Moravians Encounter New England's Radical Evangelicals, 1745 and 1759

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Moravian travel reports reproduced here contain accounts and observations of radical evangelical religion in New England during the 1740s and 1750s, especially in and around New London, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. These accounts supplement existing knowledge about radical New Lights and separatists at the height of the Great Awakening. Itinerants James Burnside, Owen Rice, and Richard Utley encounter associates of James Davenport, members of the separatist seminary known as the Shepherds Tent, sectarian Rogerenes, and the exuberant Indian congregation of Narragansett preacher Sam Niles. Beyond providing heretofore-unpublished accounts of these radical evangelicals, these sources also illustrate the uneasy place Moravians occupied during the Great Awakening. The three Moravian travelers seemed to feel affinity for some of the radicals they encountered, but were critical of others and admonished them to steer clear of extremes. Given the fact that these are just two of many Moravian sources related to radical religion during the time period, this is also meant to highlight an avenue ripe for ongoing study.