Puritan Wrap-up (Transcript of my hand written notes)
Puritans & Predestination
“Double” Predestination
1. God has determined who will be the “Elect” or those that will be saved.
2. Conversion experience whereby a person has to prove their spiritual worthiness with evidence of having received divine grace.
Key Terms/Concepts
“Elect” – Those that have been chosen or destined to be saved/receive God’s grace.
“Saint” – A recipient of God’s grace that has NOT had a conversion experience.
“Visible Saint” – Individuals that have been graced by God with a successful conversion experience
and demonstrated a life of piety.
Puritan migration to New England dropped off after the English Civil War. The vast majority of Puritans
emigrated during a brief window of time, between 1630 and 1660. Estimates range from 25-30,000 English
Puritans arrived in American during this window. While a small trickle of Puritans will continue to make the
trip, the vast majority of the population growth is from natural means.
By 1650…
 the number of new Visible Saints is in decline – especially among men
 non-Pilgrims are migrating to New England in larger numbers
 growing differences over scriptural (Biblical) interpretations
 the half-way covenant was an effort to revitalize the church and encourage piety among the new generation of Puritans, this concession
allowed the grandchildren of visible saints to be baptized
Puritans and the Democratic Tradition
Important to remember that spiritual freedom was the source of all other freedoms for Puritans. Calvin called the Puritan church a “spiritual
republic”. The following characteristics help you to understand the resulting independent nature of the Puritans.
 Puritans rejected control of a church hierarchy and insisted on local control (congregationalism)
 Puritans rejected all distinctions of rank and claims to superiority from wealth or privilege, thus making for a more egalitarian
society
 This “Spiritual Republic” was based on the Puritan belief that
1) the will of the people was the only legitimate source of political power
2) political power was most properly delegated by the people via elections
3) in ecclesiastical government, the clergy & laity were entitled to equal authority
The above characteristics are
Congregations
Local government was highly
What they will demand from
how they ran their
often created
reflective of this organization.
the colonial, and national
congregations.
towns.
government, later.
Puritans & Education
 Protestants rejected Catholic control of knowledge & learning (had to know the secret code – Latin)
 Puritans had a long commitment to education/reading – supported printed materials (when man can read the Bible for himself, he no
longer needs the clergy)
 Puritans didn’t build cathedrals, they built schools and universities – Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.
 Puritans provided education (often compulsorily) to most children in New England.
Puritan Egalitarianism
 rejected all concepts of rank or distinction of class & wealth
 wealth was generally better distributed in New England – when compared to the South – and rarely equated to additional
political power and/or influence
The Great Awakening
 The Challenge of the Enlightenment: Reason vs. Faith
 Think of the Great Awakening as a Protestant Counter-attack!
 The Problem with many Protestant denominations was that their liturgy/services were too intellectual for average people and were
losing their appeal – especially those that required a conversion experience.
 Some Protestant theologians felt that their religious message was missing its mark. Instead of aiming their religious message at the
intellect (the head/brain) of a person, they wanted to refocus on a person’s soul (heart).
 Characteristics of the Great Awakening:
 wanted to make religion more emotionally appealing
 simplified the conversion process and made it much more personal (individual)
 emphasized the personal/individualized nature of faith, which was very democratizing
 encouraged the questioning of authority