The Innocence Of Anne Hutchinson

Anne Hutchinson is not guilty of the accusations placed upon her. As the teacher of the Boston Church, John Cotton, I believe in a covenant of faith. I feel a few compromises could be made in the colony to please both the Winthropians and the Hutchinsons. The members of the church need to realize diversity is a good thing and think of what will benefit the colony most. The decision to be made is whether throwing Anne out of the colony, or keeping her in the colony, is most beneficial. I believe we should not turn to ourselves at this time but look at what God would see as the best fit for this situation. When members of the colony consider how God would want us to respond, I believe they will have a change of heart.

Although I do not believe a woman should preach in a public setting, I do agree with her teachings, as she follows in my footsteps. I cannot deny that a covenant of faith is what leads you to salvation, and it pleases the Lord. Good works should come naturally after you are saved. I believe that you can obtain a personal relationship with God and that women are just as capable as men to interpret the Bible the correct way. The ministers are preaching a covenant of works. Romans 10:9-10 says, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess you are saved” (NIV). This verse shows that good works are not a way into salvation. Confessing that you believe is the only way to truly know you have been saved. You will then receive a message from the Lord proclaiming that you have been saved. If Anne leaves, then we are no different from the Church of England.

We will follow in their footsteps by persecuting people and making it illegal to try to form their own beliefs. People have come here to escape that kind of cruel and unfair treatment. Anne is still a puritan, however she believes the way to salvation occurs through faith and not through works, unlike Governor Winthrop. The Bible states in Proverbs 18:2, “A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions” (NIV). This verse shows how people are only willing to share their opinion and we are not willing to understand something from another person’s point of view. In this colony, it appears as if we cannot agree that we disagree and allow Anne to continue preaching. Perhaps we could come to a compromise that Anne can only preach when a minister or I am present, this way everyone can see that she is not trying to offend anyone. Anne could also quit preaching all together as long as she can share her beliefs one on one as a missionary. If Anne is kicked out, her followers will most likely leave as well, which will cause the colony to lose skills that could be vital to it’s survival.

The colony needs to be diverse. Without diversity, we could run into problems. If we all built shelter and none of us were farmers, there would be no one to harvest our food. We would not possess the skills needed to do this job. God created diversity. If diversity is nonexistent, are we not thinking foolish thoughts by judging Anne based on her beliefs? Malachi 2:10 states, “Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another?” (NIV), which means we have become scornful of one another. This means we think we are more important than someone else because of how they interpret the Bible. God would not want us to believe or do these things; God wants peace, love, and acceptance. Are we showing this to Anne by potentially throwing her out of the colony? No, we are not. 1 Peter 3:8 says, “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble” (NIV). If we all follow the Bible like we say we do, we should be showing sympathy and compassion even if we disagree. One of the ten commandments backs this verse up by telling us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Just because Anne believes the ministers teach a covenant of works, does not mean she is trying to offend anybody. If Anne is kicked out, how will this help the colony? There could be another person to rise up, or there could be so many people who follow her out of the colony that our colony will shrink. After this occurs, the word will get out about how we are treating people who hold different opinions. They will no longer seek refuge here and our colony will not grow like we want. Although, there would be less conflict for a short period of time, it is not the best decision for the long run. Anne Hutchinson should be allowed to spread the word as she pleases, under the appropriate supervision. We are commanded to spread the word, and Anne is doing this in the privacy of her home. Anne is not pushing her beliefs onto anybody else. The attendees of the meeting can choose to leave whenever they please. After hearing this, hopefully it will be understood why the best decision for the colony is to allow Anne to stay here. Accommodations and compromises will have to be made concerning Anne. Both sides will need to decide what they feel is most appropriate. At a time like this, the church needs to stay together. We should try to view the situation similar to how God would. Although members of the colony may find it hard to agree or believe the same things Anne does, I do believe that we can coexist in the colony and continue onward in achieving the growth we expect out of our colony. Ultimately, we are all striving for the same goal and there should be no reason we cannot do this in the same colony among each other.