American Christianity underwent significant changes during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Previously fringe theological perspectives like arminianism and Unitarianism were now much more mainstream. Catholicism became much more common by the 1850's due to an influx of German and Irish immigrants. Baptist and Methodist denominations grew at a huge rate due to the evangelistic work of those denominations. American Christianity was undeniably evangelical in its focus and outlook. Religious writing and revitalized seminaries would all play significant roles supporting churches and missionary work during this period in history.
Writing and publications were to have a significant role in evangelism efforts. As Archibald Alexander, a Presbyterian evangelist, would state in 1846, "The man who is enabled to write a truly evangelical and useful book, or even a single tract of first-rate excellence, may convey the saving truth of the gospel to a thousand times more persons, than the living preacher can ever instruct by his voice. And hundreds of years after the death of the writer, the production of his pen may be but just commencing its career of usefulness, only to be terminated with the end of the world." Alexis de Tocqueville, writing on American culture in this period would note that a large number of American books available at the time were religious texts. The American Tract Society would be founded in 1825 with the aim of distributing Gospel literature and combating social issues of the day.
Furthermore, religious education was to become a much more emphasized work, with seminaries being founded along the lines of those typically seen today. As Michael Paulus states in his essay on Archibald Alexander, "The nation, these and others argued, was facing a cultural crisis; and ministers, of which there were not enough anyway, needed to receive the best education possible to respond to 'books of many kinds' being written by 'the enemies of the cross of Christ.'" Andover and similar seminaries that followed would become associated with the growth in Biblical studies and literature that followed. These seminaries were a place where Christian scholars could focus on the writing of evangelical and helpful works for preacher and layman alike.
The "Christian" label was beginning to change in meaning across America. However, some circles were now becoming more sophisticated. They were beginning to adapt to the changing needs of a changing world. The rise of new seminaries and the proliferation of pamphlets and tracts on the faith and salvation were all a reflection upon evangelical commitments to protect and revitalize the society they lived in and to save the souls of the lost.
Sources
Cunliffe, Marcus. “American Religious History,” Journal of American Studies, 1:1 (Apr., 1967), 105-113.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/27552767.pdf Accessed 10/28/16
Hutton, James. “Religion and the New Republic,” in “Religion and the American Founding.” The Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel07.html Accessed 10/28/16
Marini, Stephen. “Hymnody as History: Early Evangelical Hymns and the Recovery of American Popular Religion,” Church History (2002): 273-306:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/4146468.pdf?acceptTC=true Accessed 10/28/16
Paulus, Michael. “Archibald Alexander and the Use of Books: Theological Education and Print Culture in the Early Republic.” Journal of the Early Republic 31: 4 (Winter 2011): 639-669.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/41261654.pdf?_=1468338516028 Accessed 10/28/16
James Alexander, Life of Archibald Alexander (Chapter 3): http://commons.ptsem.edu/id/lifeofarchiba00alex
Accessed 10/28/16
Writing and publications were to have a significant role in evangelism efforts. As Archibald Alexander, a Presbyterian evangelist, would state in 1846, "The man who is enabled to write a truly evangelical and useful book, or even a single tract of first-rate excellence, may convey the saving truth of the gospel to a thousand times more persons, than the living preacher can ever instruct by his voice. And hundreds of years after the death of the writer, the production of his pen may be but just commencing its career of usefulness, only to be terminated with the end of the world." Alexis de Tocqueville, writing on American culture in this period would note that a large number of American books available at the time were religious texts. The American Tract Society would be founded in 1825 with the aim of distributing Gospel literature and combating social issues of the day.
Furthermore, religious education was to become a much more emphasized work, with seminaries being founded along the lines of those typically seen today. As Michael Paulus states in his essay on Archibald Alexander, "The nation, these and others argued, was facing a cultural crisis; and ministers, of which there were not enough anyway, needed to receive the best education possible to respond to 'books of many kinds' being written by 'the enemies of the cross of Christ.'" Andover and similar seminaries that followed would become associated with the growth in Biblical studies and literature that followed. These seminaries were a place where Christian scholars could focus on the writing of evangelical and helpful works for preacher and layman alike.
The "Christian" label was beginning to change in meaning across America. However, some circles were now becoming more sophisticated. They were beginning to adapt to the changing needs of a changing world. The rise of new seminaries and the proliferation of pamphlets and tracts on the faith and salvation were all a reflection upon evangelical commitments to protect and revitalize the society they lived in and to save the souls of the lost.
Sources
Cunliffe, Marcus. “American Religious History,” Journal of American Studies, 1:1 (Apr., 1967), 105-113.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/27552767.pdf Accessed 10/28/16
Hutton, James. “Religion and the New Republic,” in “Religion and the American Founding.” The Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel07.html Accessed 10/28/16
Marini, Stephen. “Hymnody as History: Early Evangelical Hymns and the Recovery of American Popular Religion,” Church History (2002): 273-306:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/4146468.pdf?acceptTC=true Accessed 10/28/16
Paulus, Michael. “Archibald Alexander and the Use of Books: Theological Education and Print Culture in the Early Republic.” Journal of the Early Republic 31: 4 (Winter 2011): 639-669.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/41261654.pdf?_=1468338516028 Accessed 10/28/16
James Alexander, Life of Archibald Alexander (Chapter 3): http://commons.ptsem.edu/id/lifeofarchiba00alex
Accessed 10/28/16