As the governor of “The Company of Massachusetts Bay in New England,” John Winthrop bravely accepted the daunting task of leading 700 emigrants across the Atlantic into a challenging world of the unknown. In addition to his political leadership role, Winthrop also served as a religious minister for his new colony, working to establish Puritan reforms in place of traditional Catholic rituals. In his sermon “A Model of Christian Charity,” delivered en route to the New World, Winthrop strictly outlined the ideals of a perfect, selfless Christian community.
Winthrop uses the threat of failure and death as a fear tactic in his sermon. Although Puritans and other emigrants seemed to be brewing with hope and excitement for a new and better life, they must have been hiding anxiety of the uncertainties that lied ahead. Winthrop cleverly quells these fears with religion, in order to unite his followers as one family. Only by obeying God as one, would they survive the journey. Winthrop emphasizes this in the conclusion of his sermon when he says, “Therefore let us choose life, that we and our seed may live by obeying His voice and cleaving to Him, for He is our life and our prosperity” (158).
Winthrop outlines several ideal steps to success and prosperity, but repeatedly stresses the eternal importance of love. He notes Scripture’s definition of love as, “the bond of perfection” (152). Winthrop eloquently weaves this definition into the foundation of his ideal Christian community. In order to engrain love into the minds of his eager audience, Winthrop uses the human body as an analogy for the Body of Christ. Just as ligaments connect all the separate parts of one body, Christ’s love unites all Christians into perfect harmony.
Winthrop advocates for peaceful unity in his community by stressing the social and spiritual advantages of living in the “bonds of brotherly affection.” As separate parts of one body, the Puritans must “delight in each other, make other’s conditions our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together” (157). As a true leader, Winthrop encourages his followers to put these idealistic principles into action. Although it will be a true challenge, he tells the Puritans that the only way to survive is to stick together. He reminds the community that they can be a “city upon a hill” and a shining example to the world of either triumph or failure of the Christian cause.
Although idealistic, Winthrop remains a model of Christian charity and leadership. His advice and goals for his Puritan followers still apply to the conflicts of the 21st century. Winthrop reminds me of my own personal purpose in this world when he eloquently says, “Nothing yields more pleasure and content to the soul than when it finds that which it may love fervently, for to love and live beloved is the soul’s paradise, both here and in heaven” (155).
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2 comments:
I have to agree with you, and I like the ideas that Winthrop puts forth. I'm a seminarian and his grasp of the Bible and the philosophy and theology of his time is impressive. A lot of it comes from Aqinas and a lot of Calvin. But another side of me is leary of idealists who try to create a "city on a hill," and use religion to do so. The cynical side of me has visions of walled compounds, large stashes of weapons and stand offs with the Federal Government. The Taliban in Afganistan is also an idealist, religious, fundementalist form of government. These kinds of governments seem to take nasty turn for the worse sooner or later. I think that's why you see that when people begin to break free of the religious ideals in New England, you also start to see witch trials and the like.
You bring up a fascinating point with Winthrop's sermon. It definitely appears as though he uses religion as a scare tactic. Indeed, it seems as though Winthrop's played a valuable role as a leader by inspiring people to triumph in the New World.
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