2 The making of a pastor-author
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Amy G. Tan
Abstract
Chapter 2 demonstrates several ways that Bernard’s early-career experiences shaped his long-term relationship with the national church as well as his approach to print authorship. It highlights how returning to conformity actually strengthened Bernard’s commitment (when pressed) to abiding under the strictures of ecclesiastical superiors – something that would later influence his innovative approaches to publishing on controversial topics. More generally, it shows how his early engagement in his personal ministry and in print mutually enabled and influenced one another in the service of complementary goals both before and after his period of nonconformity. As later chapters will show, the approaches to authorship and pastoral ministry that coalesced during this formative period would reverberate through Bernard’s work for decades to come.
Abstract
Chapter 2 demonstrates several ways that Bernard’s early-career experiences shaped his long-term relationship with the national church as well as his approach to print authorship. It highlights how returning to conformity actually strengthened Bernard’s commitment (when pressed) to abiding under the strictures of ecclesiastical superiors – something that would later influence his innovative approaches to publishing on controversial topics. More generally, it shows how his early engagement in his personal ministry and in print mutually enabled and influenced one another in the service of complementary goals both before and after his period of nonconformity. As later chapters will show, the approaches to authorship and pastoral ministry that coalesced during this formative period would reverberate through Bernard’s work for decades to come.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of figures ix
- Acknowledgements x
- List of abbreviations xii
- Select chronology xiii
- Introduction 1
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Part I: Religious goals: pastoral approaches to devotion, vocation, and print
- 1 The ubiquity of ‘the devotional’ 31
- 2 The making of a pastor-author 54
- 3 The call to preach and the question of printed sermons 75
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Part II: Audiences: imagining and fostering relationships with readers
- 4 If you learn nothing else 101
- 5 Different audiences, different messages 122
- 6 A bit of parish trouble and a manual on giving 145
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Part III: Innovation: adapting content, genre, and format
- 7 A trial, a guide for jurors, and an allegory 161
- 8 A puritan pastor-author in the 1630s 178
- 9 ‘That all the Lord’s people could prophesy’ 195
- 10 The paradigm of the ‘pastor-author’ beyond Bernard 216
- Bibliography 241
- Index 259
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of figures ix
- Acknowledgements x
- List of abbreviations xii
- Select chronology xiii
- Introduction 1
-
Part I: Religious goals: pastoral approaches to devotion, vocation, and print
- 1 The ubiquity of ‘the devotional’ 31
- 2 The making of a pastor-author 54
- 3 The call to preach and the question of printed sermons 75
-
Part II: Audiences: imagining and fostering relationships with readers
- 4 If you learn nothing else 101
- 5 Different audiences, different messages 122
- 6 A bit of parish trouble and a manual on giving 145
-
Part III: Innovation: adapting content, genre, and format
- 7 A trial, a guide for jurors, and an allegory 161
- 8 A puritan pastor-author in the 1630s 178
- 9 ‘That all the Lord’s people could prophesy’ 195
- 10 The paradigm of the ‘pastor-author’ beyond Bernard 216
- Bibliography 241
- Index 259
