基督教与美国文化-5

为「民主」(那时候称为「共和主义」)而战也在其它方面影响了教会。许多基督教牧师对加尔文教派有错误的见解，他们以为新的平等观念「推翻了『人并非在道德上有选择自由』的原罪观念」。如果所有的人都平等，神没有权力在他们当中作区别拣选一些人而不拣选其它人。此外，既然所有人都有能力决定自己的命运(他们这样宣称)，「完全堕落」(我们都被罪所捆绑之思想)及「无条件的拣选」(神的拣选不是根据我们所做的任何事之教义)就必须也被拒绝接受。同样的也必须拒绝接受「有限的救赎」(基督只为被拣选的人代死之教导)、「不可抗拒之恩典」(神使我们从罪恶的意志中得自由以给予我们悔改和信心)、和「圣徒之坚持不懈」(藉由神的拣选和能力使我们得以保持至死的信心)。所有这些加尔文教派的教义都是「不民主的」，并且「污辱」了盛行的「人有无限的能力创造自己的未来」之观念。　　In other words, political philosophy and social experience changed Christian theology. Nothing new had been discovered in the Bible, but the wine of freedom had made men supremely confident in themselves. Having defeated the greatest military power in the world, could the common man now not accomplish everything else. Concentrating upon the sins of the King and Parliament had distracted Americans from their own sins. Forgetting that they had "won" their independence by reliance on the French and on God's miraculous care at crucial moments, they imagined themselves to be masters of their fate.　　　换句话说，政治哲学和社会经验改变了基督教的神学。没有新的思想由圣经中被发现出来，反倒是自由思想的酒使人们对自己产生了无比的信心。他们已经打败了世界上最强大的军事强权，一般人现在还有什么其它办不到的事？美国人专注于英国国王和议会的罪，却因此忽视了自己的罪。他们忘了「赢得」独立是靠对法国的信任和神在关键时刻奇迹般的看顾，反而认为他们是自己命运的主宰。Rejection of Hierarchical Authority 对阶级权威的拒绝　　The French Revolution seemed to many Americans – Jefferson included - to herald a new age of equality among men, and thus of freedom. Jefferson's own election as President in 1800 was called by one pastor "the most momentous event since the Incarnation," even though the Evangelical Timothy Dwight criticized Jefferson for his unorthodox views. Countless Christians identified the formation of the American republic as the beginning of a "new order of the ages," as the Great Seal declares. They believed that Americans had ushered in a new era by abolishing all social hierarchy and introducing radical democracy. Some Christian preachers spoke as if the return of Christ were imminent, since America had virtually brought in the millennial kingdom prophesied long ago.　　　法国大革命对许多美国人包括杰弗逊(Jefferson)来说，似乎预示着一个人人平等、自由的新纪元之到来。杰弗逊在一八零零年总统竞选成功，被一个牧师喻为「自基督耶稣道成肉身以来最重要的事情，尽管福音派的提摩太.德瓦泰(Timothy Dwight)批评杰弗逊的非正统基督教观念。无数的基督徒把美国共和政体的形成视为「时代的新秩序」之开端，如同国徽上所宣示的。他们相信美国人已经藉由废除所有的社会阶级和引进彻底的民主，开展了一个新纪元。一些基督教传道人讲道时好象基督的再来即将发生，因为美国已经几乎建立了很久以前所预言的千年国度。　　These church people thought that their major problem was political and social bondage. Abolish class distinctions, throw off the yoke of British rule, and every man will be totally free and thus happy. They forgot Jesus' words that we are "slaves of sin" and that only true faith in Christ can make us truly free. In their enthusiasm for the new equality, many also forgot Biblical teaching about submission to authority in the family, church, and society at large. As one could have predicted, what began as a revolt against the abuse of authority by the government of England developed into a general rejection of all authority. The seed of universal rebellion had been sown and would bear bitter fruit throughout American history.　　这些教会人士认为他们的主要问题是政治和社会的束缚。一旦废除阶级差异，挣脱英国统治的枷锁，每个人就能完全自由，因此完全快乐。他们忘记耶稣的教训，我们都是「罪的奴隶」，只有对基督的真实信心才能使我们自由。在他们热衷于追求新平等之际，许多人也忘记圣经上所教导的在家庭里、教会里、以及整个社会里顺服权威。我们可以预料到，起初反抗英国政府滥用权威的行为发展成对所有权威的普遍抗拒。全面性反抗的种子已经被撒播，将在之后美国整个历史上长成苦涩的果实。Transcendentalism 先验哲学论　　The early years of the nineteenth century also saw the emergence of a new rival to the Christian faith. Not even Franklin and Jefferson, as we have seen, could accept the cold, mechanical concept of a Great Watchmaker who had wound up the world and then retired to his study to read good books while the world managed itself. The Romantic Movement was already underfoot in Europe, as men began to look for a warmer, more involved "God." They found him - or, rather, It - in the doctrines of what came to be known in America as Transcendentalism. The roots of Transcendentalism go back to Hegel and beyond him to the essential pantheism of Plato. Observant students of ideas will recognize Hindu beliefs in this movement as well.　　　十九世纪初叶也产生了一个基督教信仰的新挑战者。我们已经看过，即使是福兰克林和杰弗逊也无法接受「一个伟大的钟表匠(造物者)上紧世界的发条后就退居去读好书，让世界自生自灭」的冰冷、机械式观念。(注：这是自然神论的观念)浪漫主义运动在欧洲已经式微，人们开始寻找一个较有感情，较参与人类事务的「神」。他们在美国人称呼为「先验哲学论」(Transcendental-ism)的学说中找到了「他」，或者更确切地说， 找到了「它」。「先验哲学论」回复到黑格尔(Hegel)的思想以及更早之前柏拉图主要的泛神主义(Pantheism)。善于观察思想的人也会在这个运动中认出印度教信仰的影响。　　Instead of a personal Creator who made the world and governs it with wisdom, justice, and love, Transcendentalism, following its European teachers, taught that we are all part of "God," who is really the universe itself. God is in everyone and everything. All we have to do is discern him. As we do, we shall worship the world, and man as the highest expression of divinity in the world. As Emerson wrote:" I am a part or parcel of God...." "Within man is the soul of the whole...the Eternal one. "　　　「先验哲学论」跟随其欧洲的教师们，其教导为我们全都是「神」(事实上就是宇宙本身)的一部分，而不承认一位有位格的创造者创造了世界并以智能、公义、和爱来治理它。「神」在每一个人、每一件事物当中。我们所要做的就只是辨识出他来，一旦我们辨识出他来，我们就会敬拜世界，以及敬拜人类为世界上神性的最高表现。如同爱默生(Emerson)写道：「我是神不可分割的重要部分。」「人类身体之中有整体的灵魂…一个永恒不朽的灵魂。」　　Thus, a new epistemology (theory of knowledge) arose. Rather than allowing cold reason to direct our lives like the Deists, men began to affirm the world of emotion and to rely on intuition. Nor was there any need for the written revelation of God in the Bible, since men could know God and his truth innately, through intuition. "Transcendentalists declared their independence from all objective norms of truth and made the individual the ultimate authority and judge of what was true or false in religion." To discover truth, one need only look within himself.　　　因此，一种新的知识论崛起。人们不再像自然神论者让冰冷的理性指挥其生活，他们开始肯定有感情的世界并倚赖直觉。既然人可以藉由直觉天生地认识神和他的真理，圣经中所记载神的启示也就没有任何的需要。「先验哲学论者宣布他们不依靠任何真理的客观标准，把个人作为宗教中对或错的终极权威和判断。」一个人要发现真理，只要在他自己里面找即可。　　Orthodox Christianity was rejected, therefore, as merely one stage in man's continuing quest for understanding. Even Unitarianism (the denial of the deity of Jesus) was not radical enough; all the doctrines of historic Christianity had to be re-examined (and would be rejected). Man became the source of knowledge and the judge of all truth claims. Deism, with its objective truth, did not satisfy the Transcendentalists, who replaced external truth with internal intuition and individual choice. Furthermore, man was essentially divine and therefore good and noble. Man could be perfected. Listen to Emerson again: "Let man stand erect, go alone, and possess the universe."　　　因此，正统基督教被视为不过是「人类对智力之持续探索的一个阶段」而被拒绝了，即使是唯一神教派(他们否认耶稣的神性)也不够澈底；所有有关历史的基督教教义都必须被重新检视(并且将被拋弃)。人类成为知识的来源及所有真理之声明的审判者。具有外在真理的自然神论(Deism)并不能满足先验哲学论者，他们以内在直觉和个人选择取代外在真理。此外，他们认为人类本质上是有神性的，因此良善而高贵，人类可以被完美化。再听听爱默生(Emerson)怎么说：「让人类抬头挺胸，靠自己的力量出发，拥有整个宇宙。」　　The glorification of the individual produced a dislike for all human institutions and organizations. Men should be independent of all organizations. Thus Thoreau retreated to Waldon Pond to find happiness. In the eyes of Transcendentalists, government and church came under attack because they trampled upon the individual's rights. The church's devotion to the Bible impeded religious progress by hampering free speculation.　　　颂扬个人造成对所有群体机构或组织的憎恶，人们应该由所有的组织中独立出来。因此梭罗(Thoreau，译注：「湖滨散记」的作者)退隐到华顿湖(Waldon Pond)去寻找快乐。在先验哲学论者眼中，政府与教会是要受攻击的，因为他们践踏个人的权利。教会对圣经的崇敬阻挠自由冥想，因此妨碍宗教进步。　　Transcendentalism, like Unitarianism, flourished mostly among the intellectuals of New England. There the Transcendentalists fiercely attacked Christianity, particularly Calvinism. The humanism of the former could not abide the God-centered character of the latter. In Congregational churches, the movement gained influence, as church leaders began to emphasize a God of love and de-emphasize God's sovereignty, holiness and justice; the death of Christ; man's sinfulness; and the need for regeneration. This belief in the goodness of man helped to foster a "democratic" theology, as we have already noted.　　　像唯一神教派一样，先验哲学论大部分滋长于新英格兰的知识分子之间。在新英格兰先验哲学论者猛烈地攻击基督教，特别是加尔文教派。先验哲学论的人文主义无法容忍加尔文教派以神为中心的特性，在公理会(Congregational)的教会中，先验哲学论获致影响力，例如教会领袖们开始强调一个慈爱的神而淡化神的主权、神圣、和公义；耶稣基督之死；人的罪性；以及重生的必要性。这种相信人类之良善的信念助长了「民主」神学的发展，就如我们已经提过的。　　Following Hegelian dialectic, Transcendentalists believed in an ongoing development of human history - what Darwin would later call "evolution." They believed in man's ability to change for the better. Thus, Transcendentalism prepared the way for wide acceptance of Darwinism fifty years later.　　　先验哲学论者遵循黑格尔的辩证法，相信一个人类历史的演进发展─就是后来达尔文称为「进化论」。他们相信人有能力变得更好，因此，先验哲学论者为五十年后的达尔文主义能被普遍接受铺了路。　　As we shall see, the rise of Transcendentalism transformed American politics and society by furnishing the impetus for "Jacksonian democracy," reform movements, and especially the campaign to abolish slavery in the South.　　我们将见到，先验哲学论的兴起转变了美国的政治和社会，经由的是提供冲力给「杰克逊式民主」(Jacksonian democracy，译注：杰克逊总统所提出的「更民主一点」之观念)、改革运动，和特别是「废除南方蓄奴」之活动。Opposition to Transcendentalism 反对「先验哲学论」　　We must not think that anti-Christian ideas such as Transcendentalism would hold undisputed sway in American society. Transcendentalists, in fact, were opposed by two groups of people: The first had no real commitment to Evangelical theology, but they approved of its social implications. They looked upon the rise of radical democratic philosophy and remembered the chaos and tyranny of the French Revolution. They wanted no part of such anarchy and sought an orderly, peaceful society in keeping with the Constitution, which was itself deeply permeated with Christian principles, as we have seen.　　　我们不可认为反基督教的思想如「先验哲学论」在美国社会的影响未受到争议，事实上，「先验哲学论」者遭受两个团体的反对。第一个团体并不真的持守福音神学，但他们赞同福音神学的社会性伦理。他们见到激进的民主哲学之兴起，忆起了法国革命的混乱与暴行。他们不想要这种无政府状态，而寻求一种有秩序的、和平的社会可以维持宪法，宪法本身则深受基督教原则的影响，如同我们已经看过的。Christian Theology 基督教神学　　Others resisted Transcendentalism for theological and philosophical reasons. Mostly Presbyterian, these Christians saw that Transcendentalism was a revolt against Biblical teaching about man's sinfulness and need for God's sovereign grace. They could not accept the rosy view of "the common man" which fueled the democratic political philosophy and the various reform movements of the day. Called the Old School, these Presbyterians differed with the New School, which departed from traditional Presbyterian doctrine, believed in radical reform, and thought the church should become deeply involved in political movements.Old School Presbyterians lived mostly in the South; we shall trace the implications of this fact in the next chapter.　　　另一个团体则因为神学和哲学的理由抗拒「先验哲学论」。这些基督徒大部分是属于长老会，他们认为「先验哲学论」违反圣经对「人的罪性」和「需要神主权之恩典」之教导。他们无法接受那种促进当时的民主政治哲学和各种不同的改革运动之满怀希望的「平凡人」观点。这些长老会的人被称为旧派，以有别于由传统的长老会教义中分出来的新派。新派相信激进的改革，并认为教会应变得深入参与政治运动。旧派长老会的人大部分住在南方；我们将在下一章中追溯这个事实所具有的影响。　　American theology in the early nineteenth century spanned a wide variety: Revivalist preachers and their supporters looked for what worked in the pragmatic way for which Americans have become famous (or notorious). Some of them sought to discard the accumulated teaching of the church over the centuries and return to a "primitive, New Testament" doctrine. Since they considered the previous eighteen hundred years of political and social history as a record of oppression, they saw the same period of church history as wasted time. They rejected all church traditions and sought to return to the "purity" of the early church of apostolic days.　　　十九世纪初期的美国神学包含广大的多样性：宗教复兴派(Revivalist)之牧师和他们的支持者寻求实用的方式，美国因这些实用方式使而闻名(或恶名昭彰)。他们当中有些人想要拋弃教会几世纪以来累积的教导而回归到一个「原始的、新约式的」教义。既然他们认为过去十八个世纪的政治和社会历史是一个压迫的记录，他们就视这一期间的教会历史为浪费时间。他们拒绝所有的教会传统而寻求回归到早期使徒时代教会之「纯净」。　　Others considered academic theology too far removed from the needs of the unchurched masses. Scorning the achievements of hard-working Biblical scholars and thinkers over the centuries, they believed that the simplest disciple with a Bible in his hand could master all the essentials of the Christian faith unaided. In other words, they took the Protestant principle that Scripture is clear and sufficient for faith to its extreme, asserting that the individual Christian needed no help in understanding God's Word. American individualism and the democratic spirit influenced theology, expelling previous respect for theologians gifted by God. Theology became impoverished and shallow as a result.　　　其它人认为学术性的神学无法符合不属于教会的群众之需要。他们蔑视十几世纪以来辛勤努力的圣经学者和思想家的成就，而相信最普通的门徒只要手中的一本圣经就可以不靠帮助而精通所有基督教信仰的要点。换句话说，他们采取宗教改革(Protestant)的原则，认为圣经能清楚而充分地使信仰达到极致，主张每个基督徒在理解神的话语上不需要帮助。美国的个人主义和民主精神影响了其神学，不再尊敬过去神所重用的神学家，因此神学变的贫乏而肤浅。　　As Iain Murray has written, "Democracy had begun to change the whole orientation of society. Together with the assertion of the right of private judgment, there came a new faith that majorities were right..."　　　如艾恩.莫瑞(Iain Murray)曾经写道的：「民主开始改变社会的整个方向，随着『个人判断的权力』之主张的提出，产生了一个新的信仰─多数人的意见就是正确的。」　　Not all followed this new road, however. The professors at Princeton Seminary challenged current fads with learned sermons and articles. They called upon the studies of their fathers in the faith and of recent thinking to work out a thoroughly Biblical world and life view. The most prominent among them was Charles Hodge (1797-1878). He and others criticized the shallow preaching and emotionalism of revivalism and called for a more biblically-based view of evangelism and the Christian life.　　　然而并非所有人都步上这条新路。普林斯顿神学院(今普林斯顿大学的前身)的教授以学术性的讲道和文章来挑战这一股狂热。他们呼吁人们研读先祖的信仰和近代的思潮以发展出一个澈底的圣经世界观与生活观。他们当中最杰出的是查尔斯.哈吉(Charles Hodge)。他和其它人批评宗教复兴派之肤浅的讲道与情绪化，他们呼召一个比较根据圣经的布道法和基督徒生活。Worship of America 崇拜美国　　Flushed with the success of the Revolution and filled with idealism, early nineteenth-century Americans began to worship themselves and their country. They saw themselves as God's chosen people, America as God's chosen nation. As novelist Herman Melville wrote, "We Americans are the peculiar chosen people - the Israel of our time. We bear the ark of the liberties of the world." From that time on, Americans fell into a type of national pride that has rightly offended people of other nations.　　　十九世纪初期的美国人沉醉于独立战争之成功并充满了理想主义，他们开始崇拜自己和美国。他们把自己视为神的选民，把美国视为神拣选的国家。一个小说家Herman Melville写道：「我们美国人是被特别拣选的人，是这个时代的以色列人，我们造出了世界自由的约柜(ark)。」从此以后，美国人陷入一种国家骄傲之中，确实地触怒了其它国家的人民。　　To be fair, we need to give acknowledge that some Americans believe that God has given them an opportunity to put certain biblical principles into practice. Seeing the results, they have naturally wanted to share these with others around the world. Thus, they have communicated the American experience along with their Christian faith. Despite the dangers inherent in such an attempt, we should not ignore either the good intentions or beneficial results of many "apostles of the American way."　　　持平地说，我们要承认一些美国人相信神给他们一个机会，把某些圣经原则付诸实现。他们看到其好的结果之后，自然地想要把这些成果与世界上其它的人分享。于是，他们把美国经验和他们的基督教信仰传播出去。尽管这样的尝试具有危险，我们却不该忽视许多「美国式的使徒」的良好意图或他们造成的有益结果。Criticism of slavery 对蓄奴的批评　　Even during the Revolutionary War, Christians began to question the institution of slavery. Quakers had for a long time considered slavery to be a violation of Biblical principles. Now non-Quakers raised their voices in protest. Africans were created in God's image; African Christians were brothers in Christ; the command to "love your neighbor as yourself" attacked the very basis of slavery, since no man would want himself to be enslaved. This type of reasoning would develop into a full-fledged movement to free all slaves a generation later, but the presence of ideas like this in "mainstream" Protestant churches was one good result of the war against British tyranny and a sign that Christians could still hear God's word when it conflicted with prevailing cultural prejudices.　　　早在独立战争期间，基督徒就开始质疑蓄奴的合法性。贵格会(Quakers)长期以来认为蓄奴是一个违反圣经原则的行为，现在非贵格会的人也提出了抗议。非洲黑奴是按照神的形象造的；黑人基督徒是我们在基督里的弟兄；「爱你的邻舍如己」的圣经诫命攻击蓄奴的最根本基础，因为没有人想要被奴役。这样的推论将发展成成熟的运动，在下一代中解放所有的黑奴，但是像这一些的想法在「主流的」基督教教会中是反对英国专制暴政的一个好结果，以及基督徒在神的话与盛行的文化偏见冲突之下，仍然能听从神的话的一个标记。Separation of church and state 政教分离　　A major result of the War for Independence was the dis-establishment of the Anglican Church in America. Other churches lost their special status in the various states as time progressed. Thus, the church became a purely voluntary organization, as it had been in New Testament times. By and large, although the "voluntary church" brought problems which we shall note below, this development invigorated the Christian movement. Relying now only on persuasion by word and deed, Christians organized themselves and worked to evangelize others and influence society. While not, strictly speaking, a change in theology, the emancipation of the church from state control and from state support was a new idea in Western Europe. Since this concept reflected a clearer understanding of the nature of the church the church began to grow more normally than before.　　　独立战争的一个主要的结果是使在美国的英国国教与政府分离，其它的教派随着时间在各州失去他们的特殊地位。因此，教会变成了一个完全志愿的机构，如同在新约时代一般。一般说来，虽然「志愿教会」带来一些我们在以下将看到的问题，这个发展鼓舞了基督教的运动。基督徒现在只能依靠传福音与行为来劝服人，他们把自己组织起来致力于宣讲福音及影响社会。严格地说，虽然这作法并非神学上的任何改变，教会由政府控制及支持中解脱出来在西欧却是新的观念。既然这个观念反映了一种对教会本质较清楚的了解，教会开始比以前更正常地发展。The Voluntary Church 志愿教会　　As various states began to remove official support from the older denominations, new churches and denominations grew and proliferated. A person was now not only free to attend whatever church he pleased; he could also start one. Soon America became a breeding ground for all sorts of new sects. Some held orthodox beliefs; others did not. A vicious cycle emerged: Each group claimed to be correct. A serious seeker for the truth could hear a number of competing claims. The sheer variety produced doubts: Can we know the truth at all. How can all these preachers - each differing with the others - be right. One consequence: Dynamic and independent-thinking men and women would reject the existing options and form their own new group, thus contributing further to the confusion.　　　当各州开始除去对较古老的宗派的正式支持之时，新的教会和宗派因此成长及扩散。一个人不但可以自由参加他喜欢的任何教会，他也可以创立一个教会。很快地美国成了各种不同新教派的孕育之地，有些持守正统信仰，有些则否。一个恶性循环产生了─每一个团体都宣称自己是正确的。一个认真追求真理的人可能听到许多彼此相争的宣称，广泛的多样性产生了怀疑─到底我们可能认识真理吗？这些彼此不同的传道人怎么有可能都是对的？一个结果是，具有,主动及独立思考能力的男女将拒绝现存的选择而组织他们自己的新团体，因此把混乱的情况弄得更复杂。　　Thus, the first decades nineteenth century witnessed the spread of existing sects (such as the Shakers) and the formation of others, like the Seventh Day Adventists, the Mormons, the Oneida Community, New Harmony, the Campbellites (later called "Christian" and "Disciples of Christ") to name only a few.　　　于是，十九世纪初的几十年可以见到原有的宗派(如震教徒Shakers，主张共同生活、共产制、独身主义等之美国基督教的一派)之扩散，也见到其它新的宗派之形成，例如「安息日会(Seventh Day Adventists)」、「摩门教(Mormons)」、「奥奈达教派(Oneida Community)」、「新和谐教派(New Harmony)」、「康宝来教派(Campbellites，后来称为「基督教」和「基督的使徒」)」。Revival and Revivalism 宗教复兴和复兴主义　　Jonathan Edwards' warnings about false religious experiences proved prophetic as the new century dawned. Disheartened by the low state of religion in America, pastors began to pray and work towards revival. After a while, it came. Timothy Dwight, President of Yale, preached a series of sermons that led to a shift from atheism to Christianity within that college. Elsewhere, however, the preaching was not as fully based on the Bible as during the previous Awakening; the meetings were held outdoors; wild, unrestrained expressions of emotion became normal; the crowds might linger for days and even weeks; the atmosphere might be as much like a carnival as a church service, with sellers of alcohol roaming freely among the crowds.　　　约翰生.爱德华(Jonathan Edwards)对假宗教经验的警告在美国这个新国家诞生之后被验证是正确的预言。牧师们对美国的宗教沉落感到失望，因此开始为宗教复兴而祷告及朝此方向作工。经过了一段时间，耶鲁大学的校长提摩太.德怀特(Timothy Dwight)作了一系列的讲道，引导耶鲁大学由无神论转变为基督教。然而，在其它地方的讲道并不像在之前的大复兴时代那样完全依据圣经；聚会在户外举行；狂烈和放纵的情绪表达变得司空见惯；群众可能逗留在聚会所几天甚至几星期；聚会的气氛可能像是嘉年华会而不像教会崇拜，卖酒的小贩穿梭在群众之间。　　These meetings, and the evangelistic campaigns in cities led by men like Charles Finney, changed the face of American society. Rough people on the frontier, moved by the preaching of itinerant Baptist and Methodist preachers, sometimes received new life in Christ and became sober, hard-working, law-abiding citizens; the same changes came over city-dwellers. Church membership multiplied several times during the first five decades of the nineteenth century; there is some evidence that large evangelistic meetings produced this amazing growth. This large mass of Christians helped to forge what was in many ways a very "Christianized" society, as we shall see. The crime rate in Rochester, New York, for example, decreased by two-thirds as a result of one of the preaching series by Finney in 1828. Bars, theaters, houses of prostitution, and other places considered evil were closed down all over the country.　　　这些的聚会，以及在城市中由布道家如查尔士.芬尼(Charles Finney)所带领的布道会，改变了美国社会的面貌。粗暴的拓荒者有时受到旅行的浸信会和卫理公会的牧师们之讲道所感动，接受在基督里的新生命而变成庄重、勤劳工作、守法的公民；同样的变化也发生在城市居民身上。在十九世纪的前五十年中教会的成员增加了许多倍；有一些证据显示大形的布道会产生了这个惊人的成长。这许多的基督徒造成了一个在许多方面非常「基督教化」的社会，如同我们将看到的。例如，在纽约州的罗彻斯特(Rochester, New York)，于一八二八年查尔士.芬尼的一场布道会之后，犯罪率减少了三分之二。酒馆、戏院、妓院、以及其它被认为是邪恶的场所在全国都关闭了。　　Despite these positive results, however, revivalism as a movement received much criticism at the time; in recent years, these criticisms have been renewed and broadened.　　　然而，尽管有这些正面的结果，宗教复兴运动在当时受到许多的批评；近年来，这些的批评再度兴起并扩大。　　For the first time in American church history, untrained Christians were now encouraged to speak out and their words were taken seriously. Some saw this as a welcome liberation from a dependence on a church hierarchy; others thought that people untaught in the Scriptures were given too much authority in a church meeting.　　　在美国的教会历史上，未受过训练的基督徒现在头一次被鼓励畅所欲言，并被认真地看待其意见。有些人将此视为打破教会的阶级制度而欢迎之；其它人则认为教会在聚会中把过多的权力给予不通晓圣经的人。　　On the other hand, as Mark Noll and others have shown, revivalism was a disaster for American Christian theology and thought. Rather than teaching the "whole counsel of God" the travelling preachers aimed at immediate effects through what the ancient Greek rhetoricians called pathos - an appeal only to the heart, not the mind. Often they did not show the connection between true faith and a changed life, the only real proof that a person has been born again. Downplaying the need for careful study of the Bible, they encouraged everyone to share his views about God. Believing that true learning hinders love for God, they neglected theological reflection and study. They lacked the Calvinistic view of God's sovereignty over all of life and so preached what some call a "pietistic" Christianity, one that concentrates on my faith in God, my feelings, and my personal life, but has little to say about the transformation of all of society by God's word.　　　另一方面，如同马克.诺(Mark Noll)和其它人所指出的，宗教复兴对美国基督教的神学与思想是一场灾难。旅行布道家们不是教导「神完整的劝告」，而是以立干见影的效果为目标，所用的方式是古希腊修辞学家所称的哀婉法─只诉诸于内心感情，不诉诸于思想理性。他们经常未指出真实信仰与被改变的生命之间的关连，也就是一个人已经重生的唯一确证。他们不强调仔细研读圣经的必要性，却鼓励每个人分享其对神的见解。他们相信认真的学习会阻碍对神的爱，因此忽视对神学的沉思与研究。他们缺乏加尔文派所持「神之主权高于生活的一切」之观点，因此传讲某些人所称的「虔信派」基督教，专注在我对神的信心、我的感觉、及我的个人生活，但是很少提到神的话对整个社会的改造。　　Nor did the "revivals" necessarily result in holy living and a purer church. Many, convinced that their emotional "conversion experience" had put them right with God returned to their old ways with a false assurance of salvation.　　　「宗教复兴」也并不一定造成圣洁的生活及较纯净的教会。许多人相信他们情绪化的「皈依经验」已经使他们与神和好，以一种错误的救赎保证，继续过着以前的生活。　　Revivalism, in short, reflected - and encouraged - several emerging tendencies in America: A leveling of authority; a concentration upon the feelings and opinions of the individual rather than the thoughtful conclusions of careful study; a belief in the common man; optimism about man in general (thus the emphasis upon "free will" and each man's ability to choose whether he would be saved); rejection of tradition of all sorts (based, often, on ignorance. Charles Finney, for example, denounced Calvinism without ever having read the Westminster Confession of Faith! ); impatience and expectation of quick results. These traits have plagued the American church since then and have hindered the effective proclamation of the Gospel overseas.　　　简言之，宗教复兴运动反映也激励了一些在美国展露的新趋势：铲平权威；强调个人的感觉和意见而非仔细的研究所获致的思考结论：相信平凡人：大体上对人的看法乐观(因此强调「自由意志」和每个人有能力选择他是否要得救)；拒绝所有的传统(经常是基于无知，例如查尔士.芬尼(Charles Finney)从未读过西敏斯特信仰声明(Westminster Confession of Faith)，却指责加尔文教派)；急躁而想要立即的结果。这些特点从那时起就困扰美国的教会，也阻碍了海外福音工作的有效进行。CHANGES IN SOCIETY 社会上的改变　　Greater distribution of the Bible 圣经更广泛的发行散布　　When the supply of Bibles from England was cut off by the War for Independence, the Continental Congress took steps to have Bibles printed in America. After the war, Bibles were again imported from England to meet the growing demand. Publishers added illustrations, Greek pages interleaved with English, notes and comments, and paragraph division to Bibles to make them more understandable. Almost every household owned a Bible and that book formed a major source of ideas and language. People learned to read by reading the Bible. After dinner, the father of the house would take down the big family Bible and read it aloud to the household. Politicians quoted the Bible in their speeches and school teachers referred to it constantly.　　　当从英国供应的圣经因为独立战争而被中断之时，大陆国会(Continental Congress)采取行动在美国印圣经。独立战争之后，圣经再度由英国进口以符合需求之成长。出版社加入了图解、希腊文与英文对照、注释和评语、以及圣经段落分隔以使阅读更容易。几乎每一家庭都有一本圣经，圣经成了思想和语文的主要根据。人们藉由读圣经来识字；晚餐后家中的父亲会拿出家庭大圣经，对家人朗读经文；政治人物在他们的演说中引用圣经；学校老师不断地提到圣经。Education 教育　　In 1808, during the Second Great Awakening, Noah Webster came to real faith in Christ. He had already published many books, including influential textbooks. Within a few years, he had mastered twenty languages. In 1825 he completed his dictionary, the largest one in the English language. Immediately it was recognized as the standard dictionary of American English; it was even used in England. Why mention Webster's dictionary. Because thousands of his definitions contained quotations from the Bible, his principal source. Through his dictionary, Webster instilled Biblical concepts into the American language even more than before and molded the world view of generations to come.　　　一八零八年，第二次大复兴期间，挪亚.韦伯(Noah Webster)信了主耶稣基督。他在此之前已经发表了许多的书，包括具有影响力的教科书。几年之中，他精通了二十种语文。在一八二五年，他完成了韦氏大字典，为英文最大的字典。该字典立即成为美式英语的标准字典，甚至在英国也被使用。为什么在此提到韦式大字典？因为他对数以千记的字之定义引用他主要的参考资料─圣经。透过他的字典，韦伯逐渐灌输圣经观念进入美国语文中，超越了过去任何一个人的影响，也塑造了后来世代的世界观。　　For example, the definition of marriage reads, in part: " The act of uniting a man and a woman for life;... Marriage is a contract both civil and religious, by which the parties engage to live together in mutual affection and fidelity, till death shall separate them. Marriage was instituted by God himself for the purpose of preventing the promiscuous intercourse of the sexes, for promoting domestic felicity, and for securing the maintenance and education of children. 'Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled.' Heb. xiii.... 2. A feast made on the occasion of a marriage. 'The kingdom of God is like a certain king, who made a marriage for his son. Matt. xxii. 3. In a scriptural sense, the union between Christ and his church by the covenant of grace. Rev. xix."　　　例如，婚姻的部分定义是：「1.将男人和女人终生结合在一起的行为；婚姻是民事上和宗教上的契约，藉此契约双方以亲爱和忠诚住在一起，直到死亡将他们分开；婚姻是由神自己创立，目的在于防止性滥交，促进家庭幸福，及确保孩童的养育。『婚姻，人人都当尊重，床也不可污秽。』(希伯来书十三章四节) 2.一个婚礼上的筵席。『天国好比一个王为他儿子摆设娶亲的筵席。』(马太福音二十二章一节) 3.在属灵的意义上，婚姻是基督和祂的教会藉由圣约及恩典结合(启示录十九章)。」(注：现代的韦式大字典已经被大幅修改，除去其中引用的圣经经节和定义，可以说只是使用该字典原来的名称而更换了其内容)　　　Notice the pervasive influence of the Bible in each of these definitions. Americans looking up the meaning of this word in the dictionary would see marriage in a far different light than those watching television today!　　　注意到在这几个定义中的每一个所受到圣经深入的影响。美国人在韦式大字典查阅婚姻的意义时，将会与今日那些观看电视的美国人对婚姻有完全不同看法。　　Webster's famous Speller exercised enormous sway for one hundred years, during which more than one hundred million copies found their way into the hands of young readers. The Speller and Grammars that followed it, like the Dictionary, inculcated Biblical morality through countless maxims and sayings, many of them direct quotations from the Bible itself.　　　韦伯著名的拼字书一百年来具有极大的影响，期间超过一亿本被印行给年轻的读者。如同韦式大字典，拼字书和其后的文法书透过无数的格言和谚语将圣经的道德伦理灌输给读者，因为这些格言和谚语有许多是直接引用圣经。　　One of Webster's enduring contributions was the passage of laws protecting intellectual property. Like the Founding Fathers, he believed that the preservation of property, including intellectual property, the essential foundation of liberty. As he sought copyright protection for his own books, he argued for the rights of all authors to express their views and to enjoy results of their intelligence and labors, free from theft, either by censorship or by unauthorized publication.　　　韦伯持久的贡献之一是使保护智能财产的法律得以通过。如同开国先父们，韦伯相信财产的保护，包括智能财产，是自由的必要根基。当他寻求对自己的书之著作权保护时，他极力主张所有作者有权力表达他们的观点并享有他们智能和劳力的成果，免于被检查制度或未经授权之出版所剽窃。　　Noteworthy also was his promotion of education for women so that they could educate their own children in "virtue, propriety and dignity." He urged young men to seek out a woman characterized by "sensibility of heart joined with softness of manners; an accomplished mind and religion (i.e., faith), united with sweetness of temper, modest deportment (conduct) and a love of domestic life - Such is the woman who will divide the sorrows, and double the joys of thy life. Take her to thyself; she is worthy to be thy nearest friend, thy companion, the wife of thy bosom."　　　韦伯还有一点值得注意的是他提倡妇女的教育，使她们可以教育孩子具有「品德、礼节、和高尚」。他鼓励年轻男性追求具有以下特质的女性：「心思敏锐而举止文雅；熟练于思考和宗教(也就是信仰)而性情温和、行为端庄、喜爱家庭生活。这样的女性会分担你生活上的忧伤，使生活中的喜乐加倍。将她娶来，她配作你最亲近的朋友、你的伴侣、你怀中的妻子。」　　In 1836-37, McGuffey's Readers were published. This series of textbooks soon came to dominate the American educational scene. Although McGuffey drew upon a variety of sources in compiling these Readers, the Bible and its theology formed the basis of the content. That is, Biblical theology stood behind the moralistic lessons and passages from the Bible itself appear frequently. Since McGuffey was a Calvinist, he believed that God's word applied to all of life; his Readers reflect this conviction. The Readers portray God as creator, preserver, and judge of the world; he is present everywhere, he knows all, and he can do all. The natural world comes from God and is therefore orderly and beautiful. We live in a moral universe: God will reward good and punish evil, if not in this life then in the next. Man is created in God's image and bears the mark of his Maker. He should love and trust God, obey his commands, and believe God's promises to forgive those who trust in Christ.　　　一八三六年至一八三七年期间，麦高非(McGuffey)的初级读本被出版了，这一套的教科书很快地主导了美国的教育界。虽然麦高非(McGuffey)在编纂这套初级读本时引用了各种不同的来源，圣经和其神学构成了该书内容的基础。也就是说，圣经神学是其道德教导背后的根据，圣经经文也常常出现在书中。由于麦高非(McGuffey)是加尔文主义者，他相信神的话语适用在所有的生活中，他的初级读本反映出这个信念。初级读本描绘神是一个创造者、维护生命者、及世界的审判官。他无所不在、无所不知、无所不能。自然世界由神而来，因此是有秩序而美妙的。我们住在一个道德宇宙中，神将赏善罚恶，若不是在今世就是在死后。人是按照神的形象造的，具有神的标记。人要爱神及倚靠神，遵守祂的诫命，相信神的应许：他会原谅信靠基督的人。　　McGuffey's Readers underwent drastic revision after his death, but for now we should note that these books,along with Webster's Dictionary and the Bible, shaped American education for at least two generations.　　　麦高非(McGuffey)的初级读本在他死后被作重大的修改，但是现在我们应该注意这套书及韦伯大字典与圣经，塑造了至少两个世代的美国教育。　　Despite the general anti-intellectual flavor of revivalism, Christians understood the need for training their youth. A remarkable proliferation of private, mostly christian, colleges took place in early nineteenth-century America. Just as the early Puritans had founded colleges to provide an educated ministry, so their descendants established more than 150 colleges, mostly in the newly-settled areas across the mountains, in the first half of the century. Since Protestant (and sometimes Catholic) denominations supported and controlled these institutions, the religious character of them persisted for many decades. Clergymen usually served as Presidents and the curriculum blended Biblical and classical studies, with a heavy emphasis upon moral teaching. They raised the educational level of the frontier and helped to spread Christian ideals among the leadership of the new nation.　　　尽管宗教复兴主义者是普遍反智识的，基督徒却了解训练年轻一代的必要性。在十九世纪初的美国，有许多私立的大学院校成立，其中大部分是基督教的。如同早期的清教徒设立了大学以教育牧师，他们的子孙在十九世纪前半叶设立了超过一百五十间的大学院校，大多数是在那些越过阿帕拉契山脉的新开发地区。既然基督教(有时后也有天主教)教派支持并掌握这些教育机构，这些大学院校的宗教特色维持了数十年之久。神职人员经常出任校长，学校课程融合了圣经和传统学科(如拉丁文、希腊文等)，特别强调道德的教导。他们提升了拓荒地区的教育水准，也帮助了传播基督教的理想给这个新国家的领导阶层。Political Developments 政治上的发展　　With the election of Thomas Jefferson in 1800, the Federalist party received a mortal blow. The next several presidents all believed in a strict interpretation of the Constitution, which implied limited power for the central government, "states' rights," and free trade (as distinct from protectionism).　　　当汤姆士.杰弗逊(Thomas Jefferson)在一八零零年当选总统时，联邦主义党遭受了致命的挫折。接下来的几任总统都相信要严格遵守宪法，包括了中央政府的权力要受限制，「州的权力」，以及自由贸易(不同于保护主义)。　　Thus, they tried to stay out of war with European powers. At the same time, they expressed a firm determination to protect both this country and the entire Western Hemisphere from European re-colonialization. The Monroe Doctrine merely formalized an existing concern lest the European monarchies re-impose their authoritarian governments in this part of the world.　　　因此，他们试着不与欧洲强权发生战争。同时，他们表达了坚决的意志保护这个国家和整个西半球不受欧洲的再殖民。门罗主义(Monroe Doctrine)只不过是将已经存在的忧虑写成正式文件，以免欧洲的君主政体重新将他们的专制政府强加在这一部分的世界。　　In 1806, Jefferson turned down an opportunity to use surplus government funds for internal improvements. Such a use, he said, was unconstitutional, since the Constitution gave no authority to the central government to engage in projects such as road-building, canals, education, and the like. Madison, the primary author of the Constitution, vetoed a bill in 1822 which would have funded maintenance of the Cumberland Road. He said that the Constitution gave no such power to Congress.　　在一八零六年，杰弗逊(Jefferson)拒绝使用政府基金的盈余来改善国内建设的机会。他说这样的用途是违反宪法的，因为宪法未赋予中央政府权力来参与一些计画如造路、建运河、教育等等。宪法的主要制定人麦迪逊(Madison)总统在一八二二年否决了一个法案，该法案意欲拨款以维修一条路(Cumberland Road，康伯兰路)，他说宪法未给予国会这样的权利。　　These "Jeffersonian" presidents opposed government regulation of trade also. President Jackson held similar views, on the grounds that government regulation usually favors the rich, who have the means to influence Congress. Likewise, they worked hard to reduce government expenditures and retire the national debt, which Hamilton had favored. They believed that the less government did, the better; a limited government gave scope to individual freedom.　　　这些「杰弗逊」派的总统也反对政府管制贸易。杰克逊(Jackson)总统抱持类似的观点，理由是政府的管理通常偏袒有钱人，因为他们有方法可以影响国会。同样地，他们努力减少政府支出并消除国家赤字，而国家赤字正是当时著名的经济学家及财政部长汉米尔顿(Hamilton)所支持的。他们相信政府做的越少越好；一个权力受限制的政府给个人自由留余地。　　From a Biblical standpoint, these policies make sense. They acknowledge the tendency of power to corrupt those who hold it, the inherent limitations upon the ability of government action to solve problems, and the individual dignity of all men, created as they are in the image of God. Even though some of their political philosophy derived from their faith in the goodness of the common man (reflecting non-Biblical concepts), their distrust of concentrated power led them to uphold the parts of the Constitution that flow from a Biblical view of both the finiteness and the fallenness of man.　　　由圣经的立场来看，这些政策是合理的。他们承认「权力有倾向使那些掌权者腐败」、「政府解决问题的能力有与生具来的限制」、及「所有人以其按照神的形象所造而具有的个人尊严」。虽然他们的一些政治哲学源自于他们相信平凡人(Common Man)的良善性(此点反映出非圣经之观念)，他们对集中的权力之不信任却使其持守那些源自于圣经中「人是有限又堕落」观点的宪法条文。Reform Movements 改革运动　　Spurred on by both a renewed vitality in the church and by the optimism of Transcendentalism, the early nineteenth century produced a number of reform movements. Add to that the thoroughly idealistic view of man held by Transcendentalists and their commitment to continual progress, and you have a formula for boundless enthusiasm for social change. As Emerson remarked, "We are all a little wild here with numberless projects of social reform."　　　受到教会重新注入新活力及先验哲学论的乐观主义两方面之激励，十九世纪初期产生了许多改革运动。以此再加上先验哲学论者对人澈底理想化的看法和他们对继续不断的进步之承诺，你就得到一个配方，以对社会改造有无穷的热诚。如同爱默生(Emerson)陈述道：「我们有无数的社会改造计画，使我们有些狂野。」　　The reforming zeal of Transcendentalists reached into every corner of American society:　　American life was to be rewritten once again in terms of the new metaphysics and the result would be social upheaval which would make the earlier American dream of a democratic utopia a veritable reality in the life of the people. Slavery, education, our legal systems, the problem of war and peace, the role of women in American society, marriage and the family, and the relation of the sexes were all to be reinterpreted in terms of this democratic philosophy, and no aspect of life could claim immunity from investigation.　　　先验哲学论者的改造热忱进入美国社会的每个角落：　　「美国社会就新的形上学而论将要再次被改写，其结果将是社会的大变动，使早些时候美国民主乌托邦的梦想得以在人民的生活中真正实现。蓄奴、教育、我们的法律系统、战争与和平的问题、妇女在美国社会中的角色、婚姻与家庭、以及两性的关系都要以这个新民主哲学重新诠释，没有一个生活的层面可以免于受到检视。」　　Thus, "the Age of Jackson was an era of reform which would not be equaled or surpassed until the coming of Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal."　　　因此，「杰克逊总统(美国第七任总统，一八二九至一八三七年)的时代是一个改革的时代，直到福兰克林.罗斯福总统(Franklin Roosevelt，美国第三十二任总统，一九三三至一九四五年)和 他的「新政」(New Deal)来临之前，没有其它的时代可以与之媲美或超越它。」(引自Singer所着 A Theological Interpretation of American History，六十九至七十页)　　　By what standard would reformers decide whether something needed to be changed. Turning away from the Bible, they looked inside themselves, where they thought they saw a pure reflection of Nature. Whatever "seemed" right would be attempted. Since, in their eyes, man had no bondage to sin, he had no need to know God through faith nor to be changed by God's Spirit. Nothing was impossible. "No problem was too great or too complex that it would not yield to the magic formulas which Transcendentalism which would provide and which they, and their allies, would apply through associations specifically formed for definite purposes and the resulting political action." Americans thus organized to promote temperance, peace, women's rights, educational, labor and penal reform. They especially opposed slavery. In fact, the Abolitionist movement, inspired and led at first mostly by Transcendentalists, brought them their greatest success. (We shall examine this powerful force for radical change in the next chapter.)　　　改革者用什么标准来决定哪些事需要作改变？他们拒绝圣经的标准，而往自己的内心寻求，他们认为在内心之中看到了自然界纯洁的反射，任何「似乎」是对的都该被尝试。在他们的眼中，既然人不受罪的捆绑，人就没有必要藉由信心或圣灵所作的改变来认识神。没有任何事是不可能的，「没有任何一个问题是太大或太复杂而不能用先验哲学论者的神奇药方来解决，这些改革者和他们的支持者，透过为了明确的目的和其政治行动而特别组织的团体来解决问题」(引自Singer所着 A Theological Interpretation of American History，七十三页)美国人因此组织起来提倡禁酒、和平、女权、教育、劳工、和监狱环境的改造。他们特别反对蓄奴，事实上，废除黑奴运动带给他们最大的成功，而这运动在最初大部分是由先验哲学论者所激励与领导的。(我们将会在下一章检视这股强大的根本改革之力量)　　　As part of the general glorification of the common man, Transcendentalists launched an attack on business leaders. They believed that the rich held undue sway over too many sectors of society - churches, legislatures, ships, factories, etc. As one of their journals, proclaimed in 1844, "The Harbinger will be devoted to the cause of radical, organic social reform..."　　　先验哲学论者对平凡人之颂扬的一部分作法，是发起对商业领袖的攻击。他们相信富有的人不恰当地掌握太多社会中的团体─教会、立法机关、船业、工厂等等。先验哲学论者的一份期刊「先驱」在一八四四年宣告：「先验哲学论先驱将致力于彻底而有系统的社会改革运动…」。　　Remember that some Christians also had begun to believe in man's goodness and had turned away from the Calvinistic concept of man's sinfulness; thus, Christians thought they could improve, even perfect, themselves and others. Assuming leadership of various causes, Transcendentalists carried many Christians with them.　　　记得一些基督徒也开始相信人类良善而拒绝加尔文对人的罪性之观念；因此，基督徒认为他们可以改善自己和其它人，甚至使其臻于完全。由于先验哲学论者在许多运动中扮演领导的角色，他们因此影响了许多的基督徒。　　On their own, however, Christians formed groups to spread "the Gospel among Jews, to keep the Sabbath, to suppress immorality, to aid the indigent blind, to help the industrious poor." They founded the American Bible Society and the American Tract Society, distributing millions of pieces of Christian literature. The American Sunday School Union came into being to educate unchurched children in the Bible. The leaders of these movements were often less concerned about man's relationship with God as they were with man's care for his fellow man. Theology had come to mean little; action counted most. They did much good, nevertheless.　　　然而，基督徒也独自成立了团体以传播「对犹太人传福音、遵守安息日、制止不道德的行为、帮助贫困的盲人和勤奋的穷人」等的思想。他们成立了「美国圣经协会」和「美国福音传单协会」以传布百万计的基督教文学作品，成立了「美国主日学学会」以教导圣经给没有上教堂的孩子。这些运动的领袖通常关切「人对其他人的关心与责任」多于「人与神的关系」。神学对他们的意义不大，行为动才是最重要的。尽管如此，他们的确做了许多有益的事。　　Some Christians in the first few decades of the nineteenth century began to think that no problem was too great for God, working through them, to solve. They further reasoned that God would honor their ardent efforts to transform society and that a virtual millennial reign of Christ would issue from their labors. They forgot about - or chose to deny - the Biblical teaching of original sin, which vitiates even the best actions in even the most sincere Christians. They were sure that they knew what was right and how to go about overcoming all evil and establishing righteousness on this earth, beginning in America.　　　十九世纪前几十年中，一些基督徒开始认为，没有任何一个问题是太大而无法由神透过使用他们来解决。他们更推断神会看重他们改造社会的热切努力，并且一个实质上的基督千年国度将由他们的工作中兴起。他们忘记(或故意否认)圣经对原罪的教导─与生具来的罪会破坏最虔诚的基督徒的最好行为。他们确信自己知道什么是对的，如何战胜所有的邪恶，以及如何由美国开始建立地球上的公义。　　This attitude - what later writers would call "triumphalism" - would soon bear bitter fruit, as self-righteousness men came into conflict with each other. Sadly, triumphalism has not disappeared from the Christian church in America; the entire world has felt the consequences.　　　在自以为义的人彼此之间产生冲突之后，这样的心态(作者后来将称之为「成功主义」)很快地长出了恶果。不幸的是，「成功主义」至今仍然存在于美国的基督教教会中；整个世界也受其后果的影响。Experiments in Communal Living 试行公有财产之生活　　Hoping to return to the original innocence of the Garden Eden, various groups founded more than 180 utopian communities. They held property in common and distributed goods according to need, not productivity. Some sects like the Mormons, Shakers, and the Oneida Community abolished the Biblical view of marriage; the Mormons even allowed polygamy.　　　许多不同的团体希望回归到伊甸园中原本的天真无邪，他们创立了超过一百八十个乌托邦社区。他们共享财产并按照需要而非生产力来分配财物。有些教派如摩门教(Mormons)、震教(Shakers)、及奥奈达教(Oneida Community)扬弃了圣经的婚姻观，譬如摩门教甚至允许一夫多妻制。Foreign Missions Movement 海外宣教运动　　After a meeting under a haystack during a thunderstorm, American theological students launched the American foreign missions enterprise. Inspired by the writings and ministry of William Carey, first Protestant missionary, they organized the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions in 1810. Five theological graduates sailed for India to join Carey in 1812. One of them, Adoniram Johnson, was to spend thirty-eight years in Burma. His sufferings, translation of the Bible into Burmese, and Christian character became widely known through a number of biographies. Remarkable also was his married life: He was husband to four women in succession, as one after another of them succumbed to the hardships and diseases of the East. Two of these wives became models for multitudes of Christian women who read their biographies also.　　　美国的神学生在一场雷雨中的干草堆下的聚会之后，展开了美国海外宣教的工作。他们受到第一个海外基督教宣教士威廉.卡瑞(William Carey)的文章和榜样之激励，在一八一零年组织了「美国海外宣教委员会」。五位神学院毕业生在一八一二年坐船到印度加入卡瑞的工作，其中之一是阿多尼瑞.强森(Adoniram Johnson)，他在缅甸度过了三十八年的时光。他所受的苦难、他将圣经翻译成缅甸文的事迹、以及他的基督徒品德，经由许多的传记而被广为流传。他的婚姻也是不寻常：他前后有四任的妻子，一个接一个的死于东方的艰困环境和疾病之中。其中的两位妻子成为许多基督徒妇女的模范，因为她们阅读了这两位妻子的传记。　　Although few missionaries left American shores before the Civil War, the Johnsons and others like them paved the way for what would become a vast and world-changing movement over the next century and a half. This overseas investment would from time to time impact American foreign policy, as we shall see.　　　虽然在南北战争之前很少宣教士离开美国本土，强森和他妻子们以及其它至海外奉献的宣教士，为接下来一个半世纪改变世界的广大宣教运动铺了路。我们将会讨论到，这个海外的「投资」有时影响了美国的外交政策。Treatment of Native Americans (Indians) 对待美州原住民(印地安人)　　Within the borders of the United States lived thousands of native Americans (Indians). The way Americans of European descent treated them illustrates the degree of Christian influence upon the population.　　在美国的边境住着数以千计的美州原住民(印地安人)。美国人对待印地安人的方式，说明了基督教对美国人影响的程度。　　On the one hand, Protestant churches worked closely with the Government to help Indians assimilate to mainstream American culture. They served as schoolteachers and farmers in tribal territories, hoping to introduce nomadic Indians to the Gospel as well as to teach them to read and to farm. They also sent full-time missionaries to work among Indians, especially in the Southeast, where they enjoyed some success. The powerful Cherokee tribe welcomed these missionaries and many churches came into being among them. With their more advanced and settled culture, the Cherokees, who lived in Georgia, seemed most likely to become effective members of the new society. Some of their men entered seminary and became effective ministers of the Gospel. Missionaries to other tribes had less to show for their efforts, but their faithful work demonstrated the concern American Protestants had for the Red man.　　　在一方面，基督教教会与政府密切合作来帮助印第安人同化于美国主流文化之中。他们在印第安部落担任学校教师和农夫，希望能把福音传给游牧的印第安人，也教他们阅读和从事农业。他们也差派全职的宣教士到印第安人当中，特别是在东南部的区域，他们在那里获致了一些成功。强悍的柴拉基族(Cherokee，印第安人的一族)欢迎这些宣教士，许多的教堂也在他们部落中建立起来。柴拉基族住在乔治亚州(Georgia)，在印第安人中具有较进步和较定居性的文化，他们似乎最有可能成为新社会的真正成员。一些柴拉基族的男人进入神学院，并成为成功的传道人。到其它部落中的宣教士所获得的成效比较少，但他们忠心的服事证明了美国基督徒对印第安人的关怀。　　On the other hand, when gold was discovered in Georgia in 1828, the state government asked newly-elected President Andrew Jackson to support its claim to Cherokee territory. Despite protests from White missionaries and a Supreme Court ruling in favor of the Cherokees, Jackson and the leaders of Georgia were able to expel the natives from their ancestral lands. Greed, joined with general prejudice against Indians, overcame the fact that the Cherokees had legal rights, a high culture and, in many cases, a common Christian faith. The bitter suffering of these and other Indians in a "Christian" nation exposed the massive hypocrisy of churchgoers.　　　另一方面，当乔治亚州(Georgia)在一八二八年发现金矿时，州政府要求新当选的杰克逊(Jaskson)总统支持他们宣称占有柴拉基族(Cherokee)部落之土地。虽然有白人宣教士的反对和最高法院对柴拉基族有利的裁决，杰克逊总统和乔治亚州州长仍然用办法把印第安人赶出他们祖先留下的土地。贪婪加上对印第安人普遍的偏见，胜过了柴拉基族有法律权、高等文化、以及有许多人有基督教信仰的事实。这些柴拉基族人和其它印第安人在一个「基督教」国家的痛苦经验，暴露出许多上教堂之人的假冒伪善。Summary 总结　　At the middle of the nineteenth century, America was in some ways the most "Christian" of all countries. Law, education, government, family life - all reflected the pervasive influence of the Bible.　　　在十九世纪中叶，美国在某些方面来说是最「基督教化」的国家，在法律、教育、政府、家庭生活等各方面都反映出圣经深远而广大的影响。　　At the same time, distinctly non-biblical ideas had gained such a strong foothold that they would lead to the Civil War and the resulting decline in the power of Christianity among many sectors of society. Transcendentalism and the democratic ideal spawned a plethora of reform movements destined to fail because of their unrealistic expectations. Individualism, pragmatism, and an anti-historical bent, combined with a watered-down theology, resulted in shallow Christianity and a multitude of new sects. The treatment of Indians and - as we shall see - slaves highlighted an underlying rot. To change the metaphor, chemical reactions were beginning which would soon explode.　　　在此同时，很清楚地，不符合圣经的思想找到了坚固的立足点，将导致南北战争和之后基督教在社会许多层面的影响力之削弱。先验哲学论和民主的理想孕育出许多注定要失败的改革运动，因为他们具有不实际的期望。个人主义、实用主义、以及一个反历史的倾向，结合了一个被冲淡的神学，造成了肤浅的基督教和许多的新教派。对待印第安人和黑奴(我们将在后来讨论对待黑奴的问题)的方式突显出一个隐藏着的腐败。用比喻来说，化学反应开始发生并且很快就要爆炸。Comparison with China 与中国之比较　　The confidence with which Americans faced the early nineteenth century finds its counterpart in the euphoria which gripped many Chinese in 1949, when the Communists triumphed. Seeing the discipline of the PLA and the firm commitment of the Communistyr Party, many intellectuals believed that the new government would finally usher in an era of justice.　　　美国人在十九世纪初期所具有的信心，在一九四九年中国共产党得胜时找到了翻版，当时许多的中国人深深地陶醉在其中。许多知识分子见到解放军的纪律和中国共产党坚定的承诺，他们相信新政府最后将进入一个公平正义的新纪元。　　Sadly, the same error which misled Americans had infected Chinese: Belief in man's essential goodness led to massive experiments with the social order. Alth0ugh some inequities were eradicated, immense suffering resulted.　　　不幸的是，误导美国人的错误也传染给中国人，就是相信人本质的良善导致了对社会阶层的重大实验。虽然一些不平等被铲除了，却也造成了巨大的痛苦。　　Likewise, Chinese Communists saw their nation as the leader of a worldwide movement to establish pure revolutionary governments all over the world. The kind of confidence in their special role in history that motivated Americans for many years also drove Chinese leaders.　　　另外，中国共产党把他们的国家视为一个普世运动的领导者，以建立世界各地完全革命性的政府。美国人多年来那种对自己在历史上特殊角色的信心，也同样驱使着中国的领导人。For reflection: 响应：　　1. To what degree did early-nineteenth century America represent something "new" in world history.　　　1. 十九世纪初期的美国在多少程度上代表了世界历史上的「新」事物？　　2. How did many Americans distort the Christian message and confuse it with democracy and American nationalism. Is there any danger of this kind of misunderstanding among Chinese Christians.　　　2. 美国人如何扭曲基督教信仰并使其与民主和美国国家主义混淆在一起？在中国基督徒中是否有任何这类误解的危险？　　3. How did genuine Biblical Christianity influence American society. What can Chinese Christians learn from this.　　3. 纯正而遵循圣经之基督教如何影响美国社会？中国基督徒可以从当中学习到什么？