Evangelicalism is a movement for the protection and promotion of vital piety in the modern world, with origins in the globalising eighteenth century, and as such embodies a vision for both the world and for the individual. It offered the “power of godliness,” as revivalists would summarize it. As a movement it has successfully travelled between countries and continents and found a ready home in a variety of cultural settings. Indeed, as a “vector of modernity” (Catherine Brekus) evangelicalism has attached itself to several modern institutions or communication pathways, with notable transpositions into several different theological keys. It is a porous and plastic fellowship, able to engage with the world around it, especially for the sake of mission. It engenders a global spirit.
Among its earliest exponents, Jonathan Edwards nurtured its globalising credentials in eighteenth century North America. He presented a minority report among Puritans of his day, who were more likely to reduce their pastoral vision to their own congregation or parish. He wanted to acknowledge the work of the Lord beyond parish boundaries, through a range of gifted individuals, utilising new strategies and organisations. His broad commitment to the “Protestant interest,” as Thomas Kidd has shown, was shaped by and in turn shaped imperial concerns. This paper demonstrates how Edwards’s writing, in particular his History of the Work of Redemption, leverages pneumatology, scientific advances, new spatial awareness born of the Enlightenment, and the characteristics of the Kingdom of God to shape the global credentials of the early evangelical movement. His commitment to praying for “terra Australis” is a significant marker of his own global spirit.