John Woolman and the Government of Christ, Kershner Jon R

Woolmans antislavery position was only one essential piece of his comprehensive theological vision for colonial American society. Drawing on Woolmans entire body of writing, Jon R. Kershner reveals that the theological and spiritual underpinnings of Woolmans alternative vision for the British Atlantic world were nothing less than a direct, spiritual christocracy on earth, what Woolman referred to as the Government of Christ. Kershner argues that Woolmans theology is best understood as apocalyptic-centered on a supernatural revelation of Christs immediate presence governing all aspects of human affairs, and envisaging the impending victory of Gods reign over apostasy. John Woolman and the Government of Christ explores the theological reasoning behind Woolmans critique of the burgeoning trans-Atlantic economy, slavery, and British imperial conflicts, and fundamentally reinterprets 18th-century Quakerism by demonstrating the continuing influence of early Quaker apocalypticism.