The Puritans

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The Puritans
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How they started

• The original goal of the Puritans was to purge
  the Church of England of its popish
  character.
• They wanted to reform the church, not start a new
  church. Because of this, Puritans were often
  referred to as Dissenters and Nonconformists.
  
• They particularly disliked the use of rituals,
  set prayers, priestly robes, and highly decorated
  churches.
• They felt that a purified church would be more
  pleasing to God.
• Puritans believed that no intermediary was needed
  between God and man, and that each congregation
  should be independent, with elected officials.

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Puritan teachings were based largely on the
teachings of John Calvin, a French theologian and
reformer of the time.

• Total Depravity of Man God created Adam in his
  own perfect image, but Adam in willfulness broke
  Gods covenant. Only Gods grace can revive the
  corpse and save the sinner.
• Unconditional Election redemption is the result
  of the free gift of Gods saving grace, made to
  those predestined to receive it the elect. No
  person can earn salvation through either faith or
  good works. However, the elect who are to be
  saved cannot take their election for granted.
  They must constantly strive to serve God with
  obedience, searching their souls rigorously and
  frequently for signs of grace.
• Limited Atonement Christ died to save only the
  elect. God is not obliged to save any man, for
  all are sinners.
• Irresistible Grace God is totally sovereign over
  his created universe, and nothing can resist his
  will.
• Perseverance of the Saints The elect can never
  be lost, since their salvation is brought about
  by the immutable will of God.

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• The Puritans believed that they could accomplish
  good only through continued hard work and
  self-discipline. They also believed that the
  Bible was the sole expression of Gods will, and
  it was to be studied closely and followed with
  discipline. Discipline was administered by the
  church.

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Americas Inheritance from the Puritans

• Morality and Religion
• Education and Literature Puritans valued
  education because all men were expected to be
  able to read and understand the Bible. Harvard
  University was founded by Puritans in 1636 to
  educate Ministers and those associated with the
  church.
• The Puritan Ethic in Business Life It
  emphasized, among other things, the dignity of
  work, a distrust of leisure, and the suspicion
  that the poor are shiftless.
• Democracy and Limited Government The
  congregational idea of voluntary churches bound
  together by mutual agreement passed into
  politics.
• Frustrated Utopianism The sense that it is
  Americas mission to lead the rest of the world
  is part of Americas Puritan in heritance. But,
  just as the Puritans attempts to build a holy
  city community often ended in disillusionment, so
  have contemporary Americans become frustrated at
  seeing their attempts to encourage democracy in
  the rest of the world fail.

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Typical Characteristics of Puritans

• Acceptance of Gods will as reality
• Preoccupation with Sin and Guilt
• Belief in the Supernatural
• Intolerance of Sin