Conquering Sin One Cabin at a Time

This is not a book about religion or theology or religious theories. It is a book about seven people who lived two hundred years ago. They were devoted and eccentric enough to jump on a horse and ride into wild territory, enter crude cabins of people they didn't know and convince them that they needed their souls saved. They were the first itinerant preachers.
By today's standards the itinerant preachers were at best obsessive, at worst delusional. In their own era they were at times very unwelcome trespassers. They left their families behind for months at a time. They worked for little or no pay. There were icy rivers to cross, bears, wolves, Indians, "turnpikers" (thieves) and the poorest, dirtiest people they had ever encountered. They had never before seen such deprivation.
Two of the itinerant preachers were Methodists. They were the most aggressive "circuit riders" in the years between 1792 and 1812 in upstate New York. Two others were Congregationalists, one was a quasi-Universalist and two of the preachers lost their formal affiliation with any church. They all had in common a personality that rendered them interesting and quirky enough to stand out even two hundred years later.
The period of time after the American Revolution featured so much westward expansion that personal freedom and self direction became intoxicating and ubiquitous. Methodism came along to offer the right message at the right time - that salvation was available for everyone if they followed the Methodist style of devotion and prayer. This did not sit well with Congregationalists.
Congregationalism was the predominant religion at that time and had been since the arrival of the Puritans. In fact, Puritans and Congregationalists were both Calvinists in theory. Calvinism was becoming a tough sell because it said that the people who were going to heaven were chosen at birth - the theory of predestination. When the Methodists came along with their message of inclusivity, their euphoric behavior during conversions and their free-for-all camp meetings, Congregationalists became disgusted and alarmed at the same time. They decided to send out preachers of their own.
It is difficult to reconcile our modern day view of Methodism and its stately white churches with the ragtag circuit riders who were routinely kicked off private property, denied food and lodging, abused and harassed. They were the outcasts. They preached anywhere people would listen. They held their quarterly meetings in barns. Surprising even themselves, they experienced a growth in membership that was phenomenal in those years.
The differences between the religions made for some interesting feuds. But more fascinating yet was the primitive conditions under which the itinerant preachers lived as they rode circuits of hundreds of miles on horseback in the wilderness. The culture shock was deep for some and they articulated their horror well in journals that have survived in obscure places. Others distinguished themselves in ways that left enough documentary records that we can at least know about their remarkable lives.
There is no claim that the following seven people were representative of all itinerant preachers or their respective religions. Two of them were extremely wealthy, but the others were of more modest circumstances. One was so eccentric he garnered national attention and was in great demand for his antics as well as his message. Two were Ivy League graduates and the others had amounts of formal schooling that ranged from adequate to none.
That they were all sincere and determined in their beliefs there can be no doubt. But they were human as well and subject to all the prejudices and disappointments of people everywhere. Fortunately for us, their stories have not been lost in the passage of time.