The Puritans

To study the Puritans' literature, we must first understand who they were as people.

The Purtitans' core beliefs were as follows.

Total Depravity - through Adam and Eve's fall, every person is born sinful - concept of Original Sin.

Unconditional Election - God "saves" those he wishes - only a few are selected for salvation.

Limited Atonement - Jesus died for the chosen only, not for everyone.

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.

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.

You should read more here.
You should also read more about the Puritans in an American Literature textbook.

Read an excerpt of Johnathan Edwards' Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God .

Read this excert of William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation

When you are through, you should post the following to your blog:

1. Briefly summarize the Puritans' beliefs. This should be a paragraph or two.

2. Write a 4-5 paragraph response to the Puritan texts. Explain your thoughts about how these people lived. Better responses will have some direct textual evidence to support what you say.

3. Choose three of the beliefs at the beginning of this post of which you saw examples in Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, or Of Plymouth Plantation. Provide these examples with direct textual evidence.

4. The Puritans wrote in what was called the plain style, which meant they did not expect anyone to receive any pleasure from reading what they wrote. They just wanted people to get the facts. Give a direct example of something you found particularly plain in one of the texts, and explain why you think the Puritans wrote in this style. This response should be 2-3 paragraphs.

Leave a comment on this post to tell me you are fininshed. I will then look at your work and discuss with you what you have accomplished.