Part two of The Separation of Church and State
The open air and circuit riding preachers following in the tradition of Whitfield and Wesley were new lights. This was not the only difference. The new lights also were a work in progress much like the colonial governments of that time. The intersection of church and government was a conflict that created a diversity of church experiences. These differences spurred the creation of many Protestant denominations. The conflicts were based upon Calvinism versus Arminianism, the place of the sacraments in the Christian Faith, and the individual revelation of believers versus the theologically schooled ministers who had gained degrees. Jonathan Edwards was also a new light that led a revival at Princeton University as a student. But, he also preached in church pulpits, and was removed from a Presbyterian Old Light church. At the end of his life he became president of Princeton University. He was one of the few crossover preachers who went from open air to pulpit reformer. The desire for ...
