Abstract
The American saga is a strange and wonderful illustration of many streams of human history and experience: Yangtze, Niger, Duero, Thomas, Gota, Congo, Tiber, Seine, Danube—later there would be countless more—all flowing alongside each other to form a vast concourse of interwoven canals, tributaries, rivulets. Yet there was never a total merger into one boundless ocean morass may be the proper symbol. These divergent rivers of history retained much, at the same time they shared bountifully. There is no National American Church, albeit several communions regarded themselves as such. Instead, there are countless church/religious/ethnic/national streams. This is my thesis: the appropriate American figure would be that of an enormous delta, rich and fertile, well watered by many rivers; all contributing life sustaining moisture, yet each retaining a character and identity. In short, the old “melting pot” theory is neither relevant nor realistic. That pot cracked years ago. There is no American prototype, either in a single spiritual idea or an individual person. Marked differences were present “as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.” But there is hope. I agree completely with George Whitefield, when, from the courthouse balcony in Philadelphia, he lifted his melodious voice and cried, “Father Abraham, whom have you in heaven?” The rhetorical question deserved an eloquent reply, as Whitefield inquired: Any Episcopalians? No! Any Presbyterians? No! Any Independents or Methodists? No, no, no! Whom have you there? We don’t know those names here. All who are here are Christians . . . Oh, is this the case? Then God help us to forget party names and to become Christians in deed and truth.