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Experimental Theology in America: Madame Guyon, Fénelon, and Their Readers PDF

297 Pages·2009·1.652 MB·English
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Experimental Theology in America Experimental Theology in America Madame Guyon, Fénelon, and Their Readers Patricia A. Ward BAylor UnivErsiTy PrEss © 2009 by Baylor University Press Waco, Texas 76798 All rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of Baylor University Press. Cover design by Amy stirnkorb Cover background © Emre yildiz/istockphoto Frontispiece: Flyleaf plate of Madame Guyon’s The Different Effects of Sacred and Profane Love, translated by Gerhard Tersteegen into German as Holy Godly Love and Unholy Natural Love, reprinted in lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1828. The plate is produced with the permission of rare Books and Manuscripts, special Collections library, Pennsylvania state University libraries. Ward, Patricia A., 1940- Experimental theology in America : Madame Guyon, Fénelon, and their readers / Patricia A. Ward. p. cm. includes bibliographical references and index. isBn 978-1-60258-197-5 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Quietism--United states--History. 2. Pietism--United states--History. 3. United states--Church history. 4. Guyon, Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte, 1648-1717. 5. Fénelon, François de salignac de la Mothe-, 1651-1715. i. Title. Bv5099.W37 2009 277.3’07--dc22 2009010373 Printed in the United states of America on acid-free paper with a minimum of 30% pcw recycled content. For H. Blair Ward (1907–1987) and Timothy l. smith (1924–1997) Contents o Preface ix Acknowledgments xv 1 American Popular Piety and Continental spirituality The Ecumenical Contexts of Nineteenth-Century Holiness Camp Meetings 1 2 The reputation of Madame Guyon Personalities, Politics, and Religious Controversy under Louis XIV 11 3 The Dénouement of the Quietist Drama and Early intermediaries to Protestant Circles 41 4 Madame Guyon and the Pietist Mind-set The Transmission of Quietism to German-Speaking Pennsylvania 59 5 The Praxis of Piety Quaker and Methodist Mediation of the Works of Fénelon and Madame Guyon 83 6 Persons of Eminent Piety and Writers of spiritual Wisdom Fénelon, Madame Guyon, and Their American Readership, 1800–1840 107 7 From Experimental religion to Experimental Holiness Contexts of Thomas Upham’s Reinterpretation of Madame Guyon, 1840–1860 129 vii viii Contents 8 The Turn to Devotional literature Readers of Fénelon, from Boardman, Stowe, and Bushnell to Twentieth-Century Evangelicals 169 9 The legacy of Madame Guyon from 1850 to 2000 From Romantic Sentimentalism to the Charismatic Movement 189 Epilogue 207 notes 213 Bibliography 255 index 273 Preface o in the eighteenth century, western Protestantism was characterized by an overarching consciousness and set of values, a “protestant frame of mind.” The increase in literacy and the circulation of ideas through letters, per- sonal contacts, the press, and translations contributed to this frame of mind and to a desire for religious unity that would extend beyond existing confessional boundaries.1 As part of this evangelical fervor, there was a sig- nificant demand for devotional literature, drawn from both English and continental Catholic and Protestant traditions. W. r. Ward has cited the immense popularity of Thomas à Kempis (The Imitation of Christ), Miguel Molinos (The Spiritual Guide), François de sales (Introduction to the Devout Life), lewis Bayly (The Practice of Piety), and Johann Arndt (True Christian- ity). Two of these figures, Kempis and de sales, were Catholics; Molinos was a Catholic Quietist who was condemned and imprisoned; Bayly was a Puritan; and Arndt was a lutheran. The crossing over of ecclesiastical boundaries between Catholicism and Protestantism in this particular reading list is of significance. For example, Puritanism, the most closely studied religious influence on early America, has been described as a devotional movement that drew in part on Augustine and on mystics like Teresa of Avila. The Imitation of Christ, with its emphasis on inner spirituality and the renunciation of self, was of special appeal to those embarked on the way toward holiness. Puri- tans made use, as well, of the manuals of ignatius loyola and de sales, adapting the techniques of Catholic spirituality, such as meditation and ix

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