Henry Alline - Theology

Theology

Alline’s Newlight ideas moved away from, but did not fully abandon its Congregationalist antecedents. Although he was anti-Calvinist on many points he sought a renewal of the belief moving it back to the church of earlier times. The Congregationalist church had by the early eighteenth century become the ‘established’ religion of New England, enjoying its position and perks within society, and generally hardened its position with regard to the preordained few. It “had lost its lay orientation and spiritual radicalism” The church needed to be returned to the people and thus Alline moved to find the church’s earlier, purer form. He rejected the power structures in the church, its idea of predestination, and many of its traditions and ceremonial practices. He may have been “The first North American evangelical to argue the case against predestination..” The new teaching revealed that all people have free will and therefore can be reborn into a personal relationship with God. He portrayed an eternally loving God was waiting for those chose to take the right path. These ideas were heavily influenced by earlier writers such as William Law (see Early Life).

Alline wrote and espoused many sound ideas whereas others moved into the realm of mysticism and some were simply convoluted. He taught that the souls of all humankind are emanations from the same Spirit, that these spirits along with the Angels had lived in a paradise with God. Furthermore that Adam and Eve existed as one combined spirit. It was after the fall from heaven that Adam and humankind took on corporeal form and as a group participated in original sin. He further stated that all time; past, present and future, occur instantaneously and once the time of judgement comes we will all remember our participation in the act of original sin.

John Wesley was sent Alline’s 'Two Mites Cast into the Offering of God, for the Benefit of Mankind' by the Nova Scotia Methodist leader William Black. Wesley concluded Alline theology contained both “gold and dross” and further with respect to Alline's last section of ‘Mites’ dealing with metaphysical mysticism "is very far from being a man of sound understanding; but he has been dabbling in Mystical writers, in matters which are too high for him, far above his comprehension. I dare not waste my time upon such miserable jargon

The success of Alline’s theology in part clearly arose from his charismatic personality and oratorical gift which drew people to his cause. Beyond this he was able to speak to the Planter populace’s spiritual and political lives. The Planters had fallen into a melancholy due to their isolation on a colonial frontier and being marginalised in the conflict arising in Nova Scotia’s sister colonies. Their Calvinism was based on a fear of God and damnation. This could only create anxiety for the greater part of believers as they would never achieve salvation as only the few were preordained to achieve this reunion with God. Few preachers were available to the Planters. Alline’s very own township had not been able to attract a minister into its midst. This lack of guidance could have only left the Planter’s in a spiritual vacuum. The troubles in the Thirteen Colonies further compounded the Planters confusion and fellings of aimlessness, leaving them in an awkward position with respect to both their former neighbours in New England and with the British authorities in Halifax.

With Alline’s theology based on the eternal love of God and the ability of all people; male or female, high or low born, to achieve salvation a path forward was perhaps available. This new radical idea instilled in the Planters a new feeling of identity and security. It pointed the way out of their spiritual malaise and showed them a path whereby they could achieve a nonconformist loyalty to the British authority yet still be viewed by their New England neighbours as standing apart from the British. By default they had found a neutrality of sorts and also began the process of creating a Maritime identity.