¶ … Winthrop's "City upon a Hill"
John Winthrop's "Model of Christian Charity" impacted not only the Massachusetts Bay Colony settlers but also the history of America by laying a Calvinist foundation of thought for future geopolitical movements. Winthrop's motivational sermon highlighted the specialness of the new American settlers, challenging them to be the model of Christian charity for the rest of the world -- yet Winthrop's interpretation of charity was different from the traditional Roman Catholic concept, which had held sway over Europe for more than a millennium. Winthrop and his people were a "new light" -- a new set of "chosen people" with a "new sense" of religious concepts and practices. And it is this new approach that formed the backbone of the American way of life. This paper will discuss the how and why Winthrop's "city upon a hill" left such a lasting impact on America.
Meaning
When John Winthrop refers to the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a "city upon a hill," he is alluding to the Parable of Salt and Light, preached by Jesus Christ in His Sermon on the Mount. The sermon has been said to be directed to "God's chosen people," but there is some dispute among Biblical scholars as to who exactly made up the audience of that famous sermon -- whether it consisted only of Jews (the disciples) or if the audience was larger and more diverse (with Gentiles). Barber suggests that there is room for both interpretations. However, Barber asserts that the meaning of the association is clear in the Gospel of Matthew when Christ states, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden" (Matt 5:14): In the context of the New Testament, it is the followers of Christ, who are the new "city upon a hill" because they adhere to the Word of God, which sets the ultimate standard by which men are supposed to live good lives. For the Old Testament Jews, the application is somewhat different -- as they were chosen by God rather than the other way around (in the New Testament, sinners "choose" Christ, Who accepts them as Sons of God). Therefore, it is not surprising that a sense of specialness associated with the "city upon a hill" is confused with a sense of being "God's chosen people." After all, the Calvinists have been described by some scholars, such as E. Michael Jones, as being Judaized Christians -- that is, persons with a Christian veneer but with a Jewish way of thinking. This sense of "being chosen" is especially evident in the doctrines of Calvin, who essentially eliminates "free will" from the Christian drama of salvation: according to Calvin, one is either chosen or not chosen by God, seemingly willy-nilly; whereas in the New Testament, God allows all sinners to choose for themselves whether they will be saved.
Thus, Winthrop, interpreting Scripture from the Calvinist position, views himself and the Colony as "chosen people" in the sense that they are of the elect (generally speaking). This association is more like that sense attributed to the Jews as the "chosen people" than the Christian sense of one who "chooses to follow Christ." This difference in perspective is important because the former fosters a spirit of entitlement and "exceptionalism" (notably in the doctrine of "Manifest Destiny") while the latter is meant to foster a spirit of humility and to retain a respect for the mystery of the interaction between grace and free will (the traditional Roman Catholic perspective). Winthrop's "city upon a hill" aka Massachusetts is an identification that is meant to both motivate his followers and fill them with pride (all eyes upon them): they are special because they alone are the cream of the Christian crop -- the elect -- the chosen, given a new land in America by which they are meant to prosper.
Legacy
It is a mixed legacy that the Puritans and Calvinists left behind in America. If one judges by American literature, such as that of Hawthorne or Melville, the Calvinist legacy is a dark one. If one judges by history, such as the Protestant ideology of "Manifest Destiny" which essentially dictated that all of America was theirs for the taking (and when that ran out, all the world) is also a dark one. However, the innovation and diligence with which America grew (with the support of the banking elite) implies that there has been a high degree of exceptional vigor in the American spirit.
It is this exceptional vigor with which...
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