Puritan Theology: Influences and Origins

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Sean Thackurdeen

Due to religious persecution from the Church of England., the Puritans embarked on a journey leading to America. They were deeply influenced by the opposition towards them. This influence proved to the Puritans that action had to be taken. The Puritan democracy eventually won a place in the English system however; a more government controlled Church encouraged the Puritans to disembark to America to become “pure.”

The Puritans, who came to Massachusetts Bay after the Pilgrims came to Plymouth, came to set up a theocracy, a "city on the hill" that would show the rest of Europe, especially England with its religion that they regarded as corrupted, just what a religious community could be. They were quite fervent, and the ministers were the community leaders. Their doctrines stressed original sin--that all people are sinners (for Adam sinned), but that God, in his infinite mercy, has chosen to save a few. Since He knows everything, he knows who will be saved (and in Heaven) and who will be damned to Hell; however, a person does not know for sure if he or she is saved. Therefore, the Puritans were constantly examining their lives, especially their thoughts and inclinations, to see if they indicated whether they might be saved. They knew that people who "seemed" to live good lives might in fact be sinners and damned (although they recognized that all were sinners.) This inward analysis didn't seem to do much for their lives, sometimes; they did not believe that you could be saved by how you lived, but that how you lived might indicate whether you were saved or not. A couple of generations later, people in Massachusetts had lost much of their attachment to the religion they had been born into, for they had never had to stand up for their faith against prosecution and life was pretty prosperous.

The picture that I have chosen was pictured in many of the “Elect” households. It represents a goblet, a piece of communion bread, and of course the Holy Bible. There are also many of the Calvinist and Puritan doctrines and concepts of the Puritans. This is related to my topic because it depicts the major religious devotion of the Puritans.

Puritan Concepts:

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Puritan Concepts:

Original Sin. Because Adam sinned, every human is born sinful. This concept of Original Sin has no exceptions; in Michael Wigglesworth's poem "The Day of Doom," even babies who died at birth were condemned to hell (if that fate had been predestined for them). Redemption requires the preliminary overwhelming consciousness of one's own sinful nature.
Unconditional Election. God "saves" those he wishes, the doctrine of predestination. Because God is all-knowing, He already knows the final destination of every soul. Although all "deserve" to go to hell because of original sin, God in his mercy has chosen to save a few. However, a person cannot be totally certain of his or her Election, and thus must constantly examine his or her life and motives to see if they show signs of God's grace.
Limited Atonement. Jesus died for the chosen Elect only, those predestined for heaven, not for everyone.
Irresistible Grace. God's grace, or merciful love, is freely given (to the Elect) but it cannot be earned or resisted. A person cannot "work" his or her way into heaven. However, if truly saved, he or she will want to live as a saint.
Perseverance of the "Saints." The Elect have full power to interpret the will of God, and to live uprightly.

Bibliography

The World Book Encyclopedia, P volume 15, Field Enterprises Corp. Copyright 1977.
A Puritans Mind:
Puritan Theology:

The Great Awakening

By Zhong Li

In the early 1700s, the American colonies were growing in population and prospering economically. However, as the colonies grew wealthier, there was a decline in church growth. In New England, as the Puritan faith was dwindling, a few individuals set out to revive the spiritual faith by preaching, thus beginning the Great Awakening.

There was no specific time for when the Great Awakening began, since it started as early as 1679 but eventually died out and would be sparked up periodically. The main period of this spiritual revival would be the 1740s. It started because the Puritans felt that there was a decline in piety and people were becoming corrupted. The younger generations would forget the Puritan theocracy and partied with their friends all night. Soon there was population increase indicating immoral activities.

The Great Awakening had many famous figures; among them were Theodore Frelinghuysen, Jonathan Edwards, and George Whitefield. In New Jersey, where the Great Awakening initially started, German Pastor Theodore Frelinghuysen told his listeners to experience God's work rather than just believe godliness. In Northampton, Massachusetts, Jonathan Edwards preached that salvation is in the hands of God that God will save whoever he pleases. George Whitefield preached many towns such as Philadelphia and New Haven about how sinners can go to heaven if they believe in Jesus Christ. Whitefield's sermons touched many of his listeners including Benjamin Franklin. The listeners of these preachers helped spread the news of the Awakening.

The Great Awakening was a spiritual revival to bring Puritans and other religious groups into the awareness of the need to strengthen their faith and religious beliefs. In New England, the revival was a success as 25,000 to 50,000 out of 300,000 people were added to the church from 1740-42. The influence of Christianity strengthened in the colonies and four fifths of the Americans gained a common understanding of the religion and its evangelical purposes.

Sources:

Jonathan Edwards

By: Ting Gong

Jonathan Edwards was born on October 5, 1703 in Windsor, a town in Connecticut. He entered the work of ministry, probably to follow in his father's footsteps, Reverend Timothy Edwards, who was a minister of the gospel on the east side of Connecticut River in Windsor. Jonathan attended Yale College in the year of 1716, and obtained the Bachelor degree of Arts in September 1720, at the age of 17. Even though he was good in arts and sciences, he developed a taste for Natural Philosophy. While living at his college during his first degree, he prepared for the work of ministry, then passing the necessary trials, which allowed him to receive a license to preach. He was sent to New York, and preached there for 8 months. Edwards was a very devoted man of religion. He would pray and fast in secret. While preaching, because of his solemness, his face seemed to shine to others. In his now famous book "Freedom of Will", he insisted that a man had freedom if forces outside forced him to allow others to choose his own alternative course. He married Sarah Pierpont in July of 1727. In February 1729 he became full pastor after Solomon Stoddard who was
his late grandfather, but in the year of 1750 Edwards was dismissed as a pastor. Edwards then becomes a pastor and missionary to the Indians of Stockbridge, MA. The College of New Jersey, which is now Princeton, had voted Edwards as President in the year of 1758, which then Edwards passed away on March 2, 1758 which was only a short time after Edwards was asked to be President.

Sources :
World Book of Encyclopedia

How Asceticism Grew out of Puritan theology- Adolph Bellamy

A lot of asceticism grew out of Puritan theology. Three Main ones are sex, Impulsive enjoyment, and theatres. Puritans believe that sex is a gift from God. All married Puritan couples should engage in sex with delight. If the woman felt that the man was neglecting his sex life, she would first complain to her pastor and then to here whole congregation that her husband was neglecting her sex life, and then the church would excommunicate him.

Impulsive enjoyment of life, which leads away from work and religion, was an enemy of rational asceticism. Whether it was in form of seigniorial sport, or the enjoyment of the dance hall or the public house of the common man. Gambling and serious drinking is strictly condemned. Sport is accepted if it served a rational purpose that of recreation necessary for physical efficiency, but it was under suspicion.

Theatres are obnoxious towards the Puritans and with the strict exclusion of the erotic and nudity from the realm of toleration; a radical view of either literature or art could not exist. The conceptions of idle talk, of superfluities, and of vain ostentation, all designations of an irrational attitude without objective purpose, thus not ascetic, and especially not serving the glory of God, but of man, were always at hand to serve in deciding in favor of sober utility as against any artistic tendencies. This was especially true in the case of decoration of the person, for instance clothing. That powerful tendency toward uniformity of life, which to-day so immensely aids the capitalistic interest in the standardization of production, had its ideal foundations in the repudiation of all idolatry of the flesh.

Sources: 1-

2- http://www.humanismbyjoe.com/Puritans_Dark_Side.htm