price of redemption, The
the spiritual economy of Puritan New England
Mark A. Peterson
325 pages | ~9 hrs
price of redemption, The
the spiritual economy of Puritan New England
By Mark A. Peterson
Mark A. Peterson challenges one of America's most enduring spiritual narratives in this groundbreaking examination of Puritan religious life. For centuries, scholars have portrayed the relationship between faith and commerce as fundamentally antagonistic, suggesting that New England's early religious fervor inevitably declined as economic prosperity grew.
Peterson presents a radically different perspective. Through meticulous research, he demonstrates that commercial success actually strengthened rather than weakened Puritan spiritual communities. The author reveals how maintaining authentic religious practice required substantial financial resources: educated clergy demanded competitive salaries, comprehensive biblical education created significant expenses, and constructing meetinghouses with proper communion facilities required considerable investment.
Rather than viewing material prosperity as spiritually corrupting, Peterson shows how the Puritans developed a sophisticated understanding of money as a tool for expanding divine grace. Their evangelical vision drove them to establish churches throughout New England, funded by believers who trusted that spiritual investments would yield heavenly returns.
The book culminates with a fresh interpretation of the Great Awakening, positioning this spiritual revival not as a rejection of Puritan materialism, but as the natural flowering of centuries of careful cultivation. Peterson argues that New England's economic development actually enabled rather than hindered this profound religious movement.
This work offers valuable insights for modern spiritual seekers grappling with questions about money, faith, and authentic religious practice in contemporary society.
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Third Church (Boston, Mass.)
- ✓ Explore Massachusetts, church history
- ✓ Understand spiritual awakening
- ✓ Explore Economics
- ✓ Explore Puritans
- ✓ Explore Religious aspects
- ✓ Explore Boston (mass.), history
- ✓ Explore New england, history, colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
Topics
Details
- Published
- 1997
- Publisher
- Stanford University Press
- ISBN-10
- 0804729123
- Pages
- 325
- Language
- EN
- LC Classification
- BX9355.M4 P48 1997
