Background: Church History -The New England Christians. Nondenominational Christianity - Christians are not formally aligned with an established Christian religious denomination. For the most part, the term refers to various groups of individuals who hold basic Protestant tenets and identify themselves simply as “Christians” or “born-again Christians”.
1643 to 1653, Westminster Assembly of Divines was a council of theologians (or “divines”) and members of the English Parliament appointed to restructure the Church of England. Several Scots also attended, and the Assembly’s work was adopted by the Church of Scotland. It produced a new Form of Church Government, a Confession of Faith or statement of belief, two catechisms or manuals for religious instruction (Shorter and Larger), and a liturgical manual, the Directory for Public Worship, for the Churches of England and Scotland… The Confession became influential throughout the English-speaking world, but especially in American Protestant theology… The Scottish Church was governed by a system of elected assemblies of elders called Presbyterianism, rather than rule by bishops, called Episcopalianism, which was used in the English church…
Congregationalists favored autonomy for individual congregations rather than the subjection of congregations to regional and national assemblies entailed in Presbyterianism. Parliament eventually adopted a Presbyterian form of government, but it lacked the power the Presbyterian divines desired. During the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, all of the documents of the Assembly were repudiated and episcopal church government was reinstated in England.
Denominationalism was accelerated in the aftermath of the Westminster Assembly convened by the English Parliament to formulate a form of religion for the national churches of England and Scotland. In the debate between the two main parties present at the Assembly, the Presbyterians and the Independents, the Presbyterians were in favour of a form of church government that maintained the visible organizational unity of the Catholic Church while Independents, weary of the ecclesiastical tyranny they experienced under the Episcopal system, wished to organize the churches in a congregational way envisioning no legitimate authority of the church above the local congregation meeting at one time in a single place. These two parties were not reconciled and following the Assembly the Independents formed their own independent church. Thus, instead of a united expression of the Catholic Church in England, there were now two churches.
Beginnings
The Congregational churches trace their origins to 16th Century England, where they were one part of a large and diverse effort to reform the Church of England. After King Henry VIII parted ways with the Roman Catholic Church over his marriage problems, the Anglican Church, as it was also called, kept the forms of Catholicism — the celebration of the Mass, ceremonial "vestments" for the clergy, and the hierarchy of archbishops and bishops — but under the authority of the English king rather than the Pope.
The dissenters opposing Church of England were known as "Puritans," ...a derogatory reference to their uncompromising zeal for simplicity in worship and church organization. They preferred to call themselves "the Reformed," people following the teaching and practice of the Protestant Reformer John Calvin… believed each church should be a gathering of believers joined together under a covenant agreement, and with the power to choose their own minister...
1620, the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth, MA -Separatist Independents who had fled England in order to establish a "pure" church in the New World, free from Anglican control -however, everyone in the Massachusetts Bay colony, whether a Puritan or not, had to attend church and obey the laws of the Commonwealth.
1630s and 1640s thousands of Puritans left England and settled in Massachusetts Bay… -[they believed] they were chosen by God to play a central role in the unfolding of human history… When smallpox epidemics decimated the local Native American population, Puritan settlers accepted the tragedy as a sign that God was watching out for them alone.
...In Puritan theology, church and state had separate roles and responsibilities; magistrates and ministers worked together to make sure that godly standards prevailed... everyone in the Massachusetts Bay colony, whether a Puritan or not, had to attend church and obey the laws of the Commonwealth. — though they were religious dissenters in England, the New England Puritans refused to allow anyone else the same freedom… no one anywhere in Europe believed that religion should be a personal choice: the church was an arm of the government, and rulers always decided how their people would worship… In New England Independents became Congregationalists -Congregational churches members held equal power, all of them responsible to each other under the covenant -ordinary citizens had unprecedented power to make decisions about land and property, and to hold their leaders in check.
late 18th and early 19th centuries, Christian Connection or Christian Connexion a Christian movement made of up secessions from several different religious denominations. -[they] claimed to have no creed, instead professing to rely strictly on the Bible. -[they] had a periodical, called The Herald of Gospel Liberty. -Ideologically, the movement demanded a thorough and utter break with European modes of operation, members tended to demand radical reform of politics, the legal system, medicine and religion. All visible forms of church government were to be rejected, he argued, because they were inherently “British”.
late 18th and early 19th centuries, Christian Connection or Christian Connexion a Christian movement made of up secessions from several different religious denominations. -[they] claimed to have no creed, instead professing to rely strictly on the Bible. -[they] had a periodical, called The Herald of Gospel Liberty. -Ideologically, the movement demanded a thorough and utter break with European modes of operation, members tended to demand radical reform of politics, the legal system, medicine and religion. All visible forms of church government were to be rejected, he argued, because they were inherently “British”.
1791, adoption of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, churches would have to support themselves through the voluntary gifts of members, not government taxation.
1792, James O’Kelly, dissatisfied with the role of bishops, separated from the Methodist Episcopal Church; his movement, centering in Virginia and North Carolina, was originally called the Republican Methodist Church.
1794, they adopted the name Christian Church. Elias Smith of Vermont and Abner Jones of New Hampshire joined together and led a movement… Elias Smith was the editor of The Herald of Gospel Liberty, launched in 1808.
1801, Congregationalists signed a Plan of Union with the Presbyterian church, an effort to pool the resources as both denominations moved westward... denominational competition heated up and Presbyterians fell into controversy and a brief schism. - the Cane Ridge Revival led by Barton W. Stone in Kentucky centered on dissociation from denominationalism.
1804, giving up denominational ties to the Presbyterian Church and preferring to be known simply as Christians.
1804, giving up denominational ties to the Presbyterian Church and preferring to be known simply as Christians.
1806, a growing split within the Congregational churches, known as the “Unitarian Controversy,” came to a full boil on the campus of Harvard College… tensions between liberal and more orthodox Calvinists. This theological battle soon divided many of the oldest churches in Massachusetts and began to impact church polity and the hiring of ministers…
1807, the Calvinists withdrew to organize and found a new school, Andover Theological Seminary on the campus of Phillips Academy (est. 1778) in Andover, Massachusetts.
1808, Elias Smith launched the “Herald of Gospel Liberty,” -the first religious newspaper in the United States. Two Baptists, Elias Smith and Abner Jones, led the New England Christian movement; they repudiated Calvinistic extremes to for the movement. The principles espoused by New England Christians closely paralleled those of the Republican Methodists. After their union with the southern Christians, William Guirey wrote: After we became a separate people, three points were determined on. First. No head over the church but Christ. Second. No confession of faith, articles of religion, rubric, canons, creeds, etc., but the New Testament. Third. No religious name but Christians.
Note: In Jacob S Hanger’s biography he mentions his articles on Arbitration in the Herald of Gospel Liberty -”I have not the best feeling for the Government of Great Britain.” [Arbitration is a procedure in which a dispute is submitted… the parties opt for a private dispute resolution procedure instead of going to court.] -I can’t find his articles on Arbitration… the Herald of Gospel Liberty was launched in 1808, after the Revolutionary War -so Great Britain would no longer have any influence over United States religion… however, he may have run into to religious disagreement relating to other countries ruled by Great Britain that the Christian Church was doing missionary work in e.g. Scotland or Ireland (Ulster Plantations -Ulster Scots, Scotch Irish).
1809, Congress set off the Territory of Illinois from that of Indiana. No Congregational ministers had arrived and no Congregational churches had been planted in this wilderness.
by 1810, the three groups (Elias Smith, Barton W Stone, James O’Kelly) merged and were called by the names "Christian Connection/Connexion" or "Christian Church." -the American Board of Commissioners [Congregational Christian Churches] for Foreign Missions was organized.
1811, organized by Samuel John Mills and other students in Andover Theological Institution, this became the seed plot of a corps of missionaries, many of whom rendered service in Illinois.
1816, the town of Westville was laid out.
1822, Yale University Divinity School is open for service -undenominational but mentioned as having had a Congregational origin and early history
The transatlantic religious revival known as the Great Awakening reinvigorated spiritual zeal…
All across New England Congregational churches split into factions, the New Lights supporting the revival and the Old Lights wary of its emotional excesses... Intractable differences over Calvinist theology led to separation and the formation of the American Unitarian Association in 1825.
1825, Newton Theological Institution began instruction at Newton Centre, Massachusetts as a graduate seminary formally affiliated with the group now known as American Baptist Churches USA, the oldest Baptist denomination in America.
1837, the “Old School” Presbyterians left the American Board [of the Congregational Christian Churches]… because of differences of opinion as to the Board’s attitude toward slavery…
1838, Jacob S Hanger (age 17) joined the Christian Church under the invitation of his brother Andrew C. Hanger (age 21) -both living in Knox Co, Ohio.
1839, Rock River Seminary, Mount Morris, Ogle, Illinois, founded by the Methodist Church… Jacob W Piper (age 20) began his career education here in 1864
1842, Jacob S Hanger m: Rachel Smith
*Jacob W Piper b. 1844 in Sharpsburg, Maryland
1846, [Congregationalists] formed the American Missionary Association, they joined the denomination's antislavery zeal with its commitments to education and evangelism, and in the post-Civil War years established elementary schools, colleges, and theological seminaries across the South for newly-freed slaves… they were leaders in the Social Gospel movement — to establish the "kingdom of God on earth" — by campaigning for women’s rights and workers' rights, education and health care for the poor, and clean and accessible cities…
1850, Morgan Twp, Knox Co, Ohio Census lists Jacob S Hanger’s occupation as clergyman.
1851, [A] C Hanger arrived in the US from Chagres, Panama and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Ship: Alabama. - I'm assuming Andrew was on a mission. I find no Census for him until 1860.
1853, Monmouth College, Monmouth, Warren, Illinois, founded by the Second Presbytery of Illinois, a frontier arm of the Associate Reformed (Presbyterian) Church… Jacob W Piper attended ca 1866
1853, Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Linn, Iowa, founded (originally called the Iowa Conference Seminary) (affiliated with the United Methodist Church) -from its inception, Cornell accepted women into all degree programs… Jacob W Piper attended ca 1868
1855, the Chicago Theological Seminary was established to furnish training for Christian leadership… a pioneer in the introduction into the theological curriculum
1856, Jacob S Hanger moved his family to Washington Grove, Ogle Co, Illinois
1857, the Reformed Church in America withdrew [from the Congregational Christian Churches] to form its own Board
1860, Andrew Hanger, in Bedford, Coshocton, Ohio. Occupation, Farm Labor, no RE.
1860, Jacob S Hanger moved his family to North Grove, Illinois (where they lived on the grandfather Piper’s farm until the fall of 1863…
1864, Jacob W Piper entered the Rock River Seminary
ca 1866, Jacob W Piper attended Monmouth College for a few terms
1866. the Christian Society erected a school in LeGrand, Iowa
1867, courses to prepare students for the ministry [Systematic Theology] included Ecclesiastical History, Biblical Literature and Exegesis [critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of scripture] were taught at the Baptist Theological Seminary, Chicago, Cook, Illinois… Jacob W Piper was attending in 1870, a year after the seminary building was dedicated…
ca 1868, Jacob W Piper attended Cornell College for one term
1868, Jacob S Hanger helped organize the building of a Christian Church in North Grove and Ashton, Illinois -his son-in-law, Jacob W Piper would later serve as minister in both these churches…
1866, the "LeGrand Christian Institute” was erected in LeGrand, Iowa
1869-70, Jacob W Piper attended the Baptist Theological Seminary, he left early in the spring of 1870 to marry Tamma Hanger (3/10/1870)
1870, the “New School” Presbyterians rejoined their “old School” associates and transferred their support to the Foreign Mission Board [of the Congregational Christian Churches]…
1871, [denominational] formation of the National Council of Congregational Churches…
1871, Harriette J. Cooke became the first female [Cornell] college professor in the United States to become a full professor with a salary equal to that of her male colleagues (photo, left)
1872, Jacob W Piper preached his first sermon in the Christian Church of Ashton, Illinois
1874-1884, Andrew Hanger serves as President of the Christian Publishing Association.
1860, Andrew Hanger, in Burlington, Licking, Ohio. Occupation, illegible. RE $5,200, PP, $4,380
1878, The Christian Society began building a three story brick building to house the school, it contained 56 student rooms; it was called the "LeGrand Christian Institute”
1880, Andrew Hanger, in Burlington, Licking, Ohio. Occupation, farmer. Farm Value, $10,000. Implement Value, $400. Livestock, $1,500.
1881, Jacob W Piper became pastor of the North Grove Christian Church
1885, the "LeGrand Christian Institute” closed due to financial problems…
1909, Palmer University is to be non-denominational and non-sectarian, it is, nevertheless, to be thoroughly Christian, and occupy substantially the position of the Christian Church, in that, character and not human theology is to be made its test of fellowship. Jacob W. Piper served as Trustee of Palmer University for 30 years.
1915, the Chicago Theological Seminary moved to the neighborhood of the University of Chicago -The Seminary is open to both men and women on equal terms.
1931, the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches was organized, and, there was a merger of Congregational churches with the Christian Connection…
1934, the Council for Social Action was created by the General Council [of the Congregational Christian Churches] -stirred by the deep need of humanity for justice, security, and spiritual freedom and growth, aware of the urgent demand within our churches for action to match our gospel...
1941, the spread of warfare and increasing tensions… missionaries [of the Congregational Christian Churches] have been largely either forced to withdraw or been interned or restricted in their activities [East Asia and Europe]... The fields in Free China, India, Africa, the Near East and Mexico which have not yet been directly affected report increased calls for service and new opportunities, especially in education.
Note: I’m sure I will be adding to this Blog Post…
A list of ALL Hanger Blog Posts -Blog Post: Hanger Family, Blog Links -*7/8/2016
https://gray-piperfamily.blogspot.com/2016/07/hanger-family-blog-links.html
