Puritanism

Puritanism was a movement within English Protestantism that sought to reform the Church of England further along Reformed lines, challenging practices and structures it viewed as insufficiently biblical.

English Reformation: The sixteenth-century break from papal authority that established a Protestant Church of England. It created the church Puritans sought to reform further.
Reformed Protestantism: A Protestant tradition shaped by the theology and church reforms associated with Calvin and related movements. Puritanism was an English movement within this broader tradition.
Puritan Sabbath: A strict observance of Sunday as a day for worship, rest, and religious instruction. It shows how Puritan convictions became rules for everyday conduct.
Millenary Petition: A 1603 petition by English clergy requesting further reforms to the Church of England. It brought Puritan complaints to James I at the start of his reign.
English Civil War: A series of conflicts in the 1640s between the supporters of Charles I and Parliament. Puritan religious and political alignments became entangled in the conflict.
Elizabethan Religious Settlement: The laws and policies that established the Church of England under Elizabeth I. Its retention of bishops and prescribed worship became central Puritan grievances.
Sola scriptura: The Protestant principle that Scripture is the supreme authority for Christian doctrine and practice. Puritans appealed to Scripture to judge ceremonies and church structures.
Puritan preaching: A sermon-centered style of Protestant ministry emphasizing biblical exposition and moral application. Preaching spread Puritan doctrine and made the sermon central to worship.
Hampton Court Conference: A 1604 meeting between James I and church representatives about religious reforms and disputes. Its limited concessions disappointed Puritan hopes for substantial change.
Great Ejection: The 1662 removal of ministers who refused to conform to the Church of England's revised worship requirements. It marked the exclusion of many Puritan ministers from the established church.

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