John Winthrop " A model of Christian Charity"
A Model of Christian Charity
A model of Christian charity is a religious thought developed by John Winthrop in 1630 explaining the existence and justification of the different classes in the universe. He refers to God as the most holy, wise, and the provider of everything. He justifies that in almost all the societies, there must be class differences. John Winthrop in his school of thought gives more prominence to serving others just like a King who is surrounded by many officers and workers at his disposal. He views an example of a perfect society where the rich treats and appreciate the workers with respect, dignity, love, mercy, gentleness, and compassion to create space for the poor in the society.
Similarly, he also expects the poor not to envy their masters or even attempt to turn against them but rather display patience, obedience, and tolerance. In reference to the above, he identifies the inevitable bond existing amongst the people because of the interdependence even though there are different classes. Therefore, to make it simple, he articulates that, despite the differences, all human beings are the same before the Highest God. This paper is aimed at demystifying the need for interdependence, love, compassion, mercy, and good neighborhood among people in the society irrespective of the classes in existence.
Figurative devices
Winthrop gets the Puritans to get the purpose of his message by incorporating figurative language.
Repetition
The audience gets to use repetition to try and emphasize on the need for interdependence in the society no matter the social class. Winthrop asserts “rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together,” through this, the audience is able to get the stressed points brought out in the sermon (Winthrop 9). The word “together” stressed out the emphasis of Winthrop on the need for unity among the Puritans in the community. Repetition of the speech helps the audience to get Winthrop message that only community members working as a whole can get salvation.
Biblical allusions
Through the allusions of biblical text, Winthrop states that men need to abide by Godly laws, by even showing justice and mercy to one another for them to survive in the colony. The people can show justice and mercy by ensuring they “do good to all” and never denying the poor any items they might be in need of for their survival (Winthrop 2). The Puritans got to recognize the allusions since they were well versed with the Scriptures and the Bible. Throughout the sermon, the bible is used as the center of reference.
Metaphors
Winthrop makes use of metaphors derived from the bible to place emphasize on vital ideas. Through use of the Bible, Winthrop gives a reassurance to the Puritans and warns them beforehand on the future. Winthrop offers encouragement to the audience for them to gain prosperity in God’s covenant and then expresses the result of “avoiding this shipwreck” by building a good neighborhood (Winthrop 9). However, Winthrop gives a warning to the Puritans that they “shall be as a city upon a hill” and act as a model to other societies, and therefore the community at Massachusetts Bay had the responsibility of being a model community that held the word of God close, filled with love, compassion, mercy for everyone in the society (Winthrop 9). Winthrop gives through the sermon gives the audience a pessimistic threat and appositive affirmation.
Themes
Charity and compassion
Charity is a means through which the rich and the poor show grace, mercy, love and gentleness to one another and thus bringing out the interdependence that should exist in the society.
The actual title of Winthrop’s speech, “A Model of Christian Charity”, it mainly deals with the notions of being of help to anybody in want. Winthrop assert that it is the foundation of the new community Winthrop alongside the audience are filled with hope they will bring up in America. As per the notion of the wealthy colonist, charity represents a means of the actions they offer to God. Grell Peter in his article “Health Care and Poor Relief in 18th and 19th Century," is in support of Winthrop’s principles. He argues that in Northern and Southern Europe, there existed class differences. With the emergence of industrialization and reformation, the Catholic Churches of the South instituted organizations through which they helped the poor since it wasn't known whose responsibility was to take care of the poor and the sick. The church identified this service as one of the ways of serving God through the poor and the sick. Towards the 19th Century, there was a great emphasis on the development of institutions aimed at helping the poor and the sick.
Through the initial part of the sermon Winthrop explains that “it is God’s will that some people are wealthy while others are poor” (Winthrop 2). This variations in wealth is God’s ways of testing our charity, since if every person had equal measures of wealth or prosperity there would then be no need to give or help one another. Winthrop views this to be God’s test to make certain ” that the rich and mighty should not eat up the poor, nor the poor and despised rise up against and shake off their yoke” (Winthrop 4). According to Ram et al. in their article "Religious people, religious congregations, and volunteerism in human services” articulates that religious influences on social movements have a significant impact in the performance in the voluntary organizations associated with minimal political interest. Religious values and beliefs all originate from one tradition; concerned with sacrificing their pleasure and comfort for the service of others in need. It is encouraged across all religious divide; Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Sikhs, and Muslims to always be compassionate for the orphans, widows, refugees, and displaced people through kindness and charity.
Additionally, the speech brings about charity as an important factor in societal interdependence. Winthrop feels that charity could be offered by God Himself, because God is like a king who is “more honored in dispensing his gifts to man by man, than if he did it by his own immediate hands” (Winthrop 3). Charity is shown as a means of bringing people together into a much tighter community, since it needs the people to interact effectively between the person giving and the person who is receiving.
There is much reference in the book on the need to help others, and this is not only the poor people in the community, but also the community in general and how Christians can show charity. Charity can include giving material goods and money to people who are in need. According to Winthrop, worldly riches or things “are subject to the moth, the rust, the thief,” and thus people should not keep more than what they need for themselves and their families (Winthrop 3). People can also show charity by forgiving a debt owed to them. According to Winthrop, lending is not charity. People can also charity by loving others without expecting to receive anything in return. “To love and live beloved is the soul’s paradise both here and in heaven” (Winthrop 6).
The article by Reynolds, Julia, and John, examines the need to only have just enough to ourselves to avoid wastage. They examine edible food products that have always been disposed of as waste products with an approximation of 45% - 70% of organic solid waste. These organic wastes are mostly the manufactured foods that have been used due to overproduction, damage, expiration, and other considerations. This article found out how the NGO's turned these organic wastes disposed into edible food for the needy families and communities across over 60 countries precisely in Australia. Rapidly enough, the food rescue has garnered popularity and recommendations because of the compassionate ministry that they have developed to help the needy countries get food and support from the waste products of the developed countries.
Downs David in article "Charity, Reward, and Atonement in Early Christianity" stresses on the importance of charity as depicted in the early churches precisely, in the ancient Judaism. He argues that an act of giving during the early Christianity was a way of atoning sin. The action was meant to cleanse and gives someone an opportunity of being forgiven by God. In his research, he stressed that it was necessary for Christians to engage in almsgiving; rooted in their scriptures for an individual to get a reward for helping an individual or a community that is needy; thus, charity and donation is something that is worth a reward by God.
Communalism
Communalism ensures the interest of the community are placed first, before individual interests. Principles set in the sermon by Winthrop, are a reflection of the communalism ideas. Additionally, in communalism, people get to share duties and resources equally among all its members. Throughout the sermon by Winthrop, he clearly demonstrated the ideas of communalism.
Winthrop believes that inequality in wealth is actually the will of God and that at the same time, it is the duty of all followers of God to help correct these variations in the society to their level best. “If thy brother be in want and thou can’t help him, thou needs not make doubt of what thou should do, if thou lovest God thou must help him” (Winthrop 4) Through the act of giving, both the giver, who serves God and the receiver get to benefit, and it is also meant for the maintenance and good of the whole.
Moreover, in the speech, Winthrop states that, “Hence it was that in the primitive Church they sold all, had all things in common, neither did any man say that which he possessed was his own.” The speech was used when Winthrop was giving a comparison between the new society and the communes that existed in the olden religious tradition. According to Winthrop, periods of peril should be characterized by people being more welcoming to others and having less respects to themselves and their rights (Winthrop 5). This suggestively means that the interest of the community should be placed before the individual interest.
However Andreoni and others in their article, "Diversity and Donation" examine the relationship between diversity and donation to public and private sectors. In their work, they articulate that there is a negative relationship existing between religious diversity and the number of donations given by different societies. For examples, the Catholics would donate more if their population is more in a particular diversity context. Imperatively, it is evident that people are more likely to donate more to a society that is less diverse as compared to a society that is composed of different perceptions and interests. Therefore, a better solution to this probe is to avert and shun away the differences that exist amongst people in a bid to increase donations to the needy societies. However, according to Winthrop the Puritans should help one another, despite the diversities that exist between them in social class or even religion.
In general conclusion, all the above themes and figurative devices have no other message but compassion to the poor, vulnerable, and needy communities. As articulated by John Winthrop and other supportive materials, it is evident that the most honorable thing in this world is none other than serving others irrespective of our classes. Moreover, across the entire religious divide, the most important virtues and values are; love, charity, mercy, and service to others rooted in the scriptures. It is; therefore, a confirmation that donation is one of the most respected services one could offer.
References
Andreoni, James, et al. "Diversity and donations: The effect of religious and ethnic diversity on charitable giving." Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 128 (2016): 47-58
Cnaan, Ram A., Amy Kasternakis, and Robert J. Wineburg. "Religious people, religious congregations, and volunteerism in human services: Is there a link?" Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 22.1 (1993): 33-51.
Downs, David J. Alms: Charity, Reward, and Atonement in Early Christianity. Baylor University Press, 2016.
Grell, Ole Peter. Health care and poor relief in 18th and 19th century southern Europe. Routledge, 2017.
Reynolds, Christian John, Julia Piantadosi, and John Boland. "Rescuing food from the organics waste stream to feed the food insecure: an economic and environmental assessment of Australian food rescue operations using environmentally extended waste input-output analysis." Sustainability 7.4 (2015): 4707-4726.
Winthrop, John, "A Model of Christian Charity”.casa-arts.org. Retrieved from http://www.casa arts.org/cms/lib/PA01925203/Centricity/Domain/50/A%20Model%20of%20Christian% 0Charity.pdf
