Law and Providence in Joseph Bellamy's New England: The Origins of the New Divinity in Revolutionary America

Bellamy was New England's consummate theologian of evangelical Calvinism. He conceived the New Divinity movement - based on innovations on Edwards's teachings - and from 1750 to 1775 enjoyed renown as a popular preacher, controversialist, leader of church affairs in New England, and influential teacher of other pastors. Set in the context of an emergent market economy, the war against France, and the politics of rebellion, Bellamy's story illuminates the relationship between religion and public issues in colonial New England, and shows how Calvinism spoke to the concerns of ordinary New Englanders during momentous transformations in America's religious, social, and political life.