What is Puritanism and why is it important?
What Is Puritanism? Puritans was the name given in the 16th century to the more extreme Protestants within the Church of England who thought the English Reformation had not gone far enough in reforming the doctrines and structure of the church; they wanted to purify their national church by eliminating every shred of Catholic influence.
What happened to the Puritans after the English Civil War?
In fact, many Puritans returned to England during the war. „In 1641, when the English Civil War began, some immigrants returned to fight on the Puritan side, and when the Puritans won, many resumed English life under Oliver Cromwell’s more congenial Puritan sway.“ Life in the New World
What is the best book on the Puritan tradition?
The Puritan Tradition in America (1972; repr. 1997); Wallace, Dewey, ed., The Spirituality of the Later English Puritans: An Anthology (1988); Webster, Tom, Godly Clergy in Early Stuart England: The Caroline Puritan Movement, c. 1620–1643 (1997).
How did Puritan rule affect religious toleration in England?
Puritan rule in England was marked by limited religious toleration. The Toleration Act of 1650 repealed the Act of Supremacy, Act of Uniformity, and all laws making recusancy a crime. There was no longer a legal requirement to attend the parish church on Sundays (for both Protestants and Catholics). In 1653, responsibility for recording births
Did the Puritans have a bad reputation for prudery?
Peter Gay writes of the Puritans‘ standard reputation for „dour prudery“ as a „misreading that went unquestioned in the nineteenth century“, commenting how unpuritanical they were in favour of married sexuality, and in opposition to the Catholic veneration of virginity, citing Edward Taylor and John Cotton.
What is the difference between a nonconformist and a Puritan?
„Non-separating Puritans“ were dissatisfied with the Reformation of the Church of England but remained within it, advocating for further reform; they disagreed among themselves about how much further reformation was possible or even necessary. They were later termed “ Nonconformists „.
How were the Puritans portrayed by their enemies?
As they gained strength, Puritans were portrayed by their enemies as hairsplitters who slavishly followed their Bibles as guides to daily life or hypocrites who cheated the very neighbors they judged inadequate Christians.