At the Crossroads: John Fawcett, Anger, and the Shift From Passions to Emotions

Abstract

This thesis examines John Fawcett’s Essay on Anger (1787) as a distinctive contribution to eighteenth-century evangelical theology, situating it within the broader intellectual, pastoral, and emotional currents of his time. Fawcett, a Particular Baptist pastor and theologian, offered a moral-theological framework for understanding and regulating anger—one that stood in contrast to both classical Stoicism and emerging Enlightenment psychology. Through detailed analysis of the Essay, this study demonstrates that Fawcett rooted his theology of anger in the affections rather than the passions, framing anger not as a disruptive force to be suppressed or pathologized, but as a morally formative response to be disciplined under the influence of Scripture, reason, and the Spirit.This thesis unfolds across seven chapters that collectively examine Fawcett’s theology of anger within the context of eighteenth-century evangelical thought. Chapter 1 introduces the thesis, methodology, and background of Fawcett’s work. Chapter 2 offers a more detailed biography, exploring Fawcett’s evangelical influences, relationships with leading ministers, institutional efforts such as church planting and theological training, and his engagement with social reform and hymn writing. Chapter 3 traces the intellectual and theological history of the passions, contrasting the classical and Christian realist tradition with the emerging non-realist psychological framework of the late eighteenth century, and situates Fawcett in conversation with thinkers like Jonathan Edwards and Isaac Watts who shaped evangelical theologies of the affections. Chapter 4 compares Fawcett’s theology of anger with those of his contemporaries—Watts, Beddome, Rippon, and Hall—demonstrating both his alignment with and divergence from broader evangelical efforts to discipline the passions under Christian virtue. Chapter 5 examines Fawcett’s theological corpus, showing how his sermons, devotional writings, hymns, and commentary consistently reflect a coherent vision of emotional regulation grounded in the gospel and aimed at forming Christian character. Chapter 6 offers a close reading of Essay on Anger, exploring Fawcett’s use of classical sources alongside biblical theology to diagnose sinful anger, affirm righteous anger, and offer practical remedies rooted in humility, meekness, and gospel transformation. Chapter 7 concludes the thesis by giving possible further areas of research.