Theology Thursday: The Puritans and the Pilgrims

It’s easy to confuse the Puritans and the Pilgrims. Were they religious or political? Did they come over on the Mayflower? Did they found the Massachusetts Bay Colony?

It’s helpful to think of the Pilgrims as a subset of the Puritans. The Puritans were part of a religious movement after the Reformation that sought to further purify the Church of England from what they saw as remnant of Roman Catholicism. Though the movement began as early as the time of Thomas Cranmer (remember that many thought he compromised too much), the movement continued to grow and became a powerful political force during the reign of James I. When his Catholic successor Charles took the throne, war broke out. The Puritan-dominated parliament defeated Charles’ army, beheaded the king, and actually ruled England for 10 years.

The Puritans were known for being well-educated, devout, and prolific. They were not sad and dour as they are often portrayed in media. Puritans dressed in vibrant colors and were practically minded and gritty. Though deeply religious, they were definitely not mystics.

Some of the Puritans gave up on purifying the church from within and decided to hold their own religious services, even if it were against the law. These Puritans were known as the Separatists. A group of Separatists, after first fleeing to Holland, sailed to America on the Mayflower. These people, known to us as the Pilgrims, settled in Plymouth. A decade later, in 1630, groups of Puritans had to flee England and came to America, settling in what is now the Boston area. The two groups eventually joined up and the area became known as the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Though the Baptist certainly weren’t welcome in the Bay Colony, the Puritans were immensely influential in bringing religious freedom and the separation of church and state powers in America. Many see the Mayflower Compact as the beginning of constitutional government in the colonies. Religiously, the Puritans brought a robust theological and moral backbone that is difficult to match in all of church history.

Enjoy this short talk by Joel Beeke on what we can learn from the Puritans.