, Parker agrees with Brownson that RW Emerson "is a great Egotist". But Parker was also something of an egotist, always believing that he should have been in a larger, more prominent congregation. It was interesting to note on p. 127 that even in 1839, many Bostonians pronounced the word "Lord" as if it were spelled 'laaawd!'

From p. 127 onward, Grodzins shows how Parker's and others' more 'spiritual' Unitarianism led to a more relativistic morality. Yet on p.142, Parker declared that the family as man, woman and children was ordained by God, and was thus "unchangeable."

Toward the end of the book, Grodzins candidly illustrates that as Parker moved out of the ministry, he changed his priorities, ordering them as: most important "political action," then the economic sphere, matters of the communication press, and only then religion. On p.491, Grodzins opines that Parker overplayed his hand as a modern martyr, as many of his fellow ministers avoided him due to the 'heresy' in the book's title.

Overall, "American Heretic" is well worth your while.

Dean Grodzin's illumating scholarship reveals the Theodore Parker of the American Transcendentalist movement with great intellect, inspiration, and detail. His lucid evocation of Parker's explosive sermons, books, lectures, and writings is a must read for anyone interested in the development of American religious and intellectual thought.