puritanism

Puritanism was a reform movement within the Church of England that advocated for a more thorough purification of Anglican practice and doctrine. It emerged in the late 16th century amid ongoing tensions over church discipline, liturgy, and governance, and it sought to align church life more closely with biblical authority and Protestant theological norms.

Puritans emphasized the supremacy of Scripture, the priesthood of all believers, and the pursuit of personal holiness within a disciplined community. They favored simpler worship, moral rigor, and covenant theology, and debated church governance—often supporting congregational or presbyterian models rather than episcopal rule. They criticized ornate rites, vestments, and other ceremonial accretions, and stressed education, sermon-centered preaching, and strict Sabbath observance.

In England, Puritans pressed for reforms under Elizabeth I, James I, and especially Charles I and Archbishop William Laud, facing resistance and punishment. The movement contributed to political upheaval and the English Civil War, while some Puritans left for the American colonies during the Great Migration of the 1630s. In New England, Puritan congregations established self-governing churches, built educational institutions, and shaped social norms, education, and public morality. The movement waned in the late 17th century as the Restoration and evolving denominations absorbed many adherents, but its legacy influenced Protestant theology, congregational polity, and religious culture in Britain and North America.

Notable Puritans include theologians and ministers such as William Perkins, Richard Sibbes, John Owen, and Jonathan Edwards (often described as inheriting Puritan ideas); colonial leaders such as John Winthrop; and early congregational and presbyterian traditions. Puritanism is studied as a key element in the development of modern Protestantism, ethics, education, and the religious culture of early America, though it was also criticized for intolerance and rigidity.