Timothy Dwight IV

Welcome to the Spiritual Deism Podcast.

Timothy Dwight, President of Yale from 1795, confronted rampant deism and infidelity among the students influenced by French revolutionary ideas and figures like Thomas Jefferson, whom many saw as a deist civil.

In 1802, his preaching sparked a revival, where two students first professed faith, igniting conversions among dozens more, eventually 80 of 160 students.

This shifted the campus from rationalist skepticism to evangelical Christianity.

But you're also going to make sure that you do not give slander and gossip a platform.

This is a good time to bring up the hymn by Timothy Dwight, the hymn that he wrote about the church and his love for the church.

It's called, I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord.

And I found the third stanza.

particularly appropriate here for this point.

When Timothy Dwight writes this, Indeed, we've got to weep for each other.

We've got to weep for the church.

Of course, it means praying for the church.

On July 9, 1798, David Papin, President of Harvard University, issued a strong warning to the graduating class and lectured them on the influence Illuminism was having on the American scene.

President Timothy Dwight of Yale University issued a similar warning.

In 1796...

John Adams decided to oppose Thomas Jefferson in his bid for the presidency.

Thomas Jefferson once wrote in his diary that he heard that Washington never on any occasion said a word to the public, which showed a belief in the Christian religion.

Others like the Reverend Timothy Dwight, then president of Yale College, was convinced of his Christian faith, though he sympathized with those who might doubt because Washington's religiosity was just so tough to figure out.

And that might be by design.

Washington was very private about his religious life, but there's enough evidence out there that we can piece together a picture.