Justifying Revolution The American Clergy's Argument for Political Resistance, 1750-1776

Historians have debated how the clergy's support for political resistance during the American Revolution should be understood, often looking to influence outside of the clergy's tradition. This book argues, however, that the position of the patriot clergy was in continuity with a long-standing tradition of Protestant resistance.

Drawing from a wide range of sources, Justifying Revolution: The American Clergy's Argument for Political Resistance, 1750-1776 answers the question of why so many American clergyman found it morally and ethically right to support resistance to British political authority by exploring the theological background and rich Protestant history available to the American clergy as they considered political resistance and wrestled with the best course of action for them and their congregations. Gary L. Steward argues that, rather than deviating from their inherited modes of thought, the clergy who supported resistance did so in ways that were consistent with their own theological tradition.

Gary L. Steward is Assistant Professor of History at Colorado Christian University in Lakewood, Colorado. He received a BA in history from South Dakota State University, an MDiv from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and a ThM in historical theology from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He earned a PhD from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Church History and Historical Theology, focusing on American religious history. He previously served as the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, and currently lives in Arvada, Colorado with his wife and three kids.