Puritanism: Christianity in America with Stephen Nichols
Summary
TLDRThis script delves into the Puritans' foundational role in American Christianity, challenging common misconceptions like their portrayal as hypocritical in works like 'The Scarlet Letter'. It highlights their God-centered beliefs, reverence for the Bible, Calvinist doctrines, and the significance of the covenant in all aspects of life. The script also emphasizes their commitment to education, with the establishment of Harvard University and contributions by figures like Cotton Mather and Anne Bradstreet, showcasing Puritanism as a comprehensive system influencing society, family, and church.
Takeaways
- 🇺🇲 The script discusses the roots of American Christianity, particularly focusing on the New England Puritans and their influence on American culture.
- 📚 Popular perceptions of Puritans are often shaped by literature, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter,' and historical events like the Salem witch trials, portraying them as self-righteous hypocrites.
- 💭 The term 'puritanical' has negative connotations in modern American culture, suggesting rigidity and a lack of enjoyment in life, as exemplified by H.L. Mencken's quote.
- 🙏 The Puritans were deeply God-centered, with a high view of God's sovereignty, holiness, and transcendence, which influenced their lifestyle and worldview.
- 📖 They were people of the book, valuing the Bible as the authority and guide for their lives, with a strong emphasis on sermons and worship.
- 🏛 The architecture of Puritan churches, such as the prominence of the pulpit, symbolized the central role of the preached Word in their religious services.
- 🔄 Puritans were Calvinists, believing in doctrines like original sin and monergism, which assert that salvation is solely the work of God.
- 🔗 The concept of the covenant was central to Puritan life, structuring relationships with God, within the family, the church, and society.
- 🌐 The Puritans were not just religious; they were also explorers of God's world, valuing education and making significant contributions to learning and science.
- 🎓 Key figures like John Winthrop, Cotton Mather, Anne Bradstreet, and John Eliot exemplify the diverse roles and contributions of Puritans in shaping American religious and cultural life.
- 📜 The script also touches on the decline of Puritanism and the shift in theological perspectives, such as the move away from Calvinism during the Second Great Awakening.
Q & A
What is the common perception of the Puritans in American culture?
-The common perception of the Puritans in American culture is that they were self-righteous hypocrites, often portrayed as rigid and opposed to enjoyment or dissent, as depicted in works like Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter' and Arthur Miller's play about the Salem witch trials.
How does the script challenge the stereotypes of the Puritans?
-The script challenges the stereotypes by explaining that Puritanism was a set of deep convictions that emphasized a God-centered life, a love for education, and a high view of God's sovereignty, holiness, and transcendence, contrary to the popular 'puritanical' label.
What was the significance of the pulpit in Puritan church architecture?
-The pulpit in Puritan church architecture was significant as it was prominently placed and elevated, symbolizing the centrality of the preached Word and the authority of the sermon in Puritan worship.
How did the Puritans view the Bible in their religious and cultural life?
-The Puritans viewed the Bible as a central and authoritative part of their religious and cultural life, using it as a guide and the ultimate authority for living, which is evident in educational materials like the New England Primer.
What is the meaning of 'monergism' in the context of Puritan theology?
-In the context of Puritan theology, 'monergism' refers to the belief that salvation is the sole work of God, emphasizing God's initiative and power in the process of redemption, as opposed to any human effort.
How did the concept of the 'covenant' shape Puritan relationships and society?
-The concept of the 'covenant' in Puritanism structured all relationships, including those with God, within the family, the church, and society. It represented a binding agreement with expectations of obedience and corresponding blessings or judgments.
What was the role of education in Puritan society, and how did it manifest?
-Education played a significant role in Puritan society, with a strong emphasis on learning and intellectual exploration. This is exemplified by the founding of Harvard University and the expectation for students to engage in original scholarly work.
Who was John Winthrop, and what was his vision for colonial New England?
-John Winthrop was a lawyer, politician, and the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He envisioned colonial New England as a Bible Commonwealth, a society governed by biblical principles, as outlined in his sermon 'A Model of Christian Charity.'
What contributions did Cotton Mather make to American religious and intellectual life?
-Cotton Mather was a significant figure in American religious and intellectual life. He authored the first American church history book, 'Magnalia Christi Americana,' and wrote extensively on various subjects, including medicine, science, and theology, reflecting the Puritan love for learning.
Who was Anne Bradstreet, and what is her significance in American literature?
-Anne Bradstreet was America's first poet, known for her deeply personal and theological poetry that applied Puritan beliefs to life's experiences, such as the death of her children and the loss of her home. Her work, 'The Tenth Muse,' was published in 1650.
What was John Eliot's contribution to the religious life of the Algonquin people?
-John Eliot, known as the 'apostle to the Indians,' contributed significantly by translating the Westminster Shorter and Larger Catechism, as well as the entire Bible, into the Algonquin language, facilitating the spread of Christianity among the Algonquin people.
Outlines
📚 Understanding the Puritans' Convictions and Misconceptions
This paragraph delves into the origins of American Christianity, focusing on the New England Puritans. It challenges common misconceptions shaped by literature and culture, such as the portrayal in Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter' and Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible,' which depict Puritans as self-righteous hypocrites. The speaker emphasizes the need to look beyond these stereotypes to understand Puritanism as a set of deep convictions, beginning with the Puritans' God-centered worldview, their high regard for education, and their central focus on worship.
🏛 The Centrality of the Pulpit and the Puritans' Calvinist Beliefs
The second paragraph discusses the significance of the pulpit in Puritan church architecture, symbolizing the authority of the preached Word and the importance of the sermon in Puritan life. It also explores the Puritans' Calvinist beliefs, including the concepts of total depravity and monergism, which emphasize the sole role of God in salvation. The paragraph highlights the impact of these beliefs on the Puritans' understanding of conversion and their anticipation of shifts in theological perspectives during the Second Great Awakening.
🤝 The Covenant: The Foundation of Puritan Relationships
This paragraph examines the concept of the covenant as the fundamental structure governing all relationships in Puritan society, including those with God, within the family, and in the church. It discusses the Puritans' commitment to church discipline and the importance of obedience within the covenant. The paragraph also touches on the societal implications of the covenant, as seen in the Mayflower Compact and the establishment of a 'Bible Commonwealth' in New England.
🌳 Puritanism's Emphasis on Education and the Exploration of God's World
The fourth paragraph highlights the Puritans' dedication to education and learning, as evidenced by the founding of Harvard University and the diverse academic pursuits of Puritan leaders. It纠正s the common oversight that Puritans were not only focused on religious texts but also revered the 'book of nature,' using it as a gateway to expand knowledge. The paragraph also introduces key Puritan figures like John Winthrop and Cotton Mather, emphasizing their contributions to theology, science, and literature.
📖 Notable Puritan Figures and the Spread of the Gospel
The final paragraph introduces several notable Puritans, providing a brief overview of their lives and contributions. It mentions Anne Bradstreet as America's first poet, whose work reflects applied Puritanism, and John Eliot, known as the 'apostle to the Indians,' who translated the Bible into the Algonquin language. The paragraph sets the stage for a discussion on the decline of Puritanism in the subsequent episode.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Puritans
💡New England Puritans
💡Perceptions
💡God-centered
💡Worship
💡People of the Book
💡Calvinism
💡Covenant
💡Church Discipline
💡First Great Awakening
💡Second Great Awakening
Highlights
Discussion on the roots of American Christianity, focusing on the New England Puritans.
Perceptions of Puritans as self-righteous hypocrites, shaped by works like 'The Scarlet Letter' and the Salem witch trials.
H.L. Mencken's quote defining Puritans and the negative connotation of the term 'puritanical'.
Puritanism as a set of deep convictions, not just beliefs, influencing Puritan lifestyle.
Puritans' God-centered worldview, emphasizing God's sovereignty, holiness, and transcendence.
Puritans' high regard for education and classical theism, with many being Cambridge or Oxford trained.
The centrality of worship in Puritan life, with all of life viewed as an act of worship.
The Puritans as people of the book, with the Bible being a fundamental part of their culture and mindset.
The significance of the pulpit in Puritan church architecture and worship, symbolizing the authority of the preached Word.
The Puritans' Calvinist beliefs, including the doctrines of original sin and monergism.
The contrast between Puritan monergism and the synergism that emerged in the Second Great Awakening.
The concept of the covenant as the foundational structure for all relationships in Puritan society.
The importance of church discipline and the role of covenant in the Puritan church community.
The Puritans' view of society as a covenantal structure, as exemplified by the Mayflower Compact.
Puritanism as a comprehensive system that functions best when all aspects are fully embraced.
The decline of Puritanism and the shift away from its original principles over generations.
Profiles of key Puritan figures such as John Winthrop, Cotton Mather, Anne Bradstreet, and John Eliot.
The Puritans' love for learning and their contributions to education, science, and literature.
Transcripts
NICHOLS: Well, we were talking about the roots of American Christianity and one of those roots,
of course, is the New England Puritans. So, I want to spend this time with you
talking about the Puritans. Who were the Puritans? Now, as we get into this,
we have to deal with first, what are the perceptions of the Puritans,
especially in American culture, where we are right now, where we find ourselves.
Our understanding of the Puritans largely comes to us mediated through a few things. One of them, and
you might recall reading this back in high school literature class or in a college literature class
is Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter." And of course, as you read that story,
you come across this notion that the Puritans are self-righteous hypocrites, right?
The hero of the story is the one who was ostracized from the Puritan community,
the one who's marginalized and doesn't fit in. And the scarlet letter "A," which was
a symbol of shame, ends up evolving into this almost trophy as Hawthorne unfolds his novel.
The other thing we learn about the Puritans is through a play written by Arthur Miller,
and it came from a context. It came from the context of the McCarthy era purges. And so,
he looked back to another moment in American history where the term "witch hunt" actually
originated. And so, he takes us back to Salem, Salem and the Salem witch trials of 1692-1693.
And of course, same theme comes out of that. These are self-righteous hypocrites
who actually burned people who were dissenters and didn't agree with them. So,
much of what we understand of Puritans in popular American culture is mediated through these things.
There was the famous H.L. Mencken, the reporter at The Baltimore Sun
and just an American cultural commentator, very curmudgeonly, Mencken. And Mencken had
this great quote about the Puritans, he said that "a Puritan is anyone who thinks that somewhere,
someone might just be having a good time." That's a Puritan, right? And we even have this expression
"puritanical," right? That's not a compliment, that's someone who's stuffy and someone who's
rigid and someone who has applied these strict rules to themselves.
Well, can we just blow all those stereotypes out of the water?
This is not true of Puritanism. So, let's first look at what Puritanism is, and then let's look
at a few key Puritans just to get a handle on some of them and get to know some of them.
Well, the first thing as we come into what Puritanism is, is a set of beliefs,
but not just beliefs. These are really convictions. You remember, we were talking about
confessional affirmation and conviction? These are convictions that get played out in how the
Puritans lived. And at the top of the list is, the Puritans were God-centered. It was a view of the
sovereignty of God, it was a view of the holiness of God, it was a view of the transcendence of God.
These Puritans, we're going to see this in a little bit. They're not anti-education,
they're not anti-learning, the Puritans were all... many of them before they came to New
England were Cambridge trained and Oxford trained. And they were trained in classical education,
and they were classical theists. They had, at the center of their worldview,
a high view of who God is. And that also played out into their worship
of God, which is very central for them. In fact, for the Puritans, all of life
is to be lived in the worship of who God is. So, we start with God, that takes us to worship.
The other thing we find with the Puritans is
they were people of the book. The Bible was very much a part of Puritan culture and the Puritan
mind. You go back to the New England Primer, you know, the learning of the alphabet. And
I don't know if you know what the "B" is, but the B is B, "Heaven to find, the Bible mind."
In other words, this is to be your guide, this is the authority for your life.
The Puritans were a people of the book. You see this even at the center of their worship,
at the center of their church architecture. As you walk into some of these New England
meeting houses and sometimes, mostly they were rectangle, sometimes they were squares, but as
you walked into the building they were very plain, not like the Anglicans or not like the Lutherans,
they were very plain, tend to have plain glass windows, plain pews. But immediately,
your eyes were drawn to the pulpit. It was always prominent, it was always displayed off the ground,
sometimes you had to literally climb a ladder to get up into it.
And if you've ever read Moby Dick, you know, there's that great story before they
head out to sea they go to church. In that church the pulpit was the mast of a ship,
and he climbed a rope ladder to get up into the pulpit. And then once he was in the pulpit,
he brought the ladder up with him, right? He was stuck there till he was done.
But the idea of the pulpit was twofold. One was a practical reason, this is before microphones and
you had sound systems, and some of these churches are pretty large, and this is also an era before
hearing aids, and some of these congregants were maybe on the elderly side and couldn't quite hear
as well as they once did. And so, the pulpit being lifted up and the pastor being literally over the
congregation would allow for the pastor's voice to carry out over the congregation.
It was an acoustic purpose, but that was only secondary. The main reason was the symbolism
that we come to church to sit under the authority of the preached Word.
The sermon was like a blood sport for the Puritans. It was the highlight of their week,
the sermon. And it was a tour de force training in the Word of God, sitting under the authority
of God. So, you begin to look at a Puritan worldview that was God-centered. Because it was
God-centered, it's going to focus on worship and not just the community worship on the Lord's Day,
but all of life as an act of worship. And of course, they're going to be people of the book.
The other thing that you find about the Puritans is they were Calvinists.
Of course, they were Calvinists because they have a high view of God. But they're going to
follow through on all of these doctrines, they're going to affirm the doctrine of original sin,
go back to the New England Primer, B is "Heaven to find, the Bible mind." You might have heard
the one for "A," and the jingle for "A" is, "In Adam's fall, we sinned all."
And so, they start off with this notion of total depravity
that we are unregenerate, that we are dead in our trespasses and sins. And if that's the case,
then salvation, how we come to faith in Christ, is exclusively, only, solely the work of God.
We call this "monergism." And monergism literally means "work of one," and here
we're talking about the work of God. This is going to be very important because it's this Calvinism
that is the theology that dominates and undergirds the First Great Awakening. And if that's the case,
then that's going to make its way through the preaching, and it's going to make its way through
in the convert's understanding of what is happening at conversion.
As we move into the Second Great Awakening, we're going to see a shift away from Calvinism. In fact,
on some of the major figures of the Second Great Awakening, we're going to see a flat-out
rejection of Calvinism. And so, the opposite of monergism is synergism, S-Y-N,
or that's the Greek. We could go to the Latin "co opera." Now, I always love this,
because this to me is the great definition of opera, it takes work to listen to an opera.
So, I know, my buddy Dr. Derek Thomas is spinning around right now that I just said that. But
"opera" means work and "co" means together. So, our salvation
is a cooperative endeavor between us and God. In fact, you'll even come to hear revival preachers
say things like, "God is waiting on you, God is waiting on you, what are you going to do?"
Well, fast forward a little bit because I just have to, because I find it exciting.
But we'll fast forward a little bit. There was a tract that was put out
by Billy Sunday, and it was like a ballot that you would vote. And it had three columns – God,
the devil, and you. And it had two columns on the side – for and against. And God has voted,
and you know how God has voted? He's voted for you. So, God's for you.
But the devil voted, and guess what the devil voted? He's against you. So, God's for you,
Satan is against you – that's a tie. Then the final column with you, it's a question mark.
It's now up to you – you cast the deciding vote, okay.
So, let's go back to Puritanism. Let's think this through. This is not just
an affirmation of doctrine, it impacts how we understand salvation and how we enter into the
Christian life and has everything to do with how we live the Christian life, right? So, these were
Calvinists, and because they were Calvinists, salvation is the work of God alone, right?
Now, one last is...and I'm writing downhill now, but it is "the covenant."
Now, this is very key. The covenant structures all of the relationships within the Puritan world.
First, the covenant structures our relationship to God. This is what we see in the Old Testament, God
enters into a covenant with His people. In fact, we see it dramatically and vividly portrayed. And
as you go through the Old Testament, what do the prophets do as they come on to the scene?
They remind Israel that they are God's covenant people, they remind Israel that God has been
faithful to the covenant. He redeemed you from your slavery in Egypt. He brought you out of
that land, and He brought you into the Promised Land. He's given you everything you need. He's
brought you into this land of milk and honey. God has never ever broken covenant or failed you.
But what have you done, right? Even an ox knows its owner, even a donkey knows its owner,
but my people don't know my name, right? So, they've broken covenant. So, this is
very important to the Puritans, this notion of covenant that governs, first and foremost,
our relationship to God. But then that covenant moves out to the human relationships that we have.
So, in the family there is a covenant bond, there is a covenant between father and children, and
children and parents. There's a covenant between husband and wife, and they spoke of marriage as a
marriage covenant that would be entered into. So, the covenant dominated the family.
But moving out, the covenant also dominated the church. And sometimes,
Puritans would even use that language of church membership. They would speak of you signing
a church covenant. And just as covenant relationships have blessings when there
is obedience and curses or judgments when there is disobedience, so it is with this covenant in
the church. So, the pastors of a church covenant to nurture you and to bring you up, right, in
the admonition of the Lord and to provide for you nourishment of the sermon and the Lord's Supper.
And what do you covenant with the church? You covenant obedience.
And so, one of the things that the Puritans took very seriously, and they got this from
John Knox and the Scottish Reformation branch, is church discipline. And this becomes...this is the
scarlet letter. This becomes one of those things that is used to sort of pillory the Puritans and
to make fun of them and to deride them. And we all think of the town stocks, right, as representative
of the Puritan town. Well, not only does the covenant govern our relationship with God,
in the family, in the church, it also governs our relationship with one another in the society.
And so, you see this in the pilgrims, right, even while they're still out on the boat, before they
land on New England soil, it's the Mayflower Compact. That was covenant that they would obey
the authorities, and the authorities would set up structures to protect them and provide for them.
And if they disobeyed the authorities, right, punishment would set in. They even spoke of
themselves, and John Winthrop does this on board the Arabella, and we'll talk about Winthrop in a
moment, but Winthrop was not a minister. He was actually a lawyer, ends up being a politician,
ends up being the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
But it is Winthrop that preaches the sermon on board the Arabella before they land.
And it's in that sermon titled "A Model of Christian Charity" that he gives that phrase
"a city upon a hill." But it's also in that sermon that Winthrop says what we are establishing here
is a Bible Commonwealth. And that is a covenant that these colonists
of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which will evolve to become the colony of Massachusetts,
it's a covenant with one another. So, the covenant governs all relationships.
And here's the thing about Puritanism, Puritanism functions best as a whole system.
It's almost like an "either-or" thing.
Puritanism is not really something that can sort of be halfway. It's sort of either is or it isn't.
And what you see is within a few generations, Puritanism becomes "isn't,"
right? And Edwards is even feeling it in his own congregation in the 1720s and the 1730s. He's
feeling himself to be a Puritan. All of this marks Jonathan Edwards, he's the God-centered theologian
of God-centered theologians, Jonathan Edwards. But his congregation is no longer Puritan. They've
moved away from this, and they've moved away from these things governing their lives. But if we go
back to that original generation and the second generation, we see this as marking Puritanism.
Well, while in addition to the covenant, I want to say one more thing because we forget
this sometimes, I think I've got room here. And that is, they are people of two books.
They're a people of the Bible, they're a people of the book. But they are also people of the book of
nature, and they use that as a gateway to not hide from learning, but to run into learning.
One of the first things they do in Massachusetts when they get here, after they have a governor,
and after they, you know, build a home, and after they plant some corn,
they found Harvard University. They were all about education. Most of the Puritan leaders who landed
on the Arabella had degrees from Emmanuel College and Trinity College in Cambridge.
And one of the things they made their students at Harvard do
was write original poetry. And if you wanted to write it in Latin, so be it.
They loved learning, they loved exploring. We're going to talk about Cotton Mather and Increase
Mather, these were scientists in addition to being ministers. And so, we forget that sometimes about
the Puritans. These Puritans were not just about exploring God's Word, they were about
exploring God's world, and they loved learning. And they loved learning about God's world.
So, let me just talk about a few of the key Puritans and just give you some little bit
of texture to some of the Puritans. One of them is John Winthrop, the one we mentioned.
Winthrop is the one who saw colonial New England as a Bible Commonwealth.
I'll give you his dates, he was born in 1588 in old England, of course, and dies in 1649.
I do find it interesting that he's not a minister, but he's the one preaching and giving the sermon
to sort of launch this vision as they leave the Arabella and begin the settlement at New England.
Another stalwart Puritan was Cotton Mather. Mather was born in 1663, died in 1728.
Mather is New England royalty. His maternal grandfather was John Cotton, who was one of
those early Puritans, first church Boston, and his father was Increase Mather. And Cotton Mather
wrote one of the first...this is why I like to talk about him, he wrote the first church history,
American church history book ever written. It was called Magnalia Christi Americana," the great
works of Christ in America. And it was his way of chronicling these events,
of seeing that this was really the work of God in bringing the Puritans there and establishing them.
But he went on to write on all subjects. He wrote on medicine, he wrote on science, he
wrote on astronomy, he wrote on hermeneutics, he wrote on theology. He is, to me, that consummate
Puritan whose mind just explores every nook and cranny, turns over every stone in the stream.
And honestly, I think it goes back to the focus on worship and the God-centered. Do
you remember what Isaac Newton said, right? He studied science and studied how the world works
so that he would have an even grander vision of the greatness of God
and the creation that He gave us. And that was Cotton Mather.
One of my favorite Puritans is the Puritan poet, Anne Bradstreet.
She was born in 1612, old England. Came to New England on board the Arabella in 1630.
She dies in 1672. Both her father and her husband were governors of Massachusetts. But
she was America's first poet. Her book of poetry was published in 1650, The Tenth Muse. And what
you'll find, and I totally commend to you the poetry of Anne Bradstreet, what you find in the
poetry of Anne Bradstreet is applied Puritanism. She's writing poems on the death of her children,
she's writing poems when her house burns down. And in all of those, you see her resting in the
sovereignty of God. It's beautiful, applied Puritan theology, the poet Anne Bradstreet.
And then one final Puritan to mention, this is the "apostle to the Indians," as he was called.
This is John Eliot. He was born in 1604, he died in 1690. He translated the Westminster Shorter and
Larger Catechism into Algonquin. And then in 1661, he translated the New Testament. And in 1663,
he translated the Old Testament into Algonquin. They were published together, and it was the first
Bible published in America, the Algonquin Bible, through the efforts of John Eliot.
In fact, if you were to ask John Eliot, he would tell you that the Puritans were brought here
all the way across the Atlantic. And if I remember right, I think the Arabella
traveled at a whopping two miles per hour, so here you're going across the Atlantic Ocean,
at two miles per hour, hold on to your seat belt, right,
all of this to bring the gospel to the natives that were here in the Algonquins.
So, those are some of the Puritans. Next episode, sadly, we're going to look at the decline
of Puritanism and what went wrong. So, we'll pick it up next time together.
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