The American Revolution and Righteous Community: Selected Sermons of Bishop Robert Smith

Front Cover
Univ of South Carolina Press, 2007 - History - 280 pages
This selected edition of twenty-seven sermons delivered by Bishop Robert Smith (1732-1801) from the pulpit of Charleston's oldest Episcopal church gives voice to an influential clergyman and his rhetoric in support of a colonial rebellion. Wilbanks has edited Smith's previously unpublished sermons, which were written, delivered, and sometimes repeated during a forty-year career. In his analysis of these sermons, Wilbanks illustrates how a theology of community, civic duty, and national piety led to Smith's advocacy of American independence. Wilbanks suggests that Smith articulated a southern perspective that constituted a radically distinctive justification for the American Revolution, a view drawn from Smith's notion of a righteous community. Contrary to Puritan teachings of individual rights and responsibilities, which often served as a validation for revolution, Smith's call for righteous community also justified the War of Independence.

From inside the book

Contents

The Americanization of Robert Smith
3
Unlikely Patriot
19
Faith and Good Works
37
Civic Conscience and the Evolution of a Righteous Community
56
PART TWOTHE SERMONS
71
Ruling in the Fear of God
73
On the Importance of Religion to Society
79
Keep All My Commandments Always
84
Love Your Enemies
147
A More Excellent Way
153
Let Your Light Shine before Men
159
The Imitation of Christ
164
According to His Will He Heareth Us
169
Statement on Sullivans Island Bombardment
174
We Bring Our Years to an End as a Tale That Is Told
176
On the Necessity and Demerit of
182

By the Fear of the Lord Men Depart from Evil
91
Let No Man Seek His Own but Every Man Anothers Wealth
97
Love One to Another
103
Love Not the World
109
Be Not Conformed to This World
115
Love Your Enemies
120
I Will Have Mercy and Not Sacrifice
126
ΧΙ The Fruit of the Spirit Is Love Joy and Peace
131
Blessed Are the Merciful
136
Bear Ye One Anothers Burdens
141
His Mercy Endureth Forever
192
A Day Which He Will Judge
202
Overcoming the World
213
The Efficacy of National Virtue for Securing
219
Textual Annotations
225
Original or Manuscript Sources of the Sermons
249
Printed Sources of the Sermons of Robert Smith
263
Index of Biblical Citations
269
Index of Subjects and Names
273
Copyright

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About the author (2007)

Charles Wilbanks is the director of the speech communication program at the University of South Carolina and editor of Walking by Faith: The Diary of Angelina Grimke, 1828-1835.