The Jonathan Fisher House, Blue Hill Public Library, Sedgwick-Brooklin Historical Society, and Blue Hill Books will host an author event on Thursday, August 8 at 7:00 PM in the Howard Room at the Blue Hill Public Library, featuring Ryan Rindels & Vance Salisbury to share from their new book, Fathers of an Extensive Country: The Lives and Ministries of Daniel Merrill and Jonathan Fisher.

The book illuminates the lives and deep Puritan roots of Daniel Merrill (1765-1833) and Jonathan Fisher (1768-1847), who were New Light Congregationalist clergymen born a generation after the Great Awakening, trained at elite theological institutions, who would themselves ignite and experience revival in Maine’s Eastern Frontier early in the19th century. The co-authors will discuss Fisher’s Calvinism and civic vision, weaving in areas where he and Merrill found agreement, and conclude with thoughts on the connections between the lives of these men and our own.

Merrill’s decision to become a Baptist in 1804 was both an effect and a cause of tectonic shifts in the young Republic’s social and religious landscape, including disestablishment, which toppled the power structures of New England’s Standing Order. Disagreement over baptism was a constant source of conflict, yet Merrill and Fisher continued to focus their energies and attention toward familiar endeavors, shared under the broader evangelical umbrella.

Both were characteristically active evangelicals, engaged in a wide array of causes from circuit preaching to temperance and the formation of Bible societies. The mistreatment of black slaves and indigenous peoples were evils which they confronted through preaching, in print, and advocacy. Each contributed to the founding of educational institutions, some of which continue to the present. As “Fathers,” they shaped the communities they served in ways that would extend past their lifetimes, and to regions far beyond New England.

Ryan Rindels is pastor of Bell Road Baptist Church in Auburn, CA and teaches church history and theology as adjunct professor at Gateway Seminary. His book, Andrew Fuller’s Theology of Revival (Pickwick, 2021) explores early evangelicalism and spiritual renewal among churches with a Calvinistic heritage. Ryan is married to Janai, and they have four children.

Vance Salisbury is a father of three, grandfather of two, and husband of one. He served as a bi-vocational pastor for over 24 years and was the last Postmaster of Camptonville CA. His days are filled with independent research and writing, along with fine art painting and drawing. In 1998, he survived the flesh-eating bacteria and was featured in an episode on the Discovery Health Channel with his wife, Denise.

This event is free of charge and everyone is welcome. Books will be available for purchase provided by Blue Hill Books.