Puritanism/calvinism How a Protestant Sect defined America

Puritanism is Calvinism

Who’s the guy with the beard? John Calvin, French-born Swiss theologian 1509 – 1564 (this makes him a contemporary of Martin Luther and the beginning of the Protestant Reformation) Wrote Institutes of the Christian Religion in 1536 Co-founder of Reformed Church that took a different route from Luther and Lutheranism

Calvin’s ideas Total depravity Unconditional election Limited atonement Irresistible grace Perseverance of the saints

Total depravity Since we are descendents of the fallen Adam and Eve, we are naturally very bad. It’s called ORIGINAL SIN.

UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION God has chosen from eternity to extend mercy to those He has chosen and to withhold mercy from those not chosen. Those chosen receive salvation through Christ alone. Those not chosen receive the just wrath that is warranted for their sins against God. Puritans see themselves as the CHOSEN ONES.

LIMITED ATONEMENT atonement (the forgiveness of sin by God) isn’t limited in its value or power, but rather that the atonement is limited in the sense that it is designed for some and not all (God likes Puritans and the rest of us are out of luck.)

Irresistible grace God's Holy Spirit cannot be resisted, but that the Holy Spirit, "graciously causes the elect sinner to cooperate, to believe, to repent, to come freely and willingly to Christ.“ Puritans are Puritans because God likes them best, not because they chose to be Puritans.

Perseverance of saints "saint" is used to refer to all who are set apart by God, and not of those who are exceptionally holy, canonized, or in heaven those whom God has called will continue in faith until the end Puritans watched each other to see that they were continuing in faith—to eject the riffraff

T.U.L.I.P - Review 1. Total Depravity - Through Adam's fall, every human is born sinful - concept of Original Sin. 2. Unconditional Election - God "saves" those he wishes - only a few are selected for salvation - concept of predestination. 3. Limited Atonement - Jesus died for the chosen only, not for everyone. 4. Irresistible Grace - God's grace is freely given, it cannot be earned or denied. Grace is defined as the saving and transfiguring power of God. 5. Perseverance of the "saints" - those elected by God have full power to interpret the will of God, and to live uprightly. If anyone rejects grace after feeling its power in his life, he will be going against the will of God - something impossible in Puritanism.

THEOCRACY word comes from Greek theo = God cratos = rule a theocracy is a government where the civil laws are based (in whole or in part) on religious laws; civil leaders in theocracies are probably also important religious leaders

THEOCRACY (cont’d) When the Taliban controlled religious and civil laws in Afghanistan (late 1990s - early 2000s). Besides having to wear burqas in public, women in Afghanistan were not allowed to attend school or drive cars. In Saudi Arabia, women cannot drive or vote. Because Islam forbids it, no place in Saudi Arabia sells alcohol or pork.

Historical Context for the novel Hawthorne chose Boston in the 1640s as the setting for the text – only about a 1000 English Puritans lived there at the time Puritans (established during reign of Queen Elizabeth – thus the reference to her) sought to purify the church and wipe out all traces of Catholicism (thus the negative Catholic comments) Boston was ruled by a theocracy and the government was not intended to provide religious freedom Those who didn’t fit in (i.e. Quakers) were dealt with harshly

The Setting of the Novel The setting of Hawthorne’s novel is critical to the plot of the novel. 1690’s Boston was a Puritan village Like other Puritan settlements in New England, the local and colonial governments were theocracies.

“The Custom-House” – Introduction to The Scarlet Letter The introductory chapter to The Scarlet Letter is called “The Custom House”. Nathaniel Hawthorne tells of his time as a clerk in the Salem, Mass. Government Custom House. He claims to have found a letter written by Hester Prynne (the novel’s main character) and an embroidered scarlet A. The letter tells of Hester’s experiences, which Hawthorne relates in the novel. The novel is NOT based in historical fact, but Hawthorne uses “The Custom House” to give his story credibility. Hawthorne’s family came from Boston. He was descendant of a judge in the Salem witch trials (named Hathorne). Hawthorne changed the spelling of his name to distance himself from his relative’s unsavory reputation. http://www.hawthorneinsalem.org/Life&Times/BiographicalInfo/Adultlife/MMD1114.html

Historical impact of the puritans Early Puritan Thomas Cromwell, advisor to Henry VIII from 1531-1540, encouraged the king to assert his prominence by assuming the leadership of the English church, making the Catholic church into the Church of England. The Puritans grew in power in England, enduring isolation and persecution. (One could have one’s nose or elbow skin sliced off for practicing Puritanism under the Stuart kings.) Puritan forces were responsible for the Parliamentary victory over Charles I (who lost his head in the English Revolution of 1649) and Oliver Cromwell, Puritan, ruled England until his death in 1660.

Puritans in American history First Puritan colony founded in America was Massachusetts , 1620. (Mayflower folk.) Note: this is 13 years after the establishment of Virginia; Virginian colonists were NOT Puritans. Non-Puritans were NOT welcome in Massachusetts ; Puritans saw themselves as creating God’s ideal society of chosen people so non-Puritans were expelled . The Salem witch-trials of 1692 marked the beginning of a sharp decline of Puritanism. By 1740, Puritanism was no longer practiced as a denomination.

Other puritan beliefs Idle hands are the devil’s playthings; work keeps us pure. The Church must be “purified” of centuries of Roman Catholic ritual and tradition. They were rid of: Celebration of Easter and Christmas Elaborate churches with stained glass windows Clerical hierarchy and clerical abstinence The Clergy is elected by the church members but then is the government of the community (theocracy). They went to church all day on Sundays .

Consequently… Puritans believed that God loved them best. Americans still tend to see themselves as God’s favorite people, right about everything, positioned to show the rest of the world how to live. Perhaps we can call it…American hubris?!  Puritans believed to “persevere as saints” they had to be able to read and interpret the Bible for themselves, so they established public education in their colony and subsequent generations and colonies saw universal education as important for a democratic government Puritans believed that hard work and applied science would make God happy with them; it has generated a “work ethic” that made this country economically strong. (And made us into a nation of workaholics.)