James W.C. Pennington and the New Divinity Tradition

Abstract This chapter sheds new light on how a specific branch of New England theology, the New Divinity tradition, crucially informed Pennington’s religious beliefs and reform efforts. In particular, Pennington’s sermons and other writings reflect the influence of his Yale teacher Nathaniel William Taylor, as they wrestle with the fundamental theological questions of theodicy, sin, redemption, divine government, human freedom, and moral responsibility. However, in his interpretation of slavery as inherently sinful and contrary to the Bible, Pennington strongly diverged from Taylor and drew on other strands of the New Divinity tradition to articulate his own unique version of an abolitionist, reform-oriented Black Calvinism.