Pilgrims and Puritans:
Calvinism comes to 17th Century America
“From the Reformation to the Constitution”
Bill Petro
your friendly neighborhood historian
05/02/2010
www.billpetro.com/v7pc
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Objectives
By the end of this session you should be able to
•  Trace the growth of religion in America
•  Examine differences between Pilgrims & Puritans
•  Detail distinctives of American Puritanism
•  Outline the decline of New England theology
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Reformation Traditions
Luther - Melanchthon
1517
Lutheran
1532
Calvin - Beza
French-Swiss
1519
Zwingli - Bullinger
German-Swiss
1525
Grebel – Manz - Simonsz
Swiss Brethren
1536
Henry VIII - Cranmer
English
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Lutheranism
Episcopal
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Reformed
Presbyterian
Scottish Presbyterian
Dutch Reformed
Anabaptist
Congregational
Mennonites
English Separatists
English Baptists
Anglican
Episcopal
Church of England
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American Church History
Colonial
National
1787
Calvinism
Theocentrism
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Modern
1865
Arminianism
Liberalism
Biblistic Rationalism Subjectivism
Existentialism
Anthropocentrism
Liberalism
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Pilgrims
•  England → Holland →
England → America
•  1620: Plymouth to
Plymouth Rock
•  102 passengers
•  Mayflower Compact
•  Plymouth Colony:
1st permanent New
England settlement
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Plymouth Rock
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First Thanksgiving
•  1621
•  Gov Wm. Bradford
proclaimed:
“a day of thanksgiving and
prayer”
•  More: billpetro.com/holidayhistory
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Puritans
•  Non-separating Congregationalists
–  Each congregation independent
•  Church of England: true church
•  Repentant church membership
•  England might imitate their “New England.”
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Puritan Grievances
•  Marian Exiles returned under Elizabeth
•  James I: a sympathetic Protestant?
•  Charles I married Henrietta Maria, Catholic princess
•  Catholic lords given important posts
•  Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud’s
“Roman practices”
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John Winthrop
•  1630-1649
•  Governor of
Massachusetts Bay
Company
•  Founder of Boston
•  Sermon: “Model of
Christian Charity”
– “City upon a Hill”
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Colonies:
1650
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Pilgrims vs. Puritans
Few
Many
Early (1620)
Later (1629-30)
Poor class
Upper middle class
Uneducated
Educated
Separatists from state church
Loyal
Settled in Plymouth
Salem, Boston
Wm. Bradford, Wm. Brewster
John Endicott, Miles Standish,
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John Winthrop
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Puritan: Myths vs. Reality
“Haunting fear that someone, Books, music, beer, rum,
somewhere may be happy”
swam, skated, bowled
Wore black
Blue, violet, green, yellow
Narrow minded
+100: Oxford & Cambridge
“Dumme Doggs”
Established Harvard after 6 years
Women sheltered
Literate, well read, managed household
Song-less
A capella, in unison
Minority
1776: 75% of Puritan roots
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The New
England
Primer
(1683)
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Education in Puritan New England
Private Education
Reading, Writing
Grammar School
Grammar, Rhetoric, Arithmetic
Latin, Greek, Hebrew
College
Arts: Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric, Arithmetic,
Geometry, Astronomy
Philosophies: Metaphysics, Ethics, Natural Science
Also: Greek, Hebrew, Ancient History
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Cotton Mather
•  1663-1728
•  Best-known New England
Puritan divine of his
generation
•  Published 450 books and
pamphlets
•  Accused, unfairly, of
instigating the Salem
witchcraft trials
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“Plain” Puritan Sermons
•  Text
•  Doctrine
•  Uses
•  Applications
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New England Bible Commonwealths
•  Sought guidance of Scripture for all
aspects of citizen’s lives
•  Scripture authority in criminal statutes
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The English Bible in the 16th Century
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Wycliffe
Gutenberg
Tyndale
Coverdale
Matthew
Taverner
Great
Geneva
Bishops’
Rheims-Douai (NT)
King James
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1380
1450
1525
1535
1537
1539
1539
1560
1568
1582
1611
Less than
100 years:
9 translations
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Geneva Bible
•  1560 in Geneva
•  Leader: William Whittingham,
sister of John Calvin
•  Used by the Pilgrims & Puritans
in New England
•  1560 – 1630: 200 editions
•  Bible of Shakespeare, Bunyan,
Cromwell’s Army
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KJV Bible
•  Committee of English
scholars between 1607-1611
•  "Authorized Version”
•  1st carried by John Winthrop
to Massachusetts in 1630
•  Supplanted Geneva Bible
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Puritan Ecclesiastical Theory
Church Privileges:
• Communion
• Church Offices
Grace
Covenant
Church
Covenant
Political Privileges:
• Spiritual
• Invisible
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• Physical
• Visible
• Elections
• Civic Offices
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Decline of New England Theology
•  1643: 11% church membership
–  Preaching of the “Jeremiad”
•  1657: Half-Way Covenant
–  Secularized state
•  1677: Stoddardeanism: Very open Communion
–  Secularized church
•  1691: Massachusetts a Royal Colony
–  No religious bans
•  1692: Salem Witch Trials
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Salem Witch Trials
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1-Word Summary
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Catholic Church
Luther
Zwingli
Anabaptists
Calvin
Arminius
“Calvinism”
Knox
Henry VIII
Pilgrims
Puritans
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Merit
Justification
Sovereignty
Believer’s Baptism
Omnipotence
Ability
TULIP
Thundering
Married
Separatists
Saints
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