While much has been written on Benjamin Franklin's view of religion, less has been written on his Christian theology. This article first situates Franklin as an important figure in the religious Enlightenment, connecting his own view of philosophy to his teachings on Christian revelation. Providing historical context on the subscription debates, it then gives a comprehensive treatment of Franklin's Christian theology in the 1735 Hemphill affair. New scholarship on Franklin's transatlantic sources confirms that, far from attempting to undermine Christianity, he appealed to popular European writers in an attempt to bend it to reasonable ends. Moreover, Franklin's own views on church polity and liturgy developed over time. As he rose from a middling artisan to political power, he saw both the need for religious appeals and the threat that competing sects posed to political unity. His focus shifted from religious freedoms in private associations to institutionalizing elements of Christian teachings in education, charity, commerce, and defense. His experiences with rigid Presbyterian orthodoxy and chaotic New Light enthusiasm also awakened him to the need for more reasonable forms of worship, and he set to the task of experimenting with Christian liturgies to achieve both the tranquility of parishioners’ minds and social unity.

中文翻译：

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本杰明富兰克林与基督教的合理性

尽管关于本杰明·富兰克林的宗教观的文章很多，但关于他的基督教神学的文章却很少。本文首先将富兰克林定位为宗教启蒙运动中的重要人物，将他自己的哲学观与他对基督教启示的教义联系起来。提供订阅辩论的历史背景，然后全面处理富兰克林在 1735 年亨普希尔事件中的基督教神学。对富兰克林跨大西洋资料来源的新研究证实，他并没有试图破坏基督教，而是呼吁流行的欧洲作家试图将其弯曲到合理的目的。此外，富兰克林自己对教会政体和礼仪的看法随着时间的推移而发展。当他从一个中等工匠成长为政治权力时，他既看到了宗教诉求的必要性，也看到了相互竞争的教派对政治团结构成的威胁。他的关注点从私人协会的宗教自由转向教育、慈善、商业和国防领域的基督教教义的制度化。他对长老会正统和混乱的新光热情的经历也唤醒了他对更合理的敬拜形式的需要，他开始尝试用基督教礼仪来实现教区居民的心灵安宁和社会团结。