Defending Reformation Doctrine

Early in his ministry, Jonathan Edwards found himself facing a situation of spiritual dearth in New England, a result he knew of the efforts to liberalize the Reformation theology that brought the first settlers to New England, some only two years after the important decisions of the Synod of Dort in Holland. Edwards resolved to defend the legacy of the Reformation and argued against any accommodation to Arminianism and Rationalism. His stand became the reason why later historians sought to minimize his contributions to the history of the United States and why they sought to make him a marginal figure. This message explores the stand he took and urges that such a stand be taken in this time.