Welcome to five minutes in church history hosted by Dr Stephen Nichols, where we take a little

break from the present to go exploring the past. Travel back in time as we look at the people,

events, and even the places that have shaped the story of Christianity.

This is our story, our family history. Let's get started.

On March 28, 1754, Jonathan Edwards preached an installation sermon for his good friend Edward

billing in the town of Greenfield, Massachusetts.

This was not the first installation sermon

that Edwards had preached for Billing.

He also preached his installation sermon back on May 7,

1740.

At that point, Billing was at the church in Cold Spring, Massachusetts.

Cold Spring was renamed to Belchertown in honor of the governor of Massachusetts, Jonathan Belcher.

Belcher was actually governor of Massachusetts while Edwards lived in Massachusetts.

Then Belcher moved to the colony of New Jersey. He was also the governor of New Jersey.

And he was the governor of New Jersey while Edwards lived in New Jersey for those few brief months in 1758 before he died there in Princeton.

But we're back in Massachusetts and in 1740 Billing starts his ministry at Cold Spring Church and all as well until we hit the

communion controversy.

Now this is the controversy that is also going to ricochet through the congregation in Northampton, Massachusetts.

This is the controversy that eventually is going to lead to Edwards' dismissal in 1750. He was dismissed from his church on June 22nd, 1750. In those days

the Congregational Churches in that area had formed ministerial associations.

They sort of functioned like presbyatories.

These churches within a certain region would band together and they would have a ministerial

...