5 Reasons the Puritans Were So Joyful

You’ve heard the caricatures. The Puritans are “haunted by the fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” They are the “killjoys,” the joyless “frozen chosen.” That’s the modern view of the Puritans. The very words Puritan and puritanical are slung about as bits of verbal mud.

The word “Puritan” was coined in the 16th century as a term of abuse. For the average Englishman, there was the Roman Catholic “Papist” on one side, and the “Precisionist” or “Puritan” on the other. The term suggested a nit-picking, holier-than-thou party of men who considered themselves purer than the rest. It was certainly not a fair description: Those it was applied to strove to be pure, but never thought of themselves as pure, as their constant testimony to their own sinfulness and imperfection demonstrates.

Puritanism was a Bible-based movement. Doctrinally, it was a kind of vigorous, joyous Calvinism; experientially, it was warm and contagious and rejoiced in fellowship with God and with the saints; evangelistically, it was active and urgent, yet tender; ecclesiastically, it was centered on the triune God, his worship and service.

The Puritans, though serious and godly, were for the most part joyful—one of the most joyful groups of people, in fact, ever to grace the earth. Here are five kinds of joy that marked the Puritans. Read More

The Puritans are a part of our Anglican heritage. Puritanism was a movement within the Church of England. The Archbishop of Armagh James Usher was a Puritan. He would seek a peaceful resolution to the disagreement over church government that led to the English Civil War. He was greatly respected on both sides of the conflict for his learning. His "scheme of modified episcopacy" forms the basis of the synodical form of church government found in almost all Anglican provinces, except for the Anglican Church in North America. While some Puritan clergy refused to conform at the Restoration and were ejected from their livings, others did conform and remained in the Church of England.  The Restoration Bishop Edward Reynolds was a Puritan. While he accepted a bishopric from Charles II, he remained faithful to his Puritan beliefs and principles. Bishop Reynolds authored the General Thanksgiving, which was first incorporated into The Book of Common Prayer in 1662.