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Explore the writing of Puritans, who came to America for freedom and practiced an oppressive form of Christianity. Learn about the positive and negative aspects of the Puritan legacy, the quest for freedom, the Puritan work ethic, and more. Discover influential early American writers such as John Smith, William Bradford, Anne Bradstreet, Edward Taylor, and Jonathan Edwards, and their contributions to Puritan literature. Uncover the basic beliefs of Puritans, including Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the saints.
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Early American Writers An introduction to the writing of the Puritans – who came to North America for freedom and went on to practice the most oppressive brand of Christianity ever known to man!
Aspects of the Puritan Legacy: Each has positive and negative implications. • The need for moral justification for private, public, and governmental acts. • The Questing for Freedom - personal, political, economic, and social. • The Puritan work ethic. • Elegiac verse - morbid fascination with death. • The city upon the hill - concept of manifest destiny.
Early American Writers • John Smith (1580 - 1631): English adventurer and soldier and one of the founders of the first permanent English settlement in North America – Jamestown, Virginia. In his writings, he sought to promote the colonization of the New World by England. • William Bradford (1590-1657): Governor of the Plymouth Bay Colony who helped organize the journey of the Pilgrims to the New World aboard The Mayflower. He was an advocate of religious freedom. In writing Of Plymouth Plantation, he chronicled the history of the Puritan experience from 1608-1647. • John Winthrop (1588-1649): One of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Winthrop arrived in 1630 aboard the flagship Arbella. On board the Arbella, he prepared and delivered his famous sermon "A Model of Christian Charity." In this speech, Winthrop introduced the concept of Manifest Destiny, stating "For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us."
Early American Writers • Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672): First female poet published in the New World. Bradstreet’s poetry captured the struggles Puritan women faced in North American, her love for her family, and her intense religious faith. • Edward Taylor (1642-1729): Colonial American poet, physician, and pastor for over sixty years. Many of his poems explored the individual’s relationship with God. • Jonathan Edwards(1703-1758): Famed theologian and preacher who helped lead the First Great Awakening (~1730-1755). His most famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” showcased his defense of Puritan ideals.
Basic Puritan Beliefs • 1. Total Depravity • 2. Unconditional Election • 3. Limited Atonement • 4. Irresistible Grace • 5. Perseverance of the "saints”
Total Depravity - through Adam and Eve's fall, every person is born sinful - concept of Original Sin Total Depravity
Unconditional Election • Unconditional Election - God "saves" those he wishes - only a few are selected for salvation elitism + concept of predestination.
Limited Atonement • Limited Atonement - Jesus died for the chosen only, not for everyone. elitism
IrresistableGrace • 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. born again.
Perseverance of the "saints" • 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.
Typology: The belief that God's intentions are present in human action (everyday behavior) and in natural phenomenon (i.e. flooding, a bountiful harvest, lightning striking a home). Additional Beliefs: Typology
Additional Beliefs: Manifest Destiny • Manifest Destiny: The concept that America had a special destiny. It was first articulated by John Winthrop in his famous sermon aboard The Arbella (1630) when he likened the Puritan Bay Colony to a “a city upon a hill” with the eyes of all people on it. From this beginning, the concept has had religious, social, economic, and political consequences.
Additional Beliefs: Backsliding • Backsliding: The belief that "saved" believers, those with visible signs of grace, can fall into temptation and become sinners. To prevent this, believers were expected not to become smug, do constant soul-searching, be introspective, and pray constantly. Satan was particularly interested in snaring such believers.
The Function/Purposes of Puritan Writers • 1. To transform a mysterious God - mysterious because He is separate from the world. • 2. To make Him more relevant to the universe. • 3. To glorify God.
The Style of Puritan Writing • 1. Protestant - against ornateness; reverence for the Bible. PURITAN PLAIN STYLE • 2. Purposiveness - there was a purpose to Puritan writing ==didactic • 3. Puritan writing reflected the character and scope of the reading public, which was literate and well-grounded in religion.
