‘Leonard O. Goenaga’ Archives
The Pulpit and the American Revolution: Closing Remarks and Modern Reflections
Leonard O. Goenaga Article Series: The Pulpit and the Patriots WEEK 8: The Pulpit and the American Revolution: Closing Remarks and Modern Reflections It shall here be noted that this survey only reviewed six such preachers. By simply observing both the influence of their efforts and the substance of their writing, one can begin to paint [...]
The Pulpit and the American Revolution: John Leland
Leonard O. Goenaga Article Series: The Pulpit and the Patriots WEEK 7: The Pulpit and the American Revolution: John Leland (1754-1841) A sixth and final Pulpit patriot to be presented is a second Baptist, John Leland. Although having been formally educated only in elementary school, Leland is regarded as highly influential in developing [...]
The Pulpit and the American Revolution: Isaac Backus
Leonard O. Goenaga Article Series: The Pulpit and the Patriots WEEK 6: The Pulpit and the American Revolution: Isaac Backus (1730-1788) Isaac Backus was born in Connecticut, in 1724, and was a conversion from the Great Awakening preaching of Eleazer Wheelock. After pastoring a church in Middleborough Massachusetts for about a decade, [...]
The Pulpit and the American Revolution: Charles Chauncy
Leonard O. Goenaga Article Series: The Pulpit and the Patriots WEEK 5: The Pulpit and the American Revolution: Charles Chauncy (1705-1787) A fourth preacher who very much deserves mentioning is Charles Chauncy, also considered by John Adams as one of the six of the most influential Revolutionary leaders in Massachusetts. Regarding [...]
The Pulpit and the American Revolution: Jonas Clark
Leonard O. Goenaga Article Series: The Pulpit and the Patriots WEEK 4: The Pulpit and the American Revolution: Jonas Clark (1730-1805) Another Patriot Preacher of interest is Jonas Clark of Lexington. A graduate of Harvard College in 1752, Clark took on a pastorate for fifty years. Clark's influence may be seen in the role he played [...]
The Pulpit and the American Revolution: Samuel Cooper
Leonard O. Goenaga Article Series: The Pulpit and the Patriots WEEK 3: The Pulpit and the American Revolution: Samuel Cooper (1725-1783) A second minister worthy of mention is Samuel Cooper, Pastor of Brattle Street Church in Boston. Born March 28, 1727, Cooper was the third child of Rev. William Cooper and Judith, the daughter of the [...]
The Pulpit and the American Revolution: Jonathan Mayhew
Leonard O. Goenaga Article Series: The Pulpit and the Patriots WEEK 2: The Pulpit and the American Revolution: Jonathan Mayhew (1720-1766) Jonathan Mayhew is one such example of these Pulpit Patriots.1 Robert Treat Pain, a signer of the Declaration and former attorney general, spoke of Mayhew as "The Father of Civil and Religious Liberty in [...]
The Pulpit and the American Revolution: Major Themes
Leonard O. Goenaga Article Series: The Pulpit and the Patriots Week 1: The Pulpit and the American Revolution: Major Themes When the question is given, ‘whose political writings most influenced the Founding Fathers’, the usual names are to be expected: The Enlightenment thinkers Voltaire and Hume, the Social Contract theorists Locke, [...]
Church and State: A ‘Wall of Separation’ (and a 100+ Pound Cheese)
By Leonard O. Goenaga "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;" INTRODUCTION In the 1947 Supreme Court decision, Everson v. the Board of Education, the Court was reviewing a policy on behalf of the state of New Jersey to reimburse the public bus fees of students [...]
