The Role of the Laity in England’s Puritan Revolution

Abstract

The crafting of the New England Way was followed with interest by puritans in England and the Netherlands. John Winthrop’s belief that the eyes of all would be upon the puritan New World adventure certainly appeared to be the case in the late 1630s and early 1640s. The Atlantic debate over the nature and value of the colonial system became of even greater relevance as conflict between Charles I and his subjects broke out in England and the Long Parliament called the Westminster Assembly into existence to advise on the restructuring of the English Church. For two decades English laymen would engage in their own efforts to create a godly kingdom, part of which involved discussion of what the lay role itself should be. One result was the fragmentation of the puritan movement and its subsequent restructuring as distinct denominations. This chapter will focus on the various ways in which laymen and laywomen engaged in the efforts to restructure the English church. The following chapters will examine some of the ways in which puritans dealt with the sectarian diversity that resulted from lay explorations of the faith in the 1640s and 1650s.