“To be a Puritan was to look forward to the glory that is to come and to prepare for a good death—that would be the last act of a life of good and faithful discipleship.”
– J.I. Packer

A 16th- and 17th-century movement that sought to purify the Church of England in worship and doctrine, the English Puritans were an outgrowth of the Reformation. They heavily influenced the later development of Christianity in North America, emphasizing the necessity of spiritual conversion.

Puritans placed a special emphasis on the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in salvation, which strongly influenced modern evangelicalism.

What is not so widely known about the Puritans is their emphasis on discipleship and how that can speak to us today in the 21st century. In this blog series we will see what lessons we can learn from the robust theology and gospel-centered discipleship of the Puritans, especially in the following areas:

• Biblical preaching
• Catechisms and creeds
• Rest and sabbath
• Family ministry

The Puritans’ writings are more accessible today than ever before. As J.I. Packer reminds us, “The unction continues, the authority is still felt, and the mature wisdom still remains breathtaking, as all modern Puritan-readers soon discover for themselves. Through the legacy of this literature the Puritans can help us today towards the maturity that they knew, and that we need.”

Puritan Reading List

• The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter
• The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes
• The Mystery of Providence by John Flavel
• The Godly Man’s Picture by Thomas Watson
• Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks
• Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ by John Bunyan
• The Mortification of Sin by John Owen
• A Lifting Up for the Downcast by William Bridge
• The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs
• The True Bounds of Christian Freedom by Samuel Bolton
• The Christian’s Great Interest by William Guthrie
• A Sure Guide to Heaven by Joseph Alleine

To be continued.

To learn more about where we come from and where we’re going, come to the next Resurgence conference: Our Fathers & Our Future, Orlando, February 2011.