The Development of Puritan New England and the evolution of Puritan theology in New England culminating in the Half-Way Covenant. Puritans shared the Protestant belief that the bible was the only authority for Christians. Roman Catholic practices and ceremonies were discounted as being unbiblical. Their belief that Christianity was based on an individual conviction and that the church was a community of individuals that shared the same religious convictions was the backbone of their beliefs. They felt the bible should be read by individuals and that worship should not be limited to a church bureaucracy but conducted with a primitivist conception. Believing that the church should consist of only two sacraments, baptism and communion
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Predestination was simply the belief that God had already predetermined all events that would occur and nothing anyone could do would change these events unless it is through the will of God. This was entirely contradictory. If the grace of god could not be earned regardless of how pious a life one led but was instead bestowed upon a few preselected “Predestined” individuals what was ones motivation for seeking Gods grace? If ones future was predetermined and in essence “a man’s fate was a man’s fate and life but an illusion” wouldn’t that actually allow someone to dodge responsibility for their actions? Because it was gods will.
Three main covenants were central to Puritan theology, the Covenant of Works, The Covenant of Grace and the Covenant of Redemption.
• The Covenant of Works referred to God’s promise to provide Adam and his progeny eternal life in exchange for obedience.
• The Covenant of Grace is an agreement based on faith and requires man to be held responsible for his …show more content…
This was prompted by a lessening of convictions and the pursuit of material wealth displayed by second and third generation colonists. The halfway covenant allowed those without a spiritual experience an opportunity to join the church, as long as they agreed to the creed and rules imposed by the church. They also were not allowed to vote on matters of the church.
Puritan preachers hoped that this plan would maintain some of the church's influence in society, and that these 'half-way members' would see the benefits of full membership, be exposed to teachings and piety which would lead to the "born again" experience, and eventually take the full oath of allegiance. The Halfway Covenant was rejected by many Puritans as being a shortcut that was not in keeping with church guidelines. Secular values became more prevalent in colonial society as religious piety decreased.
The Puritan religion as established in colonial times pretty much died out after the Salem Witch Trials. It morphed into various other protestant religions following the trials. The Harshness and Strict nature of the religion as well as its obvious contradictory doctrine led to its
Predestination was simply the belief that God had already predetermined all events that would occur and nothing anyone could do would change these events unless it is through the will of God. This was entirely contradictory. If the grace of god could not be earned regardless of how pious a life one led but was instead bestowed upon a few preselected “Predestined” individuals what was ones motivation for seeking Gods grace? If ones future was predetermined and in essence “a man’s fate was a man’s fate and life but an illusion” wouldn’t that actually allow someone to dodge responsibility for their actions? Because it was gods will.
Three main covenants were central to Puritan theology, the Covenant of Works, The Covenant of Grace and the Covenant of Redemption.
• The Covenant of Works referred to God’s promise to provide Adam and his progeny eternal life in exchange for obedience.
• The Covenant of Grace is an agreement based on faith and requires man to be held responsible for his …show more content…
This was prompted by a lessening of convictions and the pursuit of material wealth displayed by second and third generation colonists. The halfway covenant allowed those without a spiritual experience an opportunity to join the church, as long as they agreed to the creed and rules imposed by the church. They also were not allowed to vote on matters of the church.
Puritan preachers hoped that this plan would maintain some of the church's influence in society, and that these 'half-way members' would see the benefits of full membership, be exposed to teachings and piety which would lead to the "born again" experience, and eventually take the full oath of allegiance. The Halfway Covenant was rejected by many Puritans as being a shortcut that was not in keeping with church guidelines. Secular values became more prevalent in colonial society as religious piety decreased.
The Puritan religion as established in colonial times pretty much died out after the Salem Witch Trials. It morphed into various other protestant religions following the trials. The Harshness and Strict nature of the religion as well as its obvious contradictory doctrine led to its