Reason and faith at early Princeton : piety and the knowledge of God

Teaching piety and the highest good have been goals from the beginning of the Academy. Princeton University and Theological Seminary had their start in these same ideas. This book explores the concepts of reason and faith at early Princeton by looking at how this institution was shaped by a pursuit of piety and the knowledge of God. Teaching piety and the highest good have been goals from the beginning of the Academy. Princeton University and Theological Seminary had their start in these same ideas. This book explores the concepts of reason and faith at early Princeton by examining how this institution was shaped by a pursuit of piety and the knowledge of God. Princeton University (originally the College of New Jersey) emerged out of the First Great Awakening and its commitment to teaching 'vital piety.' Reason, as the faculty by which humans understand, was affirmed and developed in the pursuit of the knowledge of God. Faith, as belief in what is not seen, was affirmed against the challenges of Deism and Naturalism. No other institution at the time combined reason, faith, and historic Christianity in this way. The implication is that early Princeton represents a high-water mark in education worthy of our consideration Front Matter....Pages i-x Introduction....Pages 1-5 Context and Goals of Early Princeton....Pages 6-19 The Tennents and Revivals....Pages 20-34 Jonathan Edwards....Pages 35-45 John Witherspoon....Pages 46-59 Archibald Alexander....Pages 60-73 Samuel Miller....Pages 74-82 Charles Hodge....Pages 83-89 The Reformed Influence on Common Sense Philosophy....Pages 90-109 The Fall and Original Sin....Pages 110-133 Conclusion....Pages 134-137 Back Matter....Pages 138-151 Cover 1 Half-Title 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 7 Preface 8 Acknowledgements 10 Introduction 12 1 Context and Goals of Early Princeton 17 2 The Tennents and Revivals 31 3 Jonathan Edwards 46 4 John Witherspoon 57 5 Archibald Alexander 71 6 Samuel Miller 85 7 Charles Hodge 94 8 The Reformed Influence on Common Sense Philosophy 101 9 The Fall and Original Sin 121 Conclusion 145 Glossary of Names and Terms 149 Bibliography 156 Index 161