Anne Dutton

Through epistolary correspondence, Dutton frequently debated with prominent theologians, [[George Whitefield|George Whitfield]] and [[John Wesley]]. Dutton's use of  rhetorical techniques is seen in her rebuttals to Wesley's beliefs about the doctrine of ''[[unconditional election]]''–the idea that God specifically chooses particular individuals for eternal salvation. In one of these letters to Wesley, Dutton employs ''analogy''–defined by [[Richard Whately]] as “'an argument ‘in which the instance adduced is somewhat more remote from that to which it is applied.'”{{Cite book |last=Herrick |first=James A. |title=The history and theory of rhetoric: an introduction |date=2018 |publisher=Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group |isbn=978-1-315-40414-1 |edition=6th |location=New York London}} She alludes to the well-known narrative of Jacob and Esau, identifying God's favor of one brother (Jacob) over the other (Esau). She then applies this idea of God's unconditional favor to persons of succeeding generations, rendering the two examples analogous.{{Cite book |last1=Dutton |first1=Anne |title=Selected spiritual writings of Anne Dutton: eighteenth-century, British-Baptist, woman theologian |last2=Watson |first2=JoAnn Ford |date=2003 |publisher=Mercer University Press |isbn=978-0-86554-794-0 |series=Baptists |location=Macon, Ga|pages=38-39, 51}}

Through epistolary correspondence, Dutton frequently debated with prominent theologians, [[George Whitefield|George Whitfield]] and [[John Wesley]]. Dutton's use of  rhetorical techniques is seen in her rebuttals to Wesley's beliefs about the doctrine of ''[[unconditional election]]''–the idea that God specifically chooses particular individuals for eternal salvation. In one of these letters to Wesley, Dutton employs ''analogy''–defined by [[Richard Whately]] as “'an argument ‘in which the instance adduced is somewhat more remote from that to which it is applied.'”{{Cite book |last=Herrick |first=James A. |title=The history and theory of rhetoric: an introduction |date=2018 |publisher=Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group |isbn=978-1-315-40414-1 |edition=6th |location=New York London}} She alludes to the well-known narrative of Jacob and Esau, identifying God's favor of one brother (Jacob) over the other (Esau). She then applies this idea of God's unconditional favor to persons of succeeding generations, rendering the two examples analogous.{{Cite book |last1=Dutton |first1=Anne |title=Selected spiritual writings of Anne Dutton: eighteenth-century, British-Baptist, woman theologian |last2=Watson |first2=JoAnn Ford |date=2003 |publisher=Mercer University Press |isbn=978-0-86554-794-0 |series=Baptists |location=Macon, Ga|pages=38-39, 51}}

In another letter to Wesley, Dutton uses a rhetorical device often seen in Old Testament writing: parallelism{{Cite book |last=Alter |first=Robert |title=The art of biblical narrative |date=2011 |publisher=Basic Books |isbn=978-0-465-02255-7 |location=New York |publication-date=2011}}. Coupled words and phrases in her letter include: “blame” and “wrath,” along with,  “set them before thee” and “bring them safe to Glory”

In another letter to Wesley, Dutton uses a rhetorical device often seen in Old Testament writing: parallelism{{Cite book |last=Alter |first=Robert |title=The art of biblical narrative |date=2011 |publisher=Basic Books |isbn=978-0-465-02255-7 |location=New York |publication-date=2011}}. Coupled words and phrases in her letter include: “blame” and “wrath,” along with, “set them before thee” and “bring them safe to Glory” In doing so, Dutton combines Greco-Roman (logos, ethos, and pathos) as well as Jewish rhetorical techniques (parallelism) to refute Wesley’s claim that ''unconditional election'' is not grounded in scripture. Dutton references Scripture numerous times in her letters to Wesley and shows a thorough command of Biblical prose.

==Works==

==Works==