"Missionary" is not the first word that comes to mind when one thinks of the Puritans. Keen disciples, passionate pastors, devotional writers, powerful preachers, precise theologians – yes. Radical revolutionaries and reformers even. But not missionaries. A recent companion to Puritanism has no chapter on their missionary endeavours and does not even have an entry in the index for "evangelism". Yet Lee Gatiss, currently at Tyndale House studying 17th century commentaries on Hebrews, tries to show in this article that all their efforts in theology, ministry, and even politics, were focused on bringing glory to God through the salvation of sinners. He shows how the Puritans sought to reach the lost for Christ in New England, in the dark corners of Old England (and Wales), and in the established churches.
The Puritans as Missionaries
"Missionary" is not the first word that comes to mind when one thinks of the Puritans. Keen disciples, passionate pastors, devotional writers, powerful preachers, precise theologians – yes. Radical revolutionaries and reformers even. But not missionaries. A recent companion to Puritanism has no chapter on their missionary endeavours and does not even have an entry in the index for "evangelism". Yet Lee Gatiss, currently at Tyndale House studying 17th century commentaries on Hebrews, tries to show in this article that all their efforts in theology, ministry, and even politics, were focused on bringing glory to God through the salvation of sinners. He shows how the Puritans sought to reach the lost for Christ in New England, in the dark corners of Old England (and Wales), and in the established churches.
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