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Sample Church History Paper ExcerptIn the sample church history paper title and introduction below, note how the author:
“New England Conformity: The Polity Debate Between Samuel Johnson and John Graham in Connecticut From 1733-1737” by Alex Graham (M.Div. 2008)
Why an Old World debate would take place in New England decades after the issue of conformity was ironed out in England is a point discussed in this paper. On the surface, Johnson’s agenda appears to be driven by pastoral concern, as does Graham’s. Yet the content of the debate suggests a deeper, more complex nexus of issues. It would, therefore, be naïve to isolate the pastoral concern from the overarching historical, social, and theological contexts which shaped the two churchmen’s theology and ecclesiology. The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature this controversy over polity by placing it within the social, historical, and theological contexts of New England in the 1730s. In addition, taking this debate as a test case, I will argue that the issue of polity and ecclesiology was still vital three generations after the first Puritans settled in New England, and the ecclesiastical unity which arose from the Great Awakening was not as widespread as some have claimed. Other "Writing for Church History" topics:Writing for Church History Home Sources for Historical Research Building a Foundation for Church History Writing Common Problems in Church History Writing
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