Roger Williams and John Winthrop: Beliefs in God and Faith

Compared to the people of the 1600’s, our religious freedom is spectacular. During the 1600’s people were arrested or even put on the death penalty for sharing their religious beliefs. Especially if it went against the government which was considered the covenant built by Christianity. John Winthrop believed that you could build a Christian society with forceful “love”. Where about Roger Williams was out to prove that following the motions of being a Christian did not make you a true Christian. Both parties believed in the word of God, however both had different ideas of how their Lord and savior should be represented.

John Winthrop wrote a short sermon called “A model of Christian Charity”. In this sermon he gives his readers three reasons God had made everyone their own. The first reason Winthrop gave was “ so this great King will have many stewards, counting Himself more honored in dispensing His gifts to man by man, than if he did it by His own immediate hands” (Pg. 178 P. 1). Winthrop’s analysis says that God wanted to use mankind to help others and to distribute his love. Which runs in with the earlier thesis on him that he believes in building a Christian covenant by teaching men to live by God’s word. The second reason was to deliver God’s Spirit to others. This seems like such an easy task inside a closed covenant, except that that some of his people are simply following the motions to avoid punishment. “Thirdly, that every man might have need of other, and form hence they might be all knit more nearby together in the bonds of brotherly affection” (Pg. 178; P. 4). No man is to great to ask for a helping hand from another man. That each man has his weak points, and God sends someone to bust through the tough time. Winthrop resembles a phony in the eyes of many, especially the one and only Roger Williams.

Roger Williams had charges pressed him for three distinct reasons. He was against the way many people were living and was not quiet with it. Williams did not agree how the Puritans were getting treated and were forced to live a certain way. He did not agree that people who preached the word of God was going against the Lords word themselves. Winthrop pressed charges against Williams and it all started with Williams denying settlers right to take land over in New England and argues the King was a blastomere that lived as a sinner. “King James to have told a solemn public lie, because in his patent he blessed God that he was the first Christian prince that discovered the land” (Pg. 190; P.1). The second reason was because he called things how saw point blank. Williams recalled it as “blasphemy for calling Europe Christendom or the Christian World” (Pg. 190; P. 1) Williams believed that a place where sinners have lived and died could not be considered Christian. The third and final reason was that Williams himself, gave King James the three places in the revelation.

In today's society people would easily agree with the Williams was living but back in the 1600’s if you weren’t royalty, you didn’t know how to live. You were forced to change with the Kings and Queens and their beliefs. Winthrop believed following mankind and being a great man was enough to get you into the promised land. That if you found love to share with others, that it was enough. Williams knew that to reach the promise land, you must be a great man and believe in more than going through the motions of a Christian. You had to stubbornly follow through with your beliefs regardless of the consequences. Because all in the end, it would pay off.