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Gillian Kirsch
24 September 2008
Antinomianism
Antinomianism is defined as “the belief that those whom God has saved are freed from
the commanding power of His laws. They obey God purely out of love, not out of duty or fear of
punishment if they do not obey him” (Carnes, 47). Anne Hutchinson’s beliefs include mystical
revelations such as God speaking to people, the exemption of the saved from following the laws
of the Bible, and the justification of their actions, whether the actions are good or bad; Anne
Hutchinson’s beliefs are considered antinomianism. These beliefs make it clear that Mrs.
Hutchinson is a threat to our Puritan society and why her banishment should still stand. If our
society were to be based on Hutchinson’s beliefs, it would be a society in which a person can
claim to be superior to the Bible and to use God to justify his or her actions, moral or immoral;
our colony will be destroyed and divided. Also, the belief that one who is saved is not obligated
to obey the laws that have been set forth in the Bible is not only selfish but disrespectful. To
believe that one can be superior to scripture is pure heresy. I can clearly see through various
historical events how a small amount of power in the hands of a person with radical views, such
as Mrs. Hutchinson, can lead to chaos and catastrophe for our entire community. Anne
Hutchinson is a clear threat to our colony and we cannot tolerate her unethical and heretical
views.
Anne Hutchinson preaches that salvation occurs through a mystical revelation of God’s
words exposed through biblical passages and claims that God is “speaking” to people through the
scriptures (Carnes, 27). Thus far, the people who claim to be saved in this manner have not
experienced God through a biblical passage concerning death, war, rape or any other horrific
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events, such as Numbers 31:7-18. This passage entails an incredible massacre in which all men
are murdered immediately, the entire city of Midian is burned to the ground, women, young boys
and young girls are kidnapped, soon to be murdered, exempting only the virgin girls who are
subsequently abused and raped by the soldiers (King, 255). Although no one has yet to
experience God through such a passage as this, it is very possible that one of our neighbors will
experience a revelation similar to this and in turn, act upon said “revelation,” hence putting our
community in danger. Anne Hutchinson is brainwashing our fellow citizens to believe that it is
acceptable to use God’s word to justify actions such as theft, rape and murder. This aspect of
Hutchinson’s beliefs clearly illustrates antinomian thought, which our colony cannot accept.
Myself and my fellow law abiding citizens of the Massachusetts Bay Colony are put at risk as
long as Anne Hutchinson is permitted to continue preaching these fallacies.
As a result of following and preaching antinomianism, Hutchinson claims that those who
have been saved are exempt from following the laws established by the Bible. Through this
concept, Hutchinson makes herself and her followers appear superior to the cornerstone of our
Puritan faith, the Bible (Carnes, 33). A concept in which a person believes it is acceptable to
disregard the rules will lead to a dangerous community for all of our citizens. If Anne
Hutchinson preaches that a member of the elect can be superior to the most important aspect of
the Puritan faith, it is a likely possibility that Hutchinson will evolve her theory, and soon preach
that the elect are superior to everyone and everything, possibly even equating those who are
saved to God himself. If Anne Hutchinson is authorized to spread her antinomian religious
notions throughout our colony and the number of her deceived followers continues to grow,
important rules, beliefs and even God could become insignificant.
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There are many historical events that demonstrate the terrible consequences of accepting
Anne Hutchinson and her antinomian idea that disregarding the Holy Bible is justified. In order
to fully understand the consequences of allowing Anne Hutchinson to continue to preach and
spread her radical ideas we must examine similar historical events. It is incredibly easy to draw
parallels between Anne Hutchinson’s case and the Munster Rebellion. A group of radical
Anabaptists seized the city of Munster, Germany and after taking power, Jan Bockelson, an
important Anabaptist figure, declared himself to be the descendant of David, thus gaining more
power. The Munster Rebellion was an event in which Munster was violently seized, Jan
Bockelson and his associates were taken out of power, and executed (Krahn). If we take the
Munster Rebellion into consideration when contemplating Mrs. Hutchinson’s case, we will
clearly find her to be a threat to our society. Similar to Jan Bockelson, Hutchinson gains support
and power every day as her preaching continues. The Massachusetts Bay Colony has the
opportunity to learn from others’ mistakes and prevent Anne Hutchinson from repeating the
Munster Rebellion. If we can prevent Hutchinson from gaining support and power now, the good
citizens of the Massachusetts Bay Colony need not suffer such a violent uprising.
Furthermore, Jan Bockelson took advantage of his chance to take over Munster and
infected it with his radical and heretical ideas in a violent manner, ultimately leading to a violent
and divided community. Bockelson rationalized his violent and terrible actions by claiming that
God spoke to him, and that he was one of the elect. Similarly, Anne Hutchinson is claiming that
God has spoken to her and her followers. Bockelson continued to issue himself more power, and
eventually he declared himself to be the descendant of David (Krahn). Similarly, if Mrs.
Hutchinson continues to preach, it is possible that our key puritan beliefs, Holy Scripture, and
God could become irrelevant. When people such as Mrs. Hutchinson and Jan Bockelson are
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granted the opportunity to spread extremist concepts, they are put in a position to take control of
our faithful colony and essentially sanctify themselves. Anne Hutchinson and her followers’
situation parallels that of Jan Bockelson and his followers, but my fellow citizens and I have the
opportunity to hinder Mrs. Hutchinson from dividing our colony and consequently creating a
dangerous and possibly violent rebellion.
If we consider the importance of the Holy Bible, God, history, and a united peaceful
community, we have no choice but to convict Anne Hutchinson. Mrs. Hutchinson teaches that,
defying the laws put in place by Scripture is acceptable, thus preaching antinomianism and
disobeying the very foundation of the Puritan religion. Hutchinson also preaches that a member
of the elect can use the word of God to justify his or her actions, regardless of their morality. In
order to continue living in peace in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, it is imperative that we find
Anne Hutchinson to be guilty. Mrs. Hutchinson has negatively influenced many good people of
the colony, and jeopardized our peace, faith, and safety. If we wish to remain living in peace,
Anne Hutchinson must not be acquitted.
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Works Cited
Carnes, Mark C., .. Barnard University, and Michael P. Winship. The Trial of Anne Hutchinson :
Liberty, Law, and Intolerance in Puritan New England: Reacting to the Past. 2nd ed. New
York: Longman Group, 2004.
King James Reference Bible. Num. 31.7-31.18. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000. 255.
Krahn, Cornelius, Nanne van der Zijpp and James M. Stayer. "Münster Anabaptists." Global
Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1987. Global Anabaptist Mennonite
EncyclopediaOnline. Retrieved 20 September 2008
<http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/M850.html>