2/19/2007
Age of Reason and Revival I
St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
Puritans and The American Church
• 24 Aug, 1572 St. Bartholomew’s Day
• Various French political factions clash
primarily Royal Papists vs. Huguenots
• Wedding between protestant Henri de
Navarre and catholic Marguerite de Valois
• Many of the protestant leaders were
gathered in Paris to celebrate
• Under the influence of his mother Charles
IX orders all the Huguenots killed
• A semi
semi--nationwide massacre ensues
leaving 20,00020,000-100,000 dead
St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
The Puritans
The Puritans
• A varied combination of groups from
England and Scotland
• Marked by a desire to be a pure church i.e.
free from romish custom
• Joined as a faction under the Elizabethan
rule getting derogatorily called Puritan
• They rejected Elizabeth’s church polity the
via media “middle way”
• Elizabeth non
non--violently suppressed the
Puritans desiring peace above doctrine
• In 1603 James IV became James I
• The Puritans had high hopes for reform
due to his Scotch Presbyterian upbringing
• He disappointed them greatly, he was a
man of learning but not of morals
• Puritans went to him with the Millenary
Petition requesting reform of abuses
within the church
• He denied the petition but initiated a
Conference where he could preside
1
2/19/2007
The Puritans
The Puritans
• Hampton Conference was held in Jan 1604
• James laid down his aphorism “No bishop,
no king”
• The only concession to the Puritans was
an authorized English translation of the
bible, the King James Version
• The ascension of Charles I went even
worse for the Puritans
• Charles was a pure monarch wanting to
rule without parliament
• He appointed William Laud as archbishop
who was a sincere Anglican in heart and a
Roman Catholic in practice
• Laud desired absolute conformity in
church practice/membership
• He restored many cathedrals, rereemphasized the altar in the church and
brought back icons and genuflexions
• During his time many puritans fled to
Holland as well as New England
The Puritans
• Laud and Charles I’s strict
heirarchicalism, and emphasis on
royalty did not sit well with the people
• The Puritans were upset by a loss of
f
freedom,
d
and
d the
th protestants
t t t in
i generall
were afraid of a return to Romanism
• The unrest provoked Scotland into
capturing Charles and ultimately led to
a civil war throughout England
Oliver Cromwell
• Cromwell was born in Cambridgeshire and
went to college but didn’t graduate
• Was a strong propro-democracy
parliamentary member
• Was a very strict puritan in belief
• A leader of the Ironsides Cavalry and a
gifted military tactician
• The New Model Army was a puritan army,
well disciplined and moral
• Cromwell’s disciplined army quickly won
the civil war and took the king captive
Oliver Cromwell
• 16491649-1658 Cromwell set up a new semi
semi-autocratic dictatorship called the
Protectorate with himself as the “Lord
Protector” of England
• He initially tried to deal with the King, saw
it wasn’t possible so had him and Laud
beheaded
• Grew ill and died in 1658 leaving behind a
weak son ill fit to rule
• 1660 Charles II was welcomed back to
England
2
2/19/2007
The Puritans
• After the Restoration of the monarchy
Puritans were targeted for persecution
• Most notably Milton and Bunyan suffered
• Charles II lived very immorally and died
though he asked for a priest on his
deathbed to give absolution for his sins
• James II was worse, he openly converted
to Romanism then gave high positions to
various Romanists in England
• 1689 William III became king and issued
the Act of Toleration giving liberty and
protection to semi
semi--nonconformists
American Christianity
• English Puritans who emphasized the
congregation as the church were the
largest faction of the Puritans and Pilgrims
who settled in New England
• Settlement began around 1620 with the
separatist Pilgrims fleeing from England
• They were followed by NonNon-Conformist
Puritans who joined in Congregationalism
• Primarily settled in Massachusetts they
enforced strict conformity in religion
Spanish Colonization
• In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue
• Shortly after Spaniards and Portuguese
began to settle in the “New World”
• Along with settlement came missions, all
Roman Catholic
• The missions were marked by royal
influence, Old World missionaries,
weakened papal control, and mass
conversion of the natives
American Christianity
• Roger Williams left England under Laud
and moved to Massachusetts
• He worked as an pastor in Salem, but due
to his controversial nature was banished
• He emphasized an extreme separation of
Church and State as well as complete
religious freedom, not just Christian
• 1636 lived with Indians for 14 weeks then
w/ 5 families founded Providence, buying
the land from Indians
American Christianity
American Christianity
• Williams became a Baptist, and was
baptized though shortly after renounced it
as unqualified
• He longed for a true church of God but
couldn’t find one
• He obtained various charters for
Providence and founded what became
Rhode Island
• Was friendly to Indians and helped Mass.
• He died and a tree root took the form of his
decomposing body
• The Religious Society of Friends aka the
Tremblers or Quakers
• Founded by George Fox a zealous,
ascetic, mystic, and outspoken extremist
• He gave no one special consideration or
courtesy, interrupted clergymen and
lawyers
• Was nine times imprisoned eventually
retiring and resting at the end of his career
• Robert Barclay was the Quaker apologist
3
2/19/2007
American Christianity
• Barclay lived in many different systems
gaining a good education before
converting to Quakerism
• He went on various missionary journeys,
was several times imprisoned and died
• William Penn was the Quaker politician.
• Was favored by James II due to family
• His influence allowed him to found
Pennsylvania organizing a colony based
primarily on Religious Freedom
American Christianity
•
•
After persecution ceased the Quakers
settled down becoming a “sober, quiet,
orderly, and peaceful community”
They held to fifteen main principles the
main of which were
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Inner Light
Universal Capacity for Redemption
Quiet Worship
Separation of Church and State
No “Salutations and Recreations”
American Christianity
• Penn founded Philadelphia – the city of
brotherly love
• Pennsylvania became a refuge for Quakers
• Quakers were often persecuted in England
from 16501650-89 ~13,258 Quakers were
punished, in New England 170 were badly
used, 47 banished, and 4 hanged
• Their outspoken radical protests made
them unpopular often parading in
sackcloth and ashes, or nothing in protest
American Christianity
• The Moravian church stemmed from
Germany where the sheltered remnants of
old Bohemian and Moravian Brethren were
• Count Zinzendorf gave the Brethren
asylum in Herrnhut, Germany
• Zinze gave up his court position in order
to become bishop of the Moravian Church
• Founded Bethlehem and Nazareth Penn.
• They made few settlements preferring to
send missionaries off to the wild than
building churches
American Christianity
American Christianity
• They founded missions stations called
Diaspora, for refreshment not membership
• They kept strict discipline but maintained
a cheerful piety and love of music
• Emphasized unity of spirit of doctrine
preferring Christ Crucified and living for
Him to deep theology
• They admitted various denominations to
their communion as long as they were
devout Christians in person
“I know of no other foundation but
Christ and I can associate with all
Christ,
who build on this foundation.”
- Count Zinzendorf
4