The Hidden Balance: Religion and the Social Theories of Charles Chauncy and Jonathan Mayhew [Hardcover]

John Corrigan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 31, 1987

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.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

New respect for the influential Boston Congregationalist ministers emerges from this analysis of the connections between their religious and political leaderships.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (July 31, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521327776
• ISBN-13: 978-0521327770
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,625,290 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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