As is true of most significant areas of thought in the first parts of the modern age, many of the names associated with the discipline of philosophy (which also included theology) hailed from the United Kingdom or continental Europe. In fact, a quick look through the history of modern philosophical thought will reveal that the vast majority of thinkers during the 18th century were, in fact, either from England or from France. One notable exception is Jonathan Edwards.
While in later periods the world started to see more and more great minds coming out of the Americas, from Einstein to the inventor of the effluent treatment chemical, Jonathan Edwards is one of only a couple early modern philosophers/theologians whom Americans can truly claim as their own. Edwards was born in Connecticut in 1703, and spent his entire life, including his education, in America.
Edwards was the fifth of eleven children and the only son. His father was a minister, who also tutored boys through college to earn an extra income. By all accounts, both Edwards's mother and his father were people of formidable intellect and independence, gifts that became evident in their son at an early age. While today they maybe wouldn't have lived in a condominium North York they would have had some status in the community.
His father, with the help of his older sisters, largely undertook Edwards's education in his early life. He was noted for incredible strength of thought for a boy of his age, writing two essays that had an impact on the thinking of his day; one, a half-serious treatise on the immateriality of the soul at the age of ten, and the other a natural history essay on the flying spider at the age of eleven.
Needless to say, Edwards was recognized as an early candidate for college, and was enrolled at Yale at the age of 13. He would remain loyal to the college his whole life, working there as a tutor up until he was ordained as a minister and began his incredible preaching career in 1727. In fact, Edwards remained steadfast to the college and its orthodox teachings during a time when many of his colleagues, including some of his friends and the college rector, converted to the Episcopalian Church.
During his tutoring years at Yale, Edwards struggled with several popular doctrines regarding salvation at the time. The most important, to Edwards, was the doctrine of election to salvation, or what today is termed pre-destination. Under this school of thought, God chooses some people to be saved and some to be damned; the choice is not up to humans alone. Edwards at first believed this to be a false and horrible thought, but during his last year of study it appears he had a change of heart, one that was to be the foundation of his preaching career.
That career began in earnest in 1727, the year he was ordained and became a scholar pastor under his grandfather at the church in Northampton. When his grandfather died two years later, leadership of the church fell on Edwards's shoulders alone.
As head of the church, Jonathan Edwards was instrumental in sparking what today is known as the Great Awakening. His fiery, lucid sermons were known for bringing out passionate responses in people, sometimes to the point of physical extremes. As he preached to the people of the State, more and more began to convert to the church; in fact, he was so successful that the business of the town was in jeopardy due to spiritual commitments from so many. It would not have been unheard of for someone to put up their Brampton home for sale in search of salvation under the direction of Edwards.
As emotion based tides are wont to do, the revival eventually died down, but not before it had become well known both in America and back in England and Scotland. It's likely that people as far north as central Toronto homes were even aware of his presence within the theological community. Edwards received so much credit that when he was voted out of pastorship by his own church in 1748 he was asked to lead several churches in these areas (ironically, Edwards's problems with his own church were rooted in the revival. He rejected the claim that the manifestation of the Holy Spirit should always be seen physically, and had a conservative approach to church membership).
Instead of accepting the call of a European or even European-based church abroad or in America, Edwards instead believed his calling to be among the Housatonic Indians in Stockbridge. This group accepted him in part for his preaching, but also because he was steadfast in defending their rights against white authorities who sought to gain fortune through exploiting the population. One must remember that back then everything was segregated to the point where different cultures wouldn't participate in the same faux finish workshop (if they had existed).
After seven years of service in this area, Edwards agreed to the presidency of what would later be Princeton University, replacing a son-in-law who had died. Unfortunately, Edwards was to find the post equally unlucky; he died from complications arising from a small pox inoculation just one month after accepting the position.
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