Puritanism

1
Puritanism

• History and Theology

2
The Historical Context

• Definitions
• Elizabethan Settlement
• Solving the pendulum of Henry VIII, Edward VI and
  Mary 1?
• The via media
• The prayer books

3
Puritans a working definition

• A type of religious belief rather than a
  religious sect
• Reformed/ Calvinist/ theology that gave birth to
  Presbyterian/ Baptist/ Congregationalist/non-confo
  rmist.

4
History 1559-1625

• Puritanism rose out of discontent with the
  Elizabethan Settlement which was felt by radical
  protestants to be giving in to popery (the
  Roman Catholic church).
• Doctrine had been made subservient to politics.
• Refugees from Mary 1sts England came into
  contact with Calvin (Geneva). These contacts
  shaped their theology.

5
What does the church look like?

• Various answers, though all from a Calvinist
  perspective.
• All churches corrupted by practice/ contact with
  pagan civilizations/ impositions of kings and
  popes.
• The church must be purified/ restructured
  through biblical supremacy and the doctrine of
  the priesthood of all believers.

6
Puritanism as an opposition movement

• The model for Puritan reform was Calvins Geneva.
• Opposed ornamentation/ rituals/ organs/ vestments
  (popish pomp and rags)
• Opposed ecclesiastical courts
• Opposed Prayer Book legislation of liturgy.

7
Under Elizabeth 1st and James

• By the 1570s Puritans were arguing for a
  Presbyterian / Congregational model
• Outspoken criticism of a liturgy enforced by law.
• Bishops attempted to enforce uniformity of usage
  of the BCP. Target of grievance.
• The Martin Marprelate series lampooned the
  government and the church hierarchs

8
Countering Opposition

• The issue of church hierarchy was problematic
• Richard Hooker wrote Of the Laws of
  Ecclesiastical Polity to counter Presbyterian
  arguments
• Hookers system became the backbone of the
  Anglican church.

9
James 1st

• The Church of Scotland had a different history.
• It was reformed on a Presbyterian model.
• After Elizabeths death, many Puritans hoped that
  when James VI of Scotland became James 1st of
  England/ Scotland, that England would become
  puritan.
• Despite an increase in influence, James was NOT
  puritan, and suspicious of their anti-royalist
  tendencies.

10
Conclusion

• Each new round of religious/ political battles
  during this period created a new crisis. The
  question was whether they should continue in mock
  conformity or separate to practice their religion
  freely. Each controversy led to a new round of
  schisms, and as such, the groundwork was set for
  the eventual heirs of Puritanism from the low-
  church Protestant and evangelical wing of the
  Church of England to the various dissenting sects.