USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The Half-Way Covenant was a form of partial church membership created by New England in 1662. It was promoted in particular by the Reverend Solomon Stoddard, who felt that the people of the English colonies were drifting away from their original religious purpose.

Detailed explanation-2: -Half-Way Covenant, religious-political solution adopted by 17th-century New England Congregationalists, also called Puritans, that allowed the children of baptized but unconverted church members to be baptized and thus become church members and have political rights.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Half-Way Covenant was created by the Puritans as a way of addressing declining piety. It allowed the children of Half-Way members who were not full Church members to be baptized and get various rights and freedoms in the process.

Detailed explanation-4: -Background. Beginning in the 1620s and 1630s, colonial New England was settled by Puritans who believed that they were obligated to build a holy society in covenant with God. The covenant was the foundation for Puritan convictions concerning personal salvation, the church, social cohesion and political authority.

Detailed explanation-5: -The concept of a covenant or contract between God and his elect pervaded Puritan theology and social relationships. In religious terms, several types of covenants were central to Puritan thought. The Covenant of Works held that God promised Adam and his progeny eternal life if they obeyed moral law.