by Dave Paul

There were three prototypes of pastors involved in the American Revolution:

For our country, these were the men who were like the generation of Joshua. They did exploits our children need to know about, and their parents would be well served to understand their deeds and thoughts.

When Dwight became President of Yale, it was a school of skeptics. Professors would not answer student questions about the veracity of the Word of God. One of the President's first acts was to request questions he could field. Students did not expect an answer to queries of the trustworthiness of the Bible. Dwight answered the questions with such ability and thoroughness that in time the tenor of both the faculty and student body turned to the Lord and the result was called the Second Great Awakening!

Born in 1752, home schooled, graduated from Yale at 18. Became a tutor, then joined the Continental Army as a chaplain. His father, a businessman died while he was in the army, so he resigned his commission and help his mother (the daughter of Jonathan Edwards) raise his younger brothers and sisters. At this time he was called to be a pastor, and to help support all his activities he also farmed...and began a school! Many of the students lived with his family!

In time he was elected to the legislature in Massachusetts, and finally became President of Yale, and from that position the innovator of the Second Great Awakening.

Timothy Dwight was thoroughly evangelical in his theology and optimistic about the prospects for the American Commonwealth. Dwight was also committed to Biblical Ethics; he was against dueling even when the President (Jackson) had personally fought at least two duels! His evangelism tactics were thorough, and Dwight is considered easy to read as contrasted with Edwards, and considered by many a better theologian!