If Philip Larkin was right when he said that sexual intercourse began in 1963, it may well be true that the puritan tradition started with Richard Baxter in Kidderminster and John Bunyan in Bedford. Both incurred jail sentences. Baxter was ordained within the Established Church but became a nonconformist minister as a result of the Act of Uniformity. He produced serious works like ‘The Reformed Pastor’ and ‘The Saints’ Everlasting Rest’ as well as the comprehensive tome ‘The Christian Directory’ dealing with a Christian’s duty. Bunyan wrote what proved to be a best-seller, ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’. It was a classic piece of imaginative writing and has worn well over the centuries.
Not all the puritans were writers of the calibre of these two. Puritans tended towards the exhaustive rather than the readable. But this is a common failing with theologians. When an Austin Farrer comes along, he surprises us all. A number of followers of the original puritans produced serious commentaries and works of theology. They included Manton, Charnock, Gurnall, Owen. Whitefield and Edwards. Their influence extended into the present-day and into north America. The first Bishop of Liverpool, John Charles Ryle, showed evidence of a puritan frame of mind. Jim Packer is another conspicuous example.
Puritans took preaching seriously. They preached long sermons and, unhappily, gained a reputation for being killjoys, strait-laced and philistine. They were not in the least interested in church architecture, though the incomparable Christopher Wren designed handsome preaching-boxes that expressed their idea of an appropriate building for the worship of God. Puritans can well be described as having shortcomings in the PR department. Their dislike of the ring in marriage, Christmas celebrations and anything other than magpie dress preferences does not endear them or their memory to present-day Christian believers. They were lampooned by Ben Jonson and others but they were serious about their faith and from their midst came Edmund Spenser and John Milton, two of our foremost poets. Both demonstrated that there is more than one way of being puritan.
Puritans never lived to see the investigations into the provenance of the biblical documents; these raised problems for later scholars. But their works remain profitable to students who understand the limitations they worked under and are looking for fresh light to come from the Scriptures.
It is fair to describe puritans as positive protestants. They saw Protestantism as having done half a job and there was much remaining that needed attention. Their influence on the English character – if there is such a thing – is profound, giving birth to the idea that an Englishman’s word is his bond etc. Hounded out of England, many fled to the New World.
GREAT ST ANDREW’S
St Andrew the Great, Cambridge is a church that has strong support among undergraduates. The Vicar is Alasdair Paine and the church expresses its message prominently and with clarity on its website. In his blog Alasdair comments: ‘I note that churches in those countries where they are state funded are not exactly growing.’ It is part of a warning about the danger of entering alliances that require compromise.
ACTIVE JESMOND
Some churches are big in terms of buildings. Others are big in terms of worshipping congregations. Jesmond parish church, Newcastle has over 1,000 worshippers. It has a strong ministry team and strong convictions and is led by David Holloway. He has been Vicar for 47 years.
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