Charisma and the Transformation of Grace in the Early Modern Era
Author(s)
Seligman, Adam B.
Abstract
The Reformation brought about a relocation of charisma from the transcendental to the mundane sphere, which can be seen as a movement of grace from the church to the community. Millennial movements of the 16th and 17th centuries in England and New England were a part of this general shift toward a merger of sacred and secular realms. In England, millennial ideology conflicted with tradition and survived only in Anglican latitudinarianism and in science. In New England, millennialism became part of the civil tradition and was incorporated into the American national identity.
