The Genius of Puritanism

To some, the suggestion that the Puritan movement possessed a genius to it would be a laughable suggestion. Those who sat under their preaching, who received counsel in their studies--or today while reading republished sermons and books-- would know that Puritan pastors did indeed possess a genius in one area especially that has, quite possibly, outstripped any group of pastors before or since the Puritans ministered in 16th and 17th century England. The Puritans excelled in teaching all theology as practical theology; and, as such, the typical Puritan sermon would not merely announce a theological idea, but would explain why it mattered and how the average layperson might apply this truth from Scripture to their life. If the sermon was on a text that called men and women to trust in the Lord, the sermon would first discuss the selected text, then identify the theological truth or doctrine to be found within the text (while also explaining how that doctrine was derived from Scripture), and then would apply that doctrine to the lives of that specific congregation using vivid examples and memorable aphorisms. In applying the text, the Puritan pastor would be sure to give counsel on how to (for instance) trust in God-- perhaps giving three, six, or nine helps for trusting in God in their current situations. The typical Puritan sermon was not vague, general, or trite, but sought to equip and empower the immediate congregation for living out God's Word and growing in faith, regardless of the ease or difficulty of personal circumstances.


Peter Lewis' The Genius of Puritanism is an punchy examination of Puritan preaching, worship, and spiritual counseling practices. The book begins by a brief introduction to Puritan history and thought that would be helpful for any who are wondering who the Puritans were and what they were about. Then it proceeds to discuss the Puritan in the pulpit, in the pew, and in private. It is this third element that demands most of the book's attention. 

With regard to the Puritan in private (and by this Lewis is referring to the Puritan Pastor in his study as he cared for those people under his care), Lewis directs his attention to the Puritan pastors treatment of spiritual depression, or as the Puritans also called it, spiritual desertion-- the feeling in a person that God has abandoned them. While God does not actually abandon those he has forgiven and claimed as his own, certain individuals may truly feel as if God has deserted. This feeling is not imaginary or foolish, but is a genuine heaviness of heart and soul that comes upon a person who believes that they are God forsaken. For the pastor, he might encounter this as a woman comes into his study and complains that she no longer feels like God is there when she prays or reads her Bible. God feels distant to her! A teenager might come to the pastor because he has done something that he knew was wrong and now wrestles with deep-seated guilt and the fear that God could no longer accept him back. Or, the pastor may be confronted with a father who has suddenly lost his son, and feels that God has abandoned him. All three people really feel like God is distant and, quite possibly in their minds, that he no longer loves them. To these scenarios, which are quite plausible today, the Puritans offer tremendously keen insights on how to explain this feeling of desertion and what might be done to alleviate this spiritual darkness. 

Lewis, an English pastor, is writing as one who has enjoyed and revered the wisdom of the Puritans and it clearly shows through his writing. While for some readers Lewis' bias might detract from the book, his interest in the Puritans makes him more than willing to let them speak for themselves. Though The Genius of Puritanism is small, it is slow reading because of extensive quotations from a wide range of Puritan works. This allows the reader to hear the Puritan voice firsthand and to truly take in the compassionate tone that these pastors preached with and the practical counsel they offered-- in private and in public-- to those who were struggling to find the peace and comfort that was supposedly offered in Christ. 

The book offers its own commendation in the conclusion, when it says, "Every Christian is aware of the many forms of spiritual depression that can and do accompany the Christian life in this uncertain world. Perhaps few ages have been more neurotic than our own, and the crying need for an adequate, biblical, pastoral ministry to anguished minds, disillusioned Christians, stricken consciences and subconscious fears, was never more evidence than in our day. Such cases, and in such number, need more studied and scriptural treatment than they are receiving... In this matter, as in all others, we have the Puritans' Bible, the Puritans' God-- why may we not have 'the Puritan genius'?" (136). This genius, this acute ability to diagnosis the heart and prescribe treatment for our spiritual difficulties, is clearly introduced in this fine work. 

To students of the Puritans, to pastors, and to those who desire to see what a nuanced and practical theology looks like, I suggest the slow-reading, but valuable, The Genius of Puritanism.