Romanticism in America

The Romantic Shift

In the 19th century, romanticism challenged rationalism in Europe and America, favoring intuition over analysis and community over individualism. This shift reshaped American theology, moving away from the reasoned arguments of Unitarians like William Ellery Channing.

Transcendentalism’s Intuition

In the 1830s, Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Transcendentalists turned to immediate intuition. Emerson saw the world as "the product of one mind ... everywhere active," rejecting biblical miracles for a divine presence within: "I become a transparent eye-ball.... The currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God."

"Men have come to speak of revelation as somewhat long ago given and done, as if God were dead.... In how many churches ... is man made sensible that he is an infinite soul?"

Diverse Paths

Transcendentalism inspired varied responses. Theodore Parker praised Jesus as a teacher of love, claiming Christianity’s value lies in present action: "If it could be proved ... that Jesus of Nazareth had never lived, still Christianity would stand firm." Orestes Brownson, drawn to mystery and tradition, converted to Roman Catholicism.

Mercersburg Theology

In Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, John Williamson Nevin and Philip Schaff critiqued American Protestantism’s focus on sermons and conversions. Nevin argued, "Religion is not ... a transient excitement ... but the life of God in the Soul." He saw sin as a collective human state, redeemed through Christ’s transformative power, emphasizing sacraments over individualism.

Nevin’s Reformation-rooted ideas baffled revivalist Protestants, who viewed them as eccentric or Catholic-leaning.

Horace Bushnell’s Vision

Before the Civil War, Hartford’s Horace Bushnell rejected both Calvinism and Unitarianism, seeing religious language as "poetic forms of life," not literal facts. He opposed revivalism’s individualism, advocating gradual faith nurtured in community. His *Christian Nurture* influenced the Sunday school movement.

Atonement and Experience

Bushnell reframed the atonement post-Civil War, linking Christ’s suffering to human experiences of sacrifice and redemption, like the war’s toll. He sought a living doctrine tied to collective human patterns, reflecting romanticism’s communal focus.

Acknowledgment

Acknowledgment: I’d like to thank Grok, an AI by xAI, for helping me format and refine this presentation of Placher’s work. The final edits and structure are my own. —Lewis Loflin