Copyright © 2017 Terry Allen Leap II All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction. A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE PREACHING OF ASAHEL NETTLETON IN THE SECOND GREAT AWAKENING __________________ A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary __________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________________ by Terry Allen Leap II May 2017 APPROVAL SHEET A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE PREACHING OF ASAHEL NETTLETON IN THE SECOND GREAT AWAKENING Terry Allen Leap II Read and Approved by: __________________________________________ Timothy K Beougher (Chair) __________________________________________ Adam W. Greenway __________________________________________ Thomas J. Nettles Date ______________________________ To Monnie, my best friend, my love, my greatest supporter, and to the four amazing children who gave up so much of themselves so their dad could pursue his dream. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Contemporary Relevance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Literature Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Delimitations of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 2. ASAHEL NETTLETON—THE MAN AND HIS MINISTRY . . . . . . . . . . 23 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 The Period of the Second Great Awakening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 A Brief Overview of Nettleton’s Life and Ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Ministries, Conflicts and Movements That Define the Legacy of Nettleton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Nettleton’s Legacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 3. ASAHEL NETTLETON’S THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS . . . . . . . . . 68 Theological Preparations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Nettleton’s Theology Ascertained from His Written Material . . . . . . . . . . 97 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 4. A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF NETTLETON’S PREACHING . . . . . . 154 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Analysis of The Rhetorical Situation Accompanying Nettleton’s Preaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 iv Chapter Page Rhetorical Analysis of Nettleton’s Preaching Using the Five Classical Canons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206 The Response of Nettleton’s Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 5. CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 Critique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 Implications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 Personal Reflections on the Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 Implications for Future Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 v PREFACE Although I am listed as the author of this finished work, it would have been impossible for me to complete without the help, support, and encouragement of a host of others. Professor Timothy Beougher has been a friend and a steady guide for me throughout this project, challenging me to think critically, work hard, and continue in the work on days I felt like quitting. Professors Charles Lawless and Chad Brand have also been highly influential on me and left an indelible mark on my thinking and my ministry. I am thankful for all those professors who have invested time in me throughout the years. Many others have also helped me along the way. My parents, my sister, and my in-laws are among my greatest cheerleaders and supporters, believing in me and pushing me forward. My colleagues in the Ph.D. program are not only scholars who have proven themselves to be challenging thinkers, but also great friends and motivators. I thank them for pushing me when I had no strength left. I have also been blessed to serve a wonderful church family as I finish this project and they have lent their undying support, prayers, feedback, and encouragement. Without all of these, I could not have finished. Finally, but certainly not least, I thank my wife and our children. Proverbs 12:4 tells that “an excellent wife is the crown of her husband.” Monnie, you are indeed my crown. You are my rock. You are a gift from God. You have inspired me, encouraged me, and believed in me when no one else did and it has been your love and sacrifice that carried me through this project. To Lindsey, Ethan, Terah, and Lucas, I owe a debt of gratitude that I cannot ever quantify or repay. You all supported me, cheered for me, and allowed me the time and space I needed to complete this task and I am forever in your debt. I love you all more than words on a page can ever tell. vi I would be amiss if I did not recognize that it is the amazing grace of God in Christ Jesus that gives me life and health and strength for my every day and has made this project possible at all. Jesus sought me and redeemed me when I was an unworthy sinner and it is my desire to present all that I am and all that I do to honor him. My prayer is that our Lord Jesus would pour out his Spirit on his church today for great revival that will empower the church to greater faithfulness to the Great Commission. Terry Leap Williamstown, Kentucky May 2017 vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Evangelicals have long been fascinated by the lives and ministries of salient and successful evangelists. Scores of studies have been done and volumes written about the lives, methods, and ministries of such men as George Whitefield, Dwight Moody, Billy Sunday, and Billy Graham. However, few books have been written about the ministry of evangelist Asahel Nettleton. He is not as well-known as many of the more celebrated evangelists in history. Though he is called by one prominent historian “the principal figure of the Second Great Awakening,”1 he is still a virtual unknown to most. His ministry had a tremendous impact on thousands of people and hundreds of churches during America’s Second Great Awakening. Furthermore, his engagement with the theological controversies of his day played a large part in the shaping of modern evangelicalism and an even larger part in understanding the changing shape of evangelistic ministry in the last two centuries. Though not mentioned often in the popular literature today, Asahel Nettleton was a theological giant in his day. Christians up and down the Eastern seaboard and even in England knew of his powerful revivals and masterful preaching skills. It is said that during the peak years of his evangelistic ministry, approximately 30,000 individuals expressed faith in Christ as a result of Nettleton’s preaching.2 These numbers alone 1Allen C. Guelzo, Edwards on the Will: A Century of American Theological Debate (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 1989), 217. 2Bennet Tyler and Andrew Bonar, Asahel Nettleton: Life and Labours (1854; repr., Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1996), 17. 1 warrant a closer look at his ministry and approach to evangelistic preaching. When one considers that Nettleton was an evangelist who interpreted the Scriptures and carried out ministry through the lens of nineteenth-century Edwardsean Calvinism, a study of his life and ministry takes on even greater significance. In Nettleton, one finds an example of a man who clung tightly to a Calvinistic soteriology and yet maintained a passion for souls demonstrated through a powerful evangelistic ministry. Accompanying the resurgence of Calvinism in the twenty-first century is an ongoing debate about whether or not those holding these doctrines can be passionate and consistent in their evangelistic approach. Is it possible for a preacher in the twenty-first century to hold consistently to the tenets of Calvinism and also have a preaching ministry that is passionately evangelistic and theologically consistent? This question is one of the many addressed in this study of Nettleton’s life, ministry, and preaching. The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze the preaching and writings of Asahel Nettleton in order to discern not only his theological convictions but also the way in which his theology shaped his rhetorical approach to evangelistic preaching, focusing on the close relationship between his Calvinistic theology and his preaching. Background Author Jim Ehrhard calls Asahel Nettleton “the forgotten evangelist.”3 Concerning his relative anonymity, Nettleton biographer John Thornbury sadly notes, “The evangelical church has also seemed content to leave Nettleton in the graveyard of forgotten warriors.”4 One can only wonder how a man of such great prominence and evangelistic success in his day has been virtually forgotten today. Is it possible that, almost 3James Ehrhard, “Asahel Nettleton: The Forgotten Evangelist,” Reformation and Revival Journal 6, no. 1 (1997): 67-68. 4John Thornbury, God Sent Revival: The Story of Asahel Nettleton and the Second Great Awakening (Darlington, England: Evangelical Press, 1988), 227. 2