Exhortation and sympathy in the Paul's Cross Jeremiads

This article considers affective rhetoric by examining the idea of exhortation. Appealing to the emotions in sacred rhetoric was not a strategy opposed to reasoned argument (as it often figures in secular rhetoric); rather, feelings of love for God and sympathy for one’s fellow Christians were among the virtues that preachers sought to rouse in their hearers. Nor were the emotions and the reason rigidly separated in homiletic theories; the preacher persuaded through argument, rhetorical figures and the vehemence that his own spiritual conviction created. These links between argument, example and affection in persuasion are best demonstrated in the exhortation, which uses all the resources that the preacher had at his disposal to move his hearers towards godliness. One of the most significant means of persuasion was for the preacher to create a sympathetic bond between himself and the hearers. He addressed them as thinking and feeling members of a Church in which they all shared an interest. This aspect of affective rhetoric is best seen in the Paul’s Cross Jeremiads, a sermon genre particularly associated with exhortation and characterised by vehement appeals to a sense of common purpose

Confessionalism and conversion in the Reformation

Recent research on the Reformation has been concerned with the process by which lay people acquired a religious identity, whether it began merely as an act of political obedience or by a sudden ‘conversion’ to new doctrines. Confessional politics made it imperative for rulers to try to control the religious allegiances of their people, but the doctrine of conversion (as a spiritual change) made this theoretically impossible. Instead, a ‘culture of persuasion’ developed by which clerical and secular rulers sought to persuade their people to accept teachings authorized by the state. The possibility of religious dissent, of converting away from the state-sanctioned denomination, made conversion an issue whose importance was far greater than the actual number of converts. The study of confessionalism and conversion emphasises two theses fundamental to Reformation studies: that the era produced radical changes in the ways that people thought about their personal and communal identities, and that it made individuals’ religious choices the urgent concern of their governors

Scripture, style and persuasion in seventeenth-century English theories of preaching

The distinction between a Puritan ‘plain’ and a Laudian ‘metaphysical’ preaching style rests on secular rhetorical theories of persuasion that are relatively unimportant to early Stuart homiletics but are central to later Latitudinarian polemics on preaching. Instead, the ‘English Reformed’ theory and method of sermon composition rests on the didactic function of preaching and the need for the Holy Spirit and hearers to co-operate with the preacher. Although Andrewes and some avant-garde conformists questioned this theory, they developed no alternative method of composition. Arguments made in the 1650s for direct inspiration by the Spirit contributed to the decline of both theory and metho

Interdisciplinarity and the study of Early Modern sermons

This review surveys the study of early modern sermons by historians and literary critics in recent years. It argues that sermons are becoming more important to research in the period, particularly given the revisionist historians' emphasis on religious politics and the shift to historicism in literary studies. None the less, sermons are rarely scrutinized by either group of scholars in a way that utilizes both their rhetorical artfulness and their political engagement: they are not studied as both texts and events. This is partly a result of the different perspectives from which they have been examined by previous generations of scholars. Although two recent monographs, Peter McCullough's Sermons at court and Lori Anne Ferrell's Government by polemic, demonstrate ways in which this might be corrected, it must still be acknowledged that much work remains to be done.</jats:p

Sermon-notes and seventeenth-century manuscript communities

Any reader of manuscript catalogues knows how common the unhelpfully vague entry “sermon notes, 17th-century” can be. This essay explores whether we can find in sermon notes the kinds of textual communities that have been found through the reconstruction of other routes of manuscript circulation. It will unpick what those laconic catalogue entries mean, and distinguish the different kinds of sermon notes found in our archival collections (some derived from the original preacher, some from hearers, some from readers of manuscript and printed copies). The physical forms of different sorts of “sermon notes” alerts us to the different types of authors who created these manuscripts, and the different purposes involved in preserving an oration in textual form, purposes which included fostering the creation and maintenance of communal identities among the self-consciously godly or Catholic recusants

Maine and Offshore Wind Development: Using the Coastal Zone Management Act and Marine Spatial Planning to Influence Projects in Federal Waters

Federal and state governments have developed ambitious goals for offshore wind projects. While Maine wants to take part in this trend, it has passed a moratorium on offshore wind projects in state waters. Considering this ban, pressure to develop offshore wind energy, and potential impacts of such projects on local ecology and habitats, Maine needs to develops a strong voice in offshore wind projects in federal waters. This article looks to Rhode Island to show how Maine can participate in decisions about offshore wind development and compares Maine’s current offshore wind efforts and potential for marine spatial planning to Rhode Island’s. The article also proposes short- and long-term actions to guide Maine’s development of the offshore wind industry in federal waters

The Canadian-American Dispute Over Dixon Entrance

The body of water between the southern tip of Alaska\u27s panhandle and British Columbia\u27s Queen Charlotte islands, known as Dixon Entrance, is one of four external maritime boundaries between the United States and Canada. This particular boundary has been an area of dispute ever since it was established and settlement does not appear to be imminent. yet, this dispute continues to create poor management of fish stocks, trade disruption, feelings of frustration among fishermen of both nations, and in general, it remains a thorn in the side of United States-Canadian relations. In this paper I intend to review the history behind the disputed area, the issues involved, the positions of each nation, and the applicable international law. I will examine the various options available to the United States and Canada. I will then place myself in the unenviable position of arbiter and propose a solution to this long lasting boundary dispute

A Curriculum Unit to Provide Enrichment Activities for Talented Students in Biology

It is suggested in this paper that Mastery Learning Units can be successful in encouraging the talented students to excel in their interests and capabilities. The intent of this paper is to show how enrichment activities and centers can be easily implemented in the biology curriculum by the use of Mastery Learning Units. In so doing, only one mastery unit is included for the purpose of demonstration. It is suggested that teachers write the units that they will be using for their students. This would allow their units to fit their own particular objectives, as well as the needs and interests of their students