Tag Archives: Puritanism

What’s Up With Oaths and Vows?

By D. G. Hart | Published: February 13, 2012
covenanters1a

Historians may not be rocket scientists, but they can generally outwit the smartest of their interlocutors simply by knowing the origins of an idea, event, person, or argument. This is not to say that those who talk to historians understand when historical knowledge trumps philosophy, exegesis, or ideology. Some people are so committed to abstract… Read More→

Posted in Adventures in Church History | Also tagged , | 69 Comments

Give ‘Em A Break

By D. G. Hart | Published: February 1, 2011

A story from the world of higher education caught my eye and started me thinking about the nature of Sunday observance among Roman Catholics. Inside Higher Education reported on a meeting of Roman Catholic bishops and university presidents to consider how their colleges and universities may preserve academic freedom while also remaining faithful to church… Read More→

Posted in sanctification | Also tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Act Two, Scene Three: How Soon They Forget

By D. G. Hart | Published: December 27, 2010

In his serialized review of VanDrunen’s Natural Law and the Two Kingdoms, Nelson Kloosterman finishes his inspection of the chapter on Calvin with the line, “Remember the Puritans.” This is a curious appeal because Kloosterman’s memory may not be as good as his review of VanDrunen is long. His major objection to 2k appears to… Read More→

Posted in Novus Ordo Seclorum | Also tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

If Reformed Needs To Be Distinguished from Puritan, Why Not Presbyterian?

By D. G. Hart | Published: June 8, 2010

Some historians of seventeenth-century British Protestantism are dismissive of attempts to distinguish between Puritans and Presbyterians. Part of the problem, of course, involves definitions and categories. When it comes to politics, differences between Presbyterians and Puritans do not become clear until the 1650s with the regime of Oliver Cromwell since Puritans in Parliament joined forces… Read More→

Posted in New World Presbyterianism, Old World Presbyterianism | Also tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Presbyterians and Puritans Apart?

By D. G. Hart | Published: August 31, 2009

Some say it is nonsense to posit any difference between Puritans and Presbyterians. Others put it more delicately and argue for essential agreement among British Calvinists. The URC pastor, Mike Brown, has given some attention to this subject through the lens of Calvin and Owen on worship. He writes with some surprise that “the likes… Read More→

Posted in Piety without Exuberance, Shock and Awe | Also tagged , , , | 33 Comments