Church Life

Abstract

Chapter 7 examines how Franklin was a keen observer of religion in Philadelphia and even took sides in the disputes that were likely to develop amid the Protestant diversity of Pennsylvania. In particular, he followed closely and was vocal about the heresy trial of Samuel Hemphill, that revealed doctrinal differences among Presbyterians. This was surprising if only because of his own counsel to himself to avoid public controversy. Franklin also befriended the evangelist and Anglican priest, George Whitefield, the figure who inspired a trans-Atlantic awakening. Franklin’s involvement in colonial religious life was one more indication of the hold that Protestantism had on him.