A more thorough trinitarian: Reconsidering Moses Stuart's role
in the trinitarian debate in New England, 1819--1850 Before the
first decade of the nineteenth century had come to a close the
precarious theological consensus in antebellum New England
Congregationalism was beginning to crumble. The inevitable
spread of Europe's Enlightenments on to the colonial shores
joined with the nascent impulses of a young democracy and an
increasing emphasis on experiential religion to subtly undermine
the institutions and presuppositions of the "old tyme religion."
The mainly Reformed theological identity of New England religion
increasing came in for criticism and finally even open
skepticism. While the core theological emphases on humanity's
original sin and man's total depravity were among the first
doctrines to be rationalized into insignificance, traditional
notions of the Trinity and the person of Christ were also under
severe scrutiny. The tensions ultimately came to a head when
William Ellery Channing challenged t