A People So Favored of God Second Edition: Boston's Congregational Churches and Their Pastors 1710AEA 1760

In this finely-grained and surprising study George W. Harper argues convincingly that Boston churches in the era of the Great Awakening rose and fell on their pastors commitment to effective care of their congregations. By examining closely the demographic characteristics of Bostons Congregational churches Harper takes the Great Awakening beyond the Old Light/New Light theological split and allows us to see what was actually happening in the churches between pastors and parishioners. --Thomas S. Kidd Associate Professor of History Baylor University This book represents a first class example of microhistory as it examines the capital city of Boston during the eighteenth-century Great Awakening. By imaginatively exploring baptismal and membership records and fusing them with more traditional sources George Harper has constructed a model study of confrontation and accommodation in the most divisive religious event in colonial America. In this book complex theological debates assume a compelling life of their own told in an engaging and easily comprehended fashion. This is must reading for anyone engaged in the study of religioin in colonial America. --Harry S. Stout Jonathan Edwards Professor of American Religious History Chair Department of Religious Studies Yale University A thorough and thoughtful look at the inner workings of Bostons Congregational churches during an important time of transition. Professor Harpers careful analysis of membership data and changing dynamics of pastoral care make this book a useful tool for researchers and historians and for anyone interested in the phenomenon of church growth and renewal in the present day. --Margaret Bendroth Executive Director Congregational Library Boston MA The Great Awakening in Boston--the most important religious event of the eighteenth century in Americas most religious city--has been an oddly neglected subject. George Harpers fine-grained and nuanced study of Bostons clergy during the revivals goes a long way toward filling this gap by providing the most detailed view we have of what actually happened in the churches of Boston in these turbulent years. --Mark Peterson Associate Professor of History University of California-Berkeley