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Puritanism and the Puritans are subjects I have not significantly dealt with within any of my academic work, offline or online. But, Pastor Michael Phillips, that has presented many beneficial sermons online, that I have reviewed, discusses Puritanism and the Puritans often. He is significantly influenced by the movement, it seems.
God-willing, Puritanism, may or may not be a subject I will build research on academically, as I have done with several subjects within Biblical Studies, Theology, Philosophy of Religion, over the years, especially related to theses work, but certainly not just theses work. This approach can be viewed through searches in the archives. This Google/Blogger website format works excellently for building scholarship through various articles over time, gaining increased knowledge through research and writing and by not 'reinventing the wheel', but by editing, revising and building on previous articles.
Unlike most of Pastor Phillips' sermons, even while I searched the two websites that usually offer the text versions, I see none available for this particular sermon. However, the YouTube version is below. Therefore, I will not be directly quoting Pastor Phillips within this article, unlike my other sermon reviews from Pastor Phillips.
Puritanism
Collinson explains puritanism... 'Many distinct and mutually discordant movements reflecting the influence of their personal founders are embraced within historic Puritanism.' (484).
M.A. Noll writes the Puritanism is 'A loosely organized reform movement originating during the English Reformation of the sixteenth century. The name came from efforts to 'purify' the Church of England from who felt that the Reformation had not yet been completed.' (897). The Puritans also attempted to purify the Church and society. (897).
Further from Noll:
'Convictions. Puritanism generally extended the thought of the English Reformation, with distinctive emphases on four convictions: (1) that personal salvation was entirely from God, (2) that the Bible provided the indispensable guide to life, (3) that the church should reflect the express teaching of Scripture, and (4) that society was one unified whole.' (898).
The Puritans made theological contributions to the 'Reformed idea of salvation'. (898).
In his evaluation, Noll explains that the Puritans, are theologically similar to other separate Christian groups such as the Franciscans, Protestant Reformers, Jesuits and Anabaptists, the early Methodists and Reformed Dutch of the late nineteenth century (900), who forsook the world system for the gospel and God.
These Puritans were stated as 'transfixed by the glories of redemption and who went far in redeeming the world around themselves.' (900). In agreement with these other groups, the Puritans sought first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. (900).
These explanations are in a basic agreement with the sermon as (paraphrased) Phillips teaches that Puritanism is not a denomination, such as Anglican, Presbyterian or Baptist, but is various theological movements that influence followers within various denominations.
It seems to me this would be similar to Evangelism, as a movement and not a denomination, which is within various movements within several denominations.
Those that are Puritans would have some basic similarities such as from Collinson: 'Puritan piety rested upon scripture and was in only a few instances mystical.' (484). Similarly, those within Evangelism have in common the preaching and teaching of the good news. Evangelical, Evangelicalism is derived from evangelion: gospel, good news, states Fackre (191).
This evangelical approach, as opposed to, for example, the church-state model of Christendom in the middle ages which emphasized obedience and allegiance to institutionalized, politicized, Christianity sanctioned by the state (s).
Bible Hub
Cited
Strong's Concordance euaggelion: good news
Original Word: εὐαγγέλιον, ου, τό
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: euaggelion Phonetic Spelling: (yoo-ang-ghel'-ee-on) Definition: good news
As I am theologically Reformed, I agree with Puritanism in that salvation is from God within the Reformed umbrella of understanding.
This is something I particularly studied within my British theses degrees. Salvation being caused by God in regeneration (Titus 3, John) through the atoning and resurrection work of God the Son, Jesus Christ, applied to believers. Believers embrace and accept (philosophically, a secondary cause, of sorts, as opposed to God as the primary cause, as in belief by grace through faith only, to avoid force and coercion) the gospel and salvation, they do not cause belief and salvation to occur in the sense of creation and application. There is no human works righteousness, for salvation, including justification and sanctification, only acceptance of the gospel, through regeneration, outside of divine force and coercion. Rather divine transformation occurs which should lead to a life of Christian living (Ephesians 1-2, James, as examples).
The Scripture, within my Reformed model, is my final authority on religious and spiritual matters and my ultimate life guide. It is not, however, a scientific or medical textbook, for example.
I agree that the Christian Church should primarily be biblical.
Society is not unified. The Kingdom of God is as not yet culminated on the new earth and new heavens and it was presented by Jesus Christ in the gospel in an initial stage only. This realm can be influenced by the gospel through movements such as Puritanism, agreed. However, this realm for which the gospel was presented in, is fallen (Genesis 1-3, Romans) and will not be primarily transformed into the Kingdom of God by the works of any Church movement, but by the recapitulation work of the Lord, himself with his people being in attendance (Revelation 21-22, 2 Peter 3).
COLLINSON, P. (1999) 'Puritanism', in Alan Richardson and John Bowden (eds.), A New Dictionary of Christian Theology, Kent, SCM Press Limited.
NOLL, M.A. (1996) 'Puritanism', in Walter A. Elwell (ed.), Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Books.
FACKRE, GABRIEL (1999) 'Evangelical, Evangelism', in Alan Richardson and John Bowden (eds.), A New Dictionary of Christian Theology, Kent, SCM Press Limited.
