1681. William Penn, the Quaker leader promotes religious liberty in Pennsylvania. Social reform and community betterment are seen as having a government role as well as a theological justification.

1735 – 1745. (about) The First Great Awakening. Religious fervor with a colonial flavor. George Whitfield, a Calvinist Methodist, preaches up a fire. American individualism and egalitarianism chips away at Calvinist ideas of predestination and the elect.

1755. The Separate Baptists are fired up by the First Great Awakening and proselytize across the South.

1766. Methodists plant a denominational tree in NYC.

1782. Congregationalism is stressed out as Unitarian-style ideas begin to form within churches in New England. Is “Man” born of sin and a bad apple seed as the Calvinists proclaim?

1784. Methodists officially split from Anglican Church.

1800 – 1820 (about). Second Great Awakening. Methodists and Baptists gain strength. Religious revivalist fervor is so hot, that an area in upstate New York is dubbed the “Burned Over Distirict.”

1805. Proto-Unitarians steal Harvard from the Calvinists Congregationalists. See “Man” as basically good. This (along with Quaker ideas) leads to the idea of social welfare, prison as a form of rehabilitation, public education.

1820s. Anglicans, Quakers, and Congregationalists oppose ideas of the evangelicals, and slowly fade in importance.

1820s. The idea of Dispensationalism emerges in England and Ireland, in an eschatological derby led by Darby.

1820s. Back in the U.S of A, the Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists interact with, embrace, split, and play theological footsie with the ideas of the evangelicals, and start to grow in influence.

1825. American Unitarian Association formed in Boston.

1830. Church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) founded by Joseph Smith with publication of Book of Mormon.

1844-1845. Northern and Southern Methodists split over abolition.

1857-1861. (about) Presbyterian Church splits over slavery, although most individual churches support abolition. Method and speed are core issues of the dispute. Some individual churches had seen splits even earlier. New School Presbyterians (fast-track abolitionists) emphasize ideas of Declaration of Independence and suggest there is a moral obligation to the idea of “human rights.”

1860 to 1905 (about). Third Great Awakening. Revivalism redux.

1860-1865 (about). Abolitionism grows, and many Abolitionists see millennial aspect to abolishing slavery. Battle Hymn of the Republic: “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword…” Pop quiz: According to one reading of Biblical prophecy, who gets trampled as grapes due to the Lord’s wrath?

1890. Premillennial Dispensationalism gets a boost with the publication of the Scofield Reference Bible in 1909. This becomes a major version of the Bible for evangelicals, especially in the South.

1890-1920 (about). The predominantly postmillennial Social Gospel movement emerges with a number of reform ideas such as settlement houses, and legislation against child labor.

1901. The Southern and Northern branches of the Presbyterians re-unite.

1915 – 1920. Orthodox evangelical theologians start generating a list of the “fundamental” beliefs that they believe every Christian should believe. St. Paul smiles, in a metaphoric/metaphysical sense, of course. This movement becomes known as “Fundamentalism.”

1924. Dallas Theological Seminary founded. Promotes Premillennial Dispensationalism.

The last post will bring us up to the present day. Petitions to add additional dates and details gratefully accepted.

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Part One---Part Two---Part Three

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Blog Against Theocracy - April 6-8, 2007. Visit the home page of Blogswarm Against Theocracy for many more posts. Technorati Tags: blog against theocracy

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Chip Berlet, Senior Analyst, Political Research Associates
The Public Eye: Website of Political Research Associates - - - Chip's Blog

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